America 250 at the Ohio County Public Library
"A Republic — If we can keep it." The Ohio County Public Library Celebrates 250 Years of America’s Best Ideas
On September 17, 1787, as the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia finished its vital and contentious work, Ben Franklin was asked whether the delegates had created a monarchy or a republic. “A republic,” Franklin famously replied, “if you can keep it.” Franklin’s words remind us that self-government is fragile and difficult and must be guarded diligently, especially by the governed.
In recognition of these existential truths and in the glow of our nation’s Semiquincentennial, OCPL will offer a multifaceted celebration and critique of our relatively young experiment in keeping a republic, exploring 250 years of successes and failures, beginning with an amazing Main Exhibit that will feature artifacts and information.
Main Exhibit: A Republic, If We Can Keep It.
The main exhibit between the Circ Desk and Reference Desk will feature five original vintage artifacts from the Revolutionary Era as well as an enlightening amount of information about the Founding Era, the Constitutional Era, and what has happened in the two and one half centuries since July 4, 1776, incuding the triumphs and tragedies of our comparatively young republic.
Learn About Our Period Artifacts: Land Grants
People's University Series: Revolution & Constitution
Two of the authors of articles for the Historical Review (see below), Wheeling native Phillip Greenwalt and Pittsburgh native Michael Giorgianni will lead an impressive roster of instructors for the new People’s University Series, “America 250: Revolution and Constitution.” Attendees of this 8-part series will learn about the Revolutionary War, the Enlightenment ideals and grievances that led to the Declaration of Independence, and origins of the new American government that unfolded over several fitful years in a struggle to turn abstract ideas about self-government into a viable structure, with important lessons for twenty-first-century Americans.
The series will conclude on August 13 at noon, as we invite members of our community to participate in public readings of selections from our most cherished documents: the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution.
SEE FACEBOOK EVENTS
Lunch With Books Programs
Upper Ohio Valley Historical Review:Wheeling & The Ohio Valley in the National Story
Further expanding on this theme, the new summer 2026 edition of the Upper Ohio Valley Historical Review will explore the theme: “America 250: Wheeling and the Ohio Valley in the National Story.” This volume will delve into areas in which our Valley has had a national impact in the 250 years since Independence was declared, including a fresh look at the Sieges of Fort Henry and local skirmishes to the extent that they had an impact on the war at large; an essay on two military leaders that visited the Ohio Valley area after the American Revolution: The Marquis de Lafayette in Wheeling and James Varnum, a founding member of the Ohio Company, which established Marietta, Ohio; Wheeling as an early Gateway West- a river, road, and rail transportation hub; a look into what extent the Wheeling Conventions and West Virginia Statehood may have impacted the outcome of the Civil War; and Landmark Cases: The legal cases with local origins and national significance.
Visit the Historical Review Page
