America250 commemorates 250 years of U.S. independence in 2026.
The calculation is 2026 minus 1776, the year the Declaration of Independence was adopted. That produces 250 years, which is why the anniversary is called a semiquincentennial and why the campaign uses the name America250.
The number does not mean that every present-day institution of the United States has existed unchanged since 1776. The Articles of Confederation preceded the Constitution, which took effect in 1789, and the federal government has changed substantially over time.
It is also distinct from the 1976 bicentennial, which celebrated 200 years since the Declaration. The next major quarter-millennium milestone will therefore follow the bicentennial by 50 years, making 2026 a particularly prominent anniversary in the national commemorative calendar.