For America250, which document adopted on July 4, 1776 is being commemorated?

America250 commemorates the Declaration of Independence, adopted on July 4, 1776.

The document announced that the Thirteen Colonies regarded themselves as free and independent states rather than parts of the British Empire. It also presented political and philosophical arguments supporting separation from Great Britain.

Thomas Jefferson drafted most of the text, working with a committee that included John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Roger Sherman, and Robert Livingston. The Second Continental Congress debated and edited the draft before adopting it.

A common mix-up concerns the document’s adoption and signing. Congress adopted the Declaration on July 4, while most delegates signed the engrossed parchment on August 2, 1776. The Constitution was written later, in 1787.