Towns in our coastal community have been chosen to represent Alabama in the nation's upcoming Semiquincentennial. The certification is issued by the Alabama USA Semiquincentennial Commission and the American Village as part of the America 250 Alabama Initiative.

The commission stated their vision is to communicate that Alabamians understand the importance of their role as active and responsible citizens united in their dedication to the founding principles of our nation, and the pursuit of a more perfect Union.

The mission of the organization is to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the United States’ Declaration of Independence by supporting and promoting a multitude of programs and events that educate, engage, and unite Alabamians around the nation’s founding principles.

Fifty cities across the State will be educating Alabamians about our shared history, we will contribute to a better understanding of who we are, where we come from, and where we choose to go in the future together. By engaging Alabamians, we will inspire citizens to continue to shape our nation as we evolve toward a more perfect union. And by uniting Alabamians in celebrations, we will recognize the power of our diverse stories without losing sight of our common bonds.

Examples of Alabamians role in the revolution:

• Lafayette, who volunteered his services to George Washington, arrived in Mobile on April 7, 1825. He was just as regally received and extravagantly entertained in Mobile as he had been elsewhere; a banquet and ball held that evening at a hotel on Royal Street drew more than 600 spectators. The next morning he traveled by steamboat down Mobile Bay to Mobile Point, where he joined an official welcoming party from Louisiana.
• In 1780, Fort Charlotte, built 60 years before by the French, was under the control of the British. In support of the colonies, Spain had entered the war in 1779. On March 10, 1780, Spanish General Bernardo de Gálvez attacked the fort, seeking control of the important port town and thwart the British threat to its Louisiana colony. Fort Charlotte, called Fort Conde under French rule is now a tourist attraction.
• James McCrory, a soldier who once held a place of honor in George Washington's "Life Guard," a Secret Service precursor created to protect the general, lived out his life in Tuscaloosa.

These and many more interesting facts are discovered in the American 250 - Alabama archives.