Welcome to the CaesarRodney250 Library!

(This is where you’ll find the articles, presentations, and resources we’ve created to share Caesar Rodney’s story and the history of his time. Explore the content to learn more about his legacy and the events that shaped Delaware and America.)

(Newark, DE. February 4, 2025) -- As the United States prepares to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 2026, Delaware reflects on how it remembers one of its most important figures: Caesar Rodney.

On Thursday, Feb. 27, 2025, from 5:30 PM - 8:00 PM at the Wilmington Public Library, the Caesar Rodney Institute (CRI), through its CaesarRodney250 initiative, will host a free civics education event exploring Rodney’s role in American independence and the ongoing discussion surrounding his legacy.

"The du Ponts and [their early CFO John] Raskob made it Rodney Square. I'd like to create a Joe Biden-centered square. I can't think of a better way to honor the first Delawarean to be president of the U.S., who has served our country for 50 years." --  Wilmington, DE, Mayor-elect John Carney, The Philadelphia Inquirer. 

The above quote by Wilmington's new mayor-elect demonstrates his poor judgment. His comments imply animosity toward the du Ponts and John Raskob as if their well-developed plan to create Rodney Square was built on elitism. Nothing is further from the truth...

September 5, 2024, marked the 250th anniversary of the start of the First Continental Congress, where delegates from 12 of the 13 colonies met in Carpenter's Hall in Philadelphia, PA. They gathered in response to the 1774 four Intolerable (Coercive) Acts, a series of harsh measures imposed by the British government. These Acts were passed after the repeal of the 1765 Sugar Act and Stamp Acts due to active agitation by the American colonies...