MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — Middle Tennessee State University will commemorate Evacuation Day on Tuesday, March 17, with a hands-on historic printing experience and a public reading of the Declaration of Independence preamble.
This event, hosted by the Honors College and the American Democracy Project, is part of MTSU’s ongoing programming leading up to the nation’s 250th anniversary.
Evacuation Day marks the evacuation of approximately 9,000 British forces from Boston on March 17, 1776, in response to the building of American fortifications around the city that put the British in an indefensible position.
Following almost a year of military battles in the area, including the Battles of Lexington, Concord, and Bunker/Breed’s Hill, the departure of the British forces led to a day of jubilation among Boston’s citizens and was a crucial morale boost for the emerging United States.
The March 17 events include:
• Noon to 4 p.m. in Todd Art Gallery, Room 350: Students and anyone else who registers will have the rare opportunity to print their own keepsake copy of the Declaration’s preamble using MTSU’s working replica of Benjamin Franklin’s 18th century printing press. Space is limited, and registration is required.
A short promotional video demonstrating the Franklin press can be viewed here.
• 1 p.m. on the Honors College lawn: The community is invited to join a public reading of the Declaration of Independence and receive a freshly printed copy. Free pie and patriotic cookies will be available for attendees.
MTSU Semiquincentennial events are made possible by a matching grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities. To help MTSU meet the match, please consider donating $17.76 in honor of America’s founding: tbg.mtsu.edu/forms/usa250.
Off-campus visitors to the events can obtain a temporary permit from the Parking and Transportation Services office at 205 City View Drive or pay by plate by visiting https://bit.ly/mtvisitorparking and clicking the appropriate link under “Visitor Parking.” Visitor permits are $4 per day. A parking map and more information are available at https://mtsu.edu/parking/.
— Robin E. Lee (robin.e.lee@mtsu.edu)
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