In conjunction with a Marine cake cutting ceremony, there will be a showcasing of Plymouth’s connection to the Continental and Privateer Marines of the Revolutionary War by reenactors. From the first Continental Marine Recruiter in Plymouth 1776, Lieutenant Seth Chapin. To Plymouth’s own Continental Marine Lieutenant James Warren Jr, who served aboard the USS Alliance until wounded in May 1781. He is also the son of James Warren and Mercy Otis Warren. Then the Privateer Marines who perished aboard the General Arnold in a storm in Plymouth Bay on Christmas 1778. This event is a collaboration between the Marine Corps League Detachment 1306 in Plymouth and Volunteers of America Massachusetts in Plymouth. Guest of Honor for this Marine Corps Birthday Ball will be Lieutenant Colonel Robert H. Barrow USMC (Ret.).

Join Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Edward Larson for a timely forum on his forthcoming book, Declaring Independence: Why 1776 Matters. As the nation approaches the 250th anniversary of its founding, Larson offers a powerful reexamination of the ideas, debates, and military turning points that made independence possible. From Common Sense to the Declaration itself, and from Boston to Trenton, Larson explores how 1776 transformed colonial resistance into a revolutionary movement—and why its lessons remain urgent for America today.

The Massachusetts Independence Day event is intended to be a grand-scale event celebrating the departure of the British Army after a ten-month siege and commemorating the service and sacrifice of thousands of men and women who supported the siege of Boston. This event will feature: A Parade & Review, Presentation Program, Flyover, 21 Gun Salute and Reception.