Sen. Bill Diamond, D-Windham, has been appointed to the
Maine Bicentennial Commission by Senate President Michael D. Thibodeau. The
Commission is charged with preparing and administering a plan for 2020's
celebration of Maine’s 200th anniversary.
“I love the State of Maine and am deeply honored to have
been appointed to the Commission,” said Sen. Diamond. “I feel strongly that the
goodness of the people here and the beauty of our natural environment can’t be
matched anywhere else. I look forward to working with my fellow commissioners
to make this a celebration worthy of our great state.”
The Commission was created by the Legislature earlier this
year and includes representatives from the governor’s office, the Legislature,
the chief justice of the Maine Supreme Court, the secretary of state and the
commissioner of education. Additional appointments are made by the Maine
Humanities Council and leaders of the University of Maine system, the Maine
Community College system and Maine Maritime Academy. Ex officio members of the
Commission include Senate President Thibodeau, Speaker of the House Sara
Gideon, The Maine state archivist, the state historian, and the director of the
Maine State Museum.
The District of Maine had been part of Massachusetts since
the country's inception. A movement arose in the late 18th century, however,
for Maine to break away and become its own state. The campaign slowly gained
momentum until the District, outraged by a lack of support from Massachusetts
during the War of 1812, voted on independence in July 1819. All nine counties
voted for statehood. The Maine constitutional convention met in Portland in
October of 1819 and the resulting document was approved by a large margin in
January 1820. Maine officially became the 23rd state on March 15, 1820.
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