SZALINSKI’S SUMMARY: Gov. JB Pritzker submitted a letter to the America250 time capsule that will be buried at Independence Hall in Philadelphia on July 4 and not opened again for another 250 years until America’s 500th birthday in 2276. Pritzker’s submission was one of dozens of letters and items included in the contents of the time capsule that preserves records of 2026 for a future generation.
“It is interesting writing a letter for 250 years from now,” Pritzker wrote. “I think of what America and the land we now call Illinois was like 250 years ago and wonder how much it will have changed by the time you read this. I do know this: Illinois has and continues to be in the middle of the American story and I am confident that will still be the case in 2276.”
The letter was obtained by Capitol News Illinois through a Freedom of Information Act request.
Read Pritzker’s letter here: Governor – Letter for Time Capsule
MESSAGE: Pritzker’s message echoed some sentiments he shared with members of the General Assembly in his 2026 State of the State address in February. The governor wrote that he hopes the state and nation will “embrace the most risky of emotions – love” over the next 250 years.
“Love for country and its people, but also an expectation that your country loves you back,” Pritzker wrote. “A love that manifests in respect for all people, and a lifting up of those who for so long have been marginalized by society. A love that I see constantly in the people of this great state, and a love that we as Illinoisans are ready to share with America. Love is the greatest of weapons in the fight against injustice and I’m ready for that fight.”
Pritzker said in February that “right now, there are a lot of people out there who love their country and feel like their country is not loving them back. … I love my country. I refuse to stop. The hope I have found in a very difficult year is that love is the light that gets you through a long night.”
The letter is a subtle message from Pritzker, who rarely backs away from a jab at President Donald Trump, or an observation that Trump’s presidency shares parallels to authoritarian leaders and jeopardizes America’s democracy. But Pritzker left those overt observations about Trump’s presidency to the history books— or whatever students will use to study in 250 years.
CHIEF MARKETING OFFICER: The governor is also quick to brag about the history of Illinois and its people, which he does again in the letter. He references a lineage of influential leaders from the state, from Native American Chief Obwaandi’eyaag to Abraham Lincoln to Pope Leo XIV alongside the agriculture economy, leading universities and position as the crossroads of America.
After referencing a quote from Lincoln, Pritzker writes, “I have faith in the people of Illinois because I have seen first-hand their fortitude and power in standing against injustice and fighting for their neighbor. Illinois has always played a leading role in bridging the fractures that emerge in a democracy.”
OTHER ITEMS: Illinois’ other contribution to the time capsule was a poem written by the state’s current poet laureate Mark Turcotte. Indiana sent their state’s 250th anniversary commission report, Iowa a medallion of the International Space Station, Missouri also a letter from the governor, Kentucky a poem and coin, and Wisconsin several items mostly representing Native Americans.
The National Park Service has included the capsule in its official long-term planning records so someone remembers to open it in 250 years, according to the America250 organization.
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