The United States Semiquincentennial law identified four cities as “leading cities” for anniversary events.
The cities were Boston, Philadelphia, New York City, and Charleston, South Carolina. Federal legislation directed that events receive special focus in these places because of their important connections to the American Revolution and the nation’s founding history.
Philadelphia hosted the Second Continental Congress and is closely associated with the Declaration of Independence and Independence Hall. Boston was a major center of resistance to British rule. New York played a central role in the Revolutionary War, while Charleston was a significant Southern revolutionary city.
The four-city designation does not mean that America250 events were limited to those locations. The commemoration was national in scope, with programs planned across the states, territories, the District of Columbia, museums, historic sites, and local communities.