Thirty-three members were sworn into the U.S. Semiquincentennial Commission at its first organizing meeting.
The commissioners were sworn in at Independence Hall in Philadelphia on November 16, 2018. The location reflected the building’s connection with both the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution, two documents central to the anniversary’s historical scope.
The group included 16 private citizens, eight members of Congress, and nine federal officials. Its assignment was to plan and coordinate national observances for the 250th anniversary and to consider the full history of the United States, not only the events of 1776.
The commission was created by federal legislation signed in 2016. Its work forms part of the broader America250 effort, which includes civic, educational, cultural, and historical programs. The number 33 refers to the commission’s membership at that organizing meeting, not the number of states, colonies, or founding signers.