America250 marks the 250th anniversary of which founding document?

America250 marks the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.

The Second Continental Congress adopted the document on July 4, 1776, formally announcing that the Thirteen Colonies regarded themselves as independent states rather than possessions of Great Britain. Thomas Jefferson drafted the principal text with help from the Committee of Five, which also included Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, Roger Sherman, and Robert Livingston.

The Declaration combined a political announcement with an explanation of the colonies’ grievances against King George III. Its language about equality, rights, and government by consent later became central to American political culture, even though the document did not immediately create a functioning national government.

A common mix-up is confusing the Declaration with the Constitution. The Declaration announced independence in 1776; the Constitution, written in 1787, established the federal government’s framework. America250 therefore commemorates the document’s adoption, not the Constitution’s ratification.