we've still got a couple of years to go but today New Jersey kicked off preparations for our country's 250th anniversary the governor joined local leaders to promote New Jersey as a state rich with revolutionary error history and to put the state on the map ahead of the celebrations leaders are promising to revitalize Revolutionary War sites and promote educational events throughout the state teed Goldberg got a preview of what's to come in 2026 Monmouth battlefields saw more than a few gunshots during the Revolutionary War as well as some nasty work from bayonets here at Mammoth this is one of the first times that you see the Continental Army really going toe-to-toe with the British with the bayonet Jesse NOS has done reenactments here for a decade the Continentals fixed their own bayonets and countercharge and you have multiple moments of this really close intimate violent fighting uh we think of the Revolution as this time of powdered wigs and chivalry and stuff like that and some of that might be true but in the end this is a war they are trying to kill each other he's not interested in sanitizing history and neither are the people he talks to at Monmouth Battlefield State Park to to get kids excited that's the biggest thing is if you get kids excited they come and they bring their parents and their parents get excited and they start visiting other sites and learning more and just yeah just teaching people about what happened here some of the stuff they learned isn't wrong and some of it's not necessarily right either but not far off so whatever Sparks the interest and gets people to to come here and learn more about it New Jersey has two years to get ready for the semiquincentennial or 250th anniversary of the start of the American Revolution Governor Phil Murphy says the state is spending about 30 million in historic preservation and Rehabilitation much of it Federal funding very excited I mean I don't know how many times I hear oh I've lived here my whole life and never knew this was here or just I've lived in New Jersey my whole life and never knew it this was here meanwhile this is one of the longest and bloodiest battles of the American Revolution and a major turning point and it's taking place right in people's backyard we've got a great story on the revolution we just don't tell it well enough Governor Murphy spoke at the state park today to highlight New Jersey's message for historical Buffs and curious tourists who might swing by the Garden State over the next few years as people travel across the globe to visit our state and learn more about the crucial role that we played in the war for independence they will discover that New Jersey is not just home to revolutionary history we are to this day the birthplace for revolutionary possibilities the state's efforts include bringing exhibitions to local libraries art installations Statewide and a series of talks featuring reenactors let us seize this opportunity to prove that we are the essential destination for discovering the spirit of the American Revolution after all it is here in New Jersey where more military engagements took place during the Revolutionary War than in any other state the events will happen over the course of s Years starting in 2026 and as part of the state's program they'll highlight stories from folks we don't always hear about in history books it isn't just about battlefields but about the lives of all of those living and working in the middle of this war we're talking about the women the children free and enslaved black people indigenous people by the end of the war fully one quarter of our troops were either black or indigenous these are the stories that need to be told in the coming years the activities will run from 2026 to 2033 music to the ears of anybody interested in learning more about New Jersey's role in the American Revolution at modmouth Battlefield State Park I'm Ted Goldberg and J Spotlight news [Music]