Two hundred and fifty years ago, this country began a grand experiment. With 2026 coming up and the United States marking 250 years, I wanted to do something meaningful with that moment. This series brings together two things I’ve always cared about: history and travel.
A lot has happened between the country’s earliest days and where we are now. The history that shaped the nation in those early years still matters. It helps explain where we are today and, in many ways, where we are headed.
Growing up, I had the opportunity to visit the Smithsonian and see the documents our founding fathers wrote to help guide the country. Those documents were essential to notice. But for me, history became real through the places themselves. Visiting historic locations brought those stories to life in a way the documents alone never could.
That interest started early. Sitting in history classes, I always enjoyed the subject, which eventually led me to earn a BA in History. Even so, it wasn’t until I began visiting historic sites on my own—places like Fort McHenry and Prairie Grove Battlefield Park—that history truly connected for me in a lasting way.
New posts in this series will go out every Wednesday. Each one follows the order in which the states entered the Union. We’ll start at the beginning and move forward as the country expands. I chose this order because it made the most sense to me as a way to move forward. It allows the story to unfold the way the country actually grew. That growth wasn’t neat or evenly paced. It happened region by region and was often shaped by events beyond state borders.
Each state post follows the same basic structure. It starts with historical context—what was happening locally and nationally at the time. From there, it focuses on a defining story or turning point that helped shape the state’s role in the country. When applicable, the series examines people who carried their state experience into national influence, including presidents and other leaders. Place matters as much as people, so each post also highlights the physical locations where that history can still be seen today. Each chapter wraps up by looking at why that history still matters and how it continues to influence the present. This series isn’t meant to judge the past by today’s standards or reduce it to symbols or slogans. Events are presented as they were understood at the time, based on documented facts and historical context. Some chapters highlight achievements. Others are harder to read. All of them matter if we want to understand the country as it actually exists.
The goal is to see familiar places differently and approach new ones with more context. I love to read, but I’ll never forget walking into Fort McHenry for the first time and hearing the story of the Star-Spangled Banner from someone dressed in period costume.
As the series unfolds, each state becomes both a destination and a chapter in a much larger story. Each one stands on its own, but none of them make sense in isolation. Together, they form a chronological journey through 250 years of American growth, conflict, compromise, and continuity.
The journey begins where the nation itself did, with the first state to ratify the Constitution.
Next in the series: Delaware — the First State.
