Dear future Americans: we had stationery
A time capsule was buried last week. It includes many letters and proclamations, and an unusual poster from a Louisiana artist.
When America turns 500, somebody will open a time capsule meant to explain who we were at 250.
They will find letters, proclamations, commemorative trinkets and other evidence that governments, when asked to speak to the future, often reach first for stationery.
The details: The America 250 time capsule was buried on July 4 at Independence National Historical Park in Philadelphia. It is scheduled to be opened in 2276.
Inside are contributions from all three branches of the federal government, all 50 states, Washington, D.C., five U.S. territories and others.
The idea was to capture the people, places, ideas and innovations shaping the United States at 250.
What’s inside: A scan of the contents suggests many contributors went with letters, resolutions and official keepsakes—the things governments produce by routine.
Louisiana sent letters from Gov. Jeff Landry, Lt. Gov. Billy Nungesser and U.S. House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, along with a House resolution, notecards, another letter, a coin and a commemorative poster showing alligators in a Louisiana version of George Washington crossing the Delaware.
Louisiana did include one item that feels like Louisiana: a necklace with a Krewe of Bacchus pendant and glass beads.
Most other states took the safe route, too. Minnesota included an executive order. Mississippi sent a letter from the governor. Nevada tossed in gambling chips. Texas contributed a paperweight.
California, to its credit, went full California: a fusion conductor, a prediction from Claude about what the state will look like in the future and a quantum chip.
The bottom line: When the anthropologists of 2276 open the capsule, they may conclude that Americans at 250 years were boring.