'History is live': NJ kicks off campaign to honor America's 250th anniversary

MANALAPAN, N.J. (PIX11) – On the hallowed grounds of Monmouth Battlefield State Park, reenactor Jesse Nokes commemorates the service and sacrifice of General Washington's Continental Army.

"What I love about being here is that I get to work where the country was founded," said Nokes. "The thing about history is that we see black and white photos, and we see paintings and that's not history. History is in color. History is live."

Without their sacrifice nearly 250 years ago, the United States may never have existed.

In the shadow of that battlefield, New Jersey announced Friday its effort to celebrate America's 250th birthday with the kickoff of the RevolutionNJ campaign.

While still a little more than a year and a half out from our nation's semi-quincentennial on July 4, 2026, New Jersey plans to mark the historical event through ceremonies, education, and reenactor programs, and  $25 million to rehab ten Revolutionary War sites across the state.

"Here we have a great story to tell," said Governor Phil Murphy (D-NJ), "the most consequential story of any American State."

The Battles of Trenton, Princeton, and Monmouth—each in their own way—marked the turning point of the American Revolution. But Murphy says New Jersey has fallen behind states like Massachusetts and Pennsylvania in Revolution notoriety.

"We should at least be on par," said Murphy, "if not be the place people come to."

State leaders hope this celebration ignites a desire to learn more about the American Revolution and awakens a newfound sense of American pride.

"If you can think back to those of us who remember the bicentennial, it was the same thing then," said Michael Timpanaro, the Battlefield's historian. "As it got closer and closer, people started realizing the importance and history of the country and nation as a whole, they started wanting to go back to some of the sites, revisit some of the sites that have been forgotten. I foresee the same here now for the 250th, the semi-quin."