"We Hold These Truds": Inside the bizarre merchandise of America's 250th birthday commission
By
John Garrison Marks
Summary
A critical and humorous examination of the U.S. Semiquincentennial Commission's (America250) commemorative merchandise for the nation's 250th birthday. The author explores the bizarre, poorly designed, and often nonsensical apparel being produced, including shirts with odd slogans like "We Hold These Truds" and "Game seven grit and American spirit," questioning how official commemorative merchandise for a historic milestone ended up so disconnected from the actual celebration. The piece delves into the commission's operations, design choices, and the broader implications of how America markets its own history.
Source
Defector"We Hold These Truds": Inside the bizarre merchandise of America's 250th birthday commissiondefector.comKey quotes
· 3 pulledThe shirt designs have little connection to the NBA Finals—'NBA' is nowhere to be found, and the only logo on it is America250's—but somehow even less connection to the country's birthday.
One has a basketball going into a net, flanked by the phrase 'Game seven grit and American spirit' on one side and 'America 250' on the other.
It's hard to imagine a more fitting symbol for a commission that seems to have lost the plot entirely.
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