Thirty-three members were sworn in when the Semiquincentennial Commission first convened in 2018.
The members took their oaths at Independence Hall in Philadelphia on November 16, 2018. That meeting began the commission’s organized work toward the United States’ 250th anniversary in 2026.
The group combined different kinds of representation rather than consisting only of historians or elected officials. Its membership included private citizens, members of Congress, and federal officials, giving the body both public and governmental perspectives.
The commission had been established by Congress in 2016, so the 2018 swearing-in was a later organizational milestone rather than its creation date. This distinction matters because planning legislation came first, while the full commission’s initial meeting came afterward.