Two hundred and fifty years ago, Paul Revere’s midnight ride helped ignite the American Revolution. Four months from now, our nation will face another historic moment: the Semiquincentennial, a once-in-a-generation opportunity to bring Americans together through our civic traditions.

Using civic holidays for nation-building is not new. When President Ulysses S. Grant signed congressional legislation in 1870 recognizing the first federal holidays, the nation was still healing from the Civil War. Independence Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s Day constituted the first four holidays enacted into law, with Washington’s birthday (aka Presidents Day) added in 1880.  Originally established for federal workers in DC, Congress extended these holidays to federal workers nationwide in 1885.

These civic holidays were not simply invented to create time off from work; rather, they were designed as shared rituals to reinforce national identity and common values.

Over time, civic holidays did more than create calendrical bridges between North and South. They inspired rituals and traditions that contribute to and inform our national identity, strengthen resilience in the face of challenges and remind us that belonging is built not only through memory of the past but through shared experiences in the present.

Independence Day, for example, connects generations through fireworks and barbecues, but also — and most importantly — through public readings of the Declaration of Independence, affirming our shared commitment to freedom, liberty and equality. Memorial Day promotes national remembrance, binding communities through parades, cemetery visits and moments of silence honoring our military’s service and sacrifice. More recently, Martin Luther King Jr. Day has become associated with what Senator Harris Wofford and U.S. Representative John Lewis called a “day on, not a day off,” promoting volunteerism and public service.

In short, our civic holidays are intended to serve as recurring opportunities to embed and embody the best values and aspirations that define America. 

In 1968, Congress enacted the Uniform Monday Holiday Act, shifting certain civic holidays to Mondays to create regular three-day weekends for American workers. President Lyndon Johnson endorsed the legislation, noting that it would help families spend more time together and encourage Americans to travel and explore their country.

Despite these practical considerations, the unintended consequence was a heightened focus on convenience and commerce over civic meaning. As the original intent of these days faded, long weekends became more associated with mattress sales and barbeques than national connection and reflection. Many schools and communities now treat these dates as intermissions from content and community rather than invitations to engage in national identity formation.

If civic holidays have lost some of their meaning, they can also be reclaimed. Civic Spirit and civics organizations nationwide are working to restore these days as powerful, formative moments in students’ lives.

How to best reclaim civic holidays is on the agenda this week as the country marks the fourth annual Civic Learning Week, a national initiative dedicated to strengthening civic education and engagement. At a forum in Philadelphia earlier this week, educators, funders, scholars and elected officials explored how we can better leverage the traditions already embedded in our civic calendar to reinvigorate our shared democratic culture.

The mission of Civic Spirit, where I work, is to train teachers and prepare students to become informed and engaged members of American democracy. One of our priorities is to guide our growing network of Jewish, Catholic and other Chrisitian private schools to reclaim civic holidays.

Our approach is to turn these “days off” into “on-ramps,” opportunities to teach, practice and live out the values at the heart of American democracy. 

Additionally, there is value in commemorating milestones on the actual date whenever they fall. A three-day weekend is always appreciated, but does it make sense to observe July 4 two days later?

Each civic holiday holds the potential to become a school-wide learning experience and a communal reflection on the American experiment. Leaders must ensure that systems are put in place to help schools, synagogues, camps and community organizations prepare thoughtfully. 

A prime example of this civic holiday renaissance comes from Bornblum Jewish Community School in Memphis, Tenn. For Constitution Day, students participate in mock constitutional conventions, explore the Bill of Rights through interactive exhibits and engage in debates about contemporary applications of constitutional principles. On Veterans Day, the school welcomes local veterans to speak with students, fostering powerful intergenerational dialogue and mutual appreciation. Through assemblies, service projects and creative learning formats, students experience civic values in meaningful ways. 

Feedback from schools in Civic Spirit’s growing network shows that civic holidays provide educators with a platform to explore civic themes, discuss American identity and engage parents and community members in addressing local challenges. But this sacred work requires planning, resources, innovation and faith in the power of education to shape civic character. Civic leaders, funders and policymakers must invest in this long-term capacity if civic holidays are to serve their original purpose of strengthening national identity, unity and resilience.

Looking ahead, the Semiquincentennial represents the Super Bowl of civic holidays in our lifetime. America’s 250th offers not just a time to look back, but an opportunity to look forward by engaging students, schools and communities in the active practice of citizenship. 

For the Jewish community, the Semiquincentennial carries special meaning. Before the establishment of the State of Israel in 1948, America was often seen as the new Promised Land, “Di Goldene Medine.”  In Saying No to Hate: Overcoming Antisemitism in America, Norman Finkelstein writes: 

“In the more than 2,000-year history of the Jewish diaspora, no country has offered Jews more freedom, legal protection and opportunity than the United States of America. Yet, American Jews have always been aware of a residue of anti-Jewish hate lurking in the background, ready to emerge at any time.”  

This dual reality, deep gratitude for freedom alongside vigilance against hate, has helped shape a uniquely resilient Jewish American identity. That resilience is a gift the Jewish community can offer the wider nation as it grapples with polarization, division and distrust.

With the Semiquincentennial taking place during the summer, when thousands of students and educators will be at overnight camps, responsibility for marking this national moment must extend beyond the classroom. Communities will expect programming, town halls, volunteer experiences, conversations with elected officials and study sessions that elevate the experience. As discussed at the recent AJ2026 Conference, since July Fourth will take place on Saturday, Civic Spirit is developing educational materials for Jewish summer camps, synagogues and Shabbat tables for what we are calling “Independence Shabbat.”

Our preparation for America’s 250th must reimagine civic holidays as laboratories of democracy, where students and citizens alike become active participants in shaping their communities. 

This “Freedom Trail 250 Checklist” can guide schools, houses of worship, community centers and camps in their preparation:

1. Identify themes: America’s 250th touches upon cornerstones of our society, including freedom, liberty, justice and the rule of law. Framing programming and experiences around these values will focus reflection on the past and visioning for the future.

2. Connect to your place: While the national story dominates our memory and imagination, it is equally important to consider what was happening on a local and state level during the Revolutionary Era and the founding era. Who were the key players in your local American story? How did the local geography intersect with the events of the day? If your state had not yet been established, how and when did it enter the United States? Identifying local landmarks and even street names can teach us a great deal about connection to our nation. State and local historical societies and museums have primary documents, resource materials and programming to elevate formal and extracurricular learning.  

3. Create civic holiday roadmaps: Develop intentional programming for civic holidays between now and July 4, 2026 (and beyond). Treat each holiday as an on-ramp for students and families to practice civic values through assemblies, public readings of foundational American texts and speeches, dialogues, or service projects. Incorporate music, art and cultural expressions to make the celebration meaningful. These efforts will build momentum toward the Semiquincentennial rather than approaching this national milestone as a one-off event. Our national milestone will take place on Shabbat, so we hope that synagogues, camps, JCCs, organizations and families will participate in what Civic Spirit is calling “Independence Shabbat.”

4. Build intergenerational and cross-community partnerships: Organize community-wide events that bring together faith-based schools, public schools and civic groups. Arrange for students to speak with veterans, immigrants, local leaders, or elders for storytelling and dialogue. These civic conversations strengthen resilience and build identity by showing the next generation that democracy is sustained through shared responsibility across divides that overcome adversity.

5. Invest in civic curriculum and teacher/staff training: Equip educators and camp counselors with lesson plans, toolkits and training on how to turn the Semiquincentennial into a “civic laboratory.” Give them the skills to weave history, identity and civic action into everyday learning. Long-term capacity comes from empowered and confident educators who can sustain civic education beyond 2026.

6. Design student-led civic projects: Encourage students to identify local challenges and design projects to address them. Civic Spirit Clubs have worked on food insecurity, environmental action, voter registration drives, the responsibility of the free press and the creation of safe public space. We can use July 4, 2026, as a milestone to showcase these projects in civic spaces (public libraries, town hall, community centers, etc.), community-wide gatherings and/or county fairs. This approach empowers young people to see themselves not as spectators of democracy but as inheritors of traditions, ideas and values that will shape the next chapter of American society.

By creating civic roadmaps, building intergenerational partnerships, investing in educators, empowering students and elevating rituals of belonging, schools, camps and communities can ensure that America’s 250th is not just a day of fireworks but a milestone of renewal for our democracy.

Today, with divisions running deep and a rapid-fire news cycle across multiple platforms, American society often seems too distracted by the present moment to celebrate the past, let alone imagine the future. Yet the Semiquincentennial will arrive whether we are ready or not. To make Independence Day 2026 an experience remembered for years to come, educators, parents, clergy, funders and civic leaders must approach this milestone with creativity, thoughtfulness and the best of what technology can offer. We can look to the success of the Bicentennial for inspiration: that milestone was leveraged as a national opportunity to heal after Vietnam, Watergate and growing distrust in government. Programs like CBS’s “Bicentennial Minutes” and national campaigns reminded Americans about the experiences and ideas we share and the individuals who shaped our nation. 

Educators, communal leaders and funders must also ensure that celebrations build an infrastructure that strengthens civic learning well beyond 2026 — at least through the anniversary of the Constitution in 2037. At its core, civics is about cultivating identity, building resilience and ensuring that democratic leadership is renewed in every generation. By reclaiming the soul of these holidays, leaders at every level can help revive the civic culture of our country.

Rabbi Charles E. Savenor is the executive director of Civic Spirit, which was recently awarded the Covenant Foundation’s Signature Grant for the organization’s “Building Civic Bridges” initiative.