Declaration of Independence 250 anniversary celebrations will take place in Illinois throughout 2026. Aaron Tebrinke’s Illinois America 250 program, (The Founders Declaration of Independence, Our Constitution, and Your Role), directly ties his ancestor, founder James McHenry, to the very grievances listed in the Declaration. Aaron makes his life a living bridge between the text and the lived experience of people who chose revolution over submission.

The drafters of the Declaration of Independence, laid out that rule under an absolute monarch was unacceptable for the reasons that have a specific connection to McHenry: arbitrary trade practices, the military being used against its own citizens, sending prisoners to other countries without a trial by a jury of their peers, getting in the way of laws established by the colonists laws because the King did not want them to enforce or administer justice, keeping a standing army in times of peace, giving the military powers above the laws of the elected officials insomuch to force citizens to accommodate and find beds for armed troops in their homes, and “abolishing our most valuable laws” that were “wholesome and necessary for the public good.”

Top Five Things to Know About James McHenry
Founder of the U.S.A. born in Ballymena, Ireland who immigrated to America;
Physician in the Continental Army serving on the staffs of General George Washington and Major-General Marquis de Lafayette. As Secretary to the Commander-in Chief of the Continental Army his boss said he was “a man of Letters and Abilities, of great integrity,” was very obliging, and had an amiable temper;
Saw injustices of British rule firsthand;
Secretary of War under Washington & Adams (2/6/1796-5/31/1800) serving with Secretaries of State Thomas Jefferson and Timothy Pickering, and Secretaries of The Treasury Alexander Hamilton and Oliver Wolcot; created the U.S. Navy, and established a regimental framework for the standing U.S. Army. Died May 3, 1816 in Baltimore, Maryland where he served in the Legislature; and
Fort McHenry (Place that inspired the Star-Spangled Banner) is named after him.

Learn how guided questions about the grievances listed in the Declaration of Independence are directly to McHenry—and you.