John Trumbull's painting, "Declaration of Independence," depicting the five-man drafting committee of the Declaration of Independence -- John Adams, Roger Sherman, Robert Livingston, Thomas Jefferson, and Benjamin Franklin -- presenting their work to the Continental Congress. (National Portrait Gallery via Wikimedia)

RESIDENTS OF PHILADELPHIA responded with outrage to the recent removal of an outdoor exhibition on Independence Mall.

The National Park Service, acting in compliance with White House policies concerning US history, took down interpretive signs detailing the lives of the individuals owned by George Washington during his time in the city. All that remained were the names of the enslaved already etched in stone. The city of Philadelphia has filed a lawsuit to restore the exhibit.

As we begin a year of commemorations for the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, we must prepare for more efforts to scour facts and lives from the public eye. History will record how Americans did and did not respond in 2026 to the whitewashing of 1776.

As the birthplace of the American Revolution, Massachusetts can take an important stand.

The removal of historical materials in Philadelphia reflects President Trump’s executive order of March 27, 2025, which asked the Department of the Interior to review all public monuments under its authority for anything that might “inappropriately disparage Americans past or living.”

In 2026, it is officially inappropriate to speak the well-known truth that our first president owned other humans.

Outrage is warranted, but lawsuits and angry posts on social media alone will not prevent more erasure this year. Instead, Americans who fear for the future of history should see the Semiquincentennial as the pivotal moment that it is.

We must protect the critical spaces in our communities, and people who help us remember, critique, and, yes, celebrate the past. If you’re upset about Philadelphia, it’s time to go local.

In Massachusetts, we are fortunate. Across the Commonwealth, a diverse group of artists, educators, and historians have taken up the banner of the 250th to share stories and research that engages the public in a vibrant, inclusive dialogue between the past and present. Some of the most fascinating efforts are underway, not in our most famous institutions, but in the local museums, historic sites, and community centers run by our neighbors, and they are chronically in need of more support.

Last fall, Mass Humanities awarded grants to 34 projects through the Promises of the Revolution initiative, which explores how Massachusetts people, from the distant past to the present, fought for the core promises of the Declaration of Independence: equality for all; the rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness; and the right to self-government.

Rather than erase, the “Promises” organizations chose to add. In Marblehead, the town and local museum are partnering to create a new exhibit and curriculum on Black and Indigenous experiences of the war.

“Our revolutionary history is both extraordinary and incomplete, and we have a responsibility to engage it honestly and inclusively,” says Donna Cotterell, the project’s director. “It allows students and residents to see themselves in the historical record, cultivating critical thinking and civic reflection.”

From Deerfield to Somerville, Natick to Salem, museums and historical societies are reopening their archives and, yes, revising the histories they tell. That is what responsible institutions do, and it should be the lasting legacy of this anniversary in Massachusetts—a robust, unflinching embrace of the roots of the Revolution delivered through inclusive public engagement.

The “Promises” organizations are doing revolutionary work. What they desperately need is participation. A report by the American Alliance of Museums found more than half of museums (55 percent) are currently seeing fewer visitors than in 2019, an increase from 49 percent in 2024.

The Semiquincentennial should be a year to reverse that trend just as we stem the tides of erasure.

Each of us can protect Massachusetts history by attending events and exhibitions hosted by these organizations, participating in the conversations they convene, and visiting our historic sites.

We cannot sit at home and wait for the 250th to blow over. That is certainly not the approach of the people who removed the exhibition in Philadelphia, nor should it be embraced by anyone who believes that our past deserves the perspectives of multiple sources.

As the federal government creates gaps in the record, we can support the organizations filling the voids with voices from the past and present who speak to the Declaration’s core values and its complicated legacy.

Yet again, Massachusetts can lead. In this critical year, that would be the most fitting way to commemorate the Revolution that began here.

Brian Boyles is executive director of Mass Humanities.