Thirty-three commissioners were sworn in at the America250 Commission’s first organizing meeting in 2018.
The members took their oaths on November 16, 2018, at Independence Hall in Philadelphia. Their first organizing meeting marked a major step from congressional authorization toward practical planning for the 2026 national anniversary.
The commission’s membership combined different kinds of participants rather than representing only one branch of government. The group included private citizens, members of Congress, and federal officials. This structure was intended to connect national government planning with civic and public participation.
The number 33 is easy to confuse with the original thirteen colonies or with the number of states in the Union at various points in American history. It refers specifically to the commission’s initial sworn membership in 2018, not to the number of colonies, states, or years in the planning cycle. The group began its work eight years before the anniversary date.