The First State Almost Missed America's 250th Birthday

June 10, 2026

38th District Republican Club

For generations, Delaware has proudly called itself "The First State."

It appears on our license plates, our tourism materials, and in nearly every speech given by public officials. Delaware's identity is rooted in its place in American history. We were the first state to ratify the Constitution. We celebrate Caesar Rodney's legendary ride. We proudly remind the nation of our role in the founding of the Republic.

Yet when the time came to participate in one of the largest patriotic celebrations in American history, Delaware's leadership was nowhere to be found.

As America prepares to celebrate its 250th anniversary, states from across the nation have spent years planning exhibits, events, educational programs, and public-private partnerships to showcase their contributions to our nation's founding and development. The Great American State Fair on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., is expected to draw hundreds of thousands of visitors from across the country during the semiquincentennial celebration.

For Delaware, this should have been a defining moment.

Instead, it became a troubling example of government inaction and missed opportunity.

The First State Was Missing

America's 250th anniversary did not suddenly appear on the calendar. State leaders, tourism agencies, economic development officials, and various commissions have had years to prepare. Yet as planning progressed, Delaware appeared to have no meaningful strategy, no visible presence, and no sense of urgency regarding one of the most important national celebrations of our lifetime.

Freedom 250, the organization coordinating the Great American State Fair and working with states across the country to facilitate participation, repeatedly sought engagement and collaboration from Delaware.

The response was silence.

While other states recognized the significance of the opportunity and worked to secure their place at the nation's celebration, Delaware failed to engage. The state that proudly markets itself as "The First State" seemed content to sit on the sidelines while others prepared to tell their stories on a national stage.

That should concern every Delawarean.

What makes this failure even more glaring is that Delaware has no shortage of publicly funded entities whose mission includes promoting our state's history, tourism, culture, and economic opportunities. Taxpayer dollars support offices, agencies, commissions, and initiatives that should have been leading the effort from day one.

Yet when leadership was needed, it was absent.

Had nothing changed, Delaware may have found itself with no representation at one of the most significant patriotic events in modern American history.

Fortunately, others stepped forward.

Private Citizens Stepped Forward

After Delaware failed to establish a plan to participate, Freedom 250 turned to private-sector leadership to salvage the effort. Under the leadership of Julianne Murray as Delaware's State Lead for the Great American State Fair, a coalition of volunteers, donors, historians, and civic leaders began building what state government had failed to organize.

Working alongside Murray, the Caesar Rodney Institute, through its Caesar Rodney 250 initiative, assumed responsibility for organizing, funding, staffing, and operating Delaware's pavilion at the Great American State Fair. Together, they began raising private funds, recruiting volunteers, coordinating exhibits, developing educational displays, and ensuring Delaware's story would be represented before a national audience.

This was not a project handed to them by state government. It was a project they stepped in to rescue.

The question Delawareans should be asking is simple: Why were private citizens and private organizations forced to do the work that state leaders should have been doing all along?

This is not an argument about ideology. It is an argument about leadership.

At a moment when Delaware should have been proudly leading the nation in celebrating America's founding, state officials and institutions failed to seize the opportunity. It took Freedom 250, Julianne Murray, and the Caesar Rodney Institute, supported by volunteers and private donors, to prevent Delaware from becoming an embarrassment on the national stage.

Had Freedom 250 not sought an alternative path, had Julianne Murray not agreed to serve as Delaware's lead, and had the Caesar Rodney Institute not stepped forward to organize and operate the pavilion, Delaware's participation in the Great American State Fair would have been glaringly missing.

That reality should prompt serious reflection among the elected officials, agencies, and publicly funded organizations that had years to prepare but failed to act.

Delaware Will Be Represented!

The Great American State Fair is more than an exhibit. It is an opportunity to inspire pride in our state's history, promote tourism, support local businesses, educate future generations, and remind Americans why Delaware matters.

Fortunately, Delaware will be represented!

Through the efforts of Freedom 250, Julianne Murray, the Caesar Rodney Institute, generous donors, and dedicated volunteers, visitors from across America will have the opportunity to learn why Delaware remains the First State. They will learn about Caesar Rodney's ride, Delaware's role in the founding of our nation, our agricultural heritage, our waterways, our industries, and the people who continue to make Delaware special.

That outcome is worth celebrating.

The fact that it required a last minute rescue effort is not.

Delaware's leadership dropped the ball.

Freedom 250, Julianne Murray, and the Caesar Rodney Institute picked it up.

The question remains: Why didn't Delaware's leadership make this a priority from the beginning?