The U.S. Congress established the commission behind America's 250th anniversary in 2016.
Congress created the United States Semiquincentennial Commission through legislation signed during the 2016 planning period. Its purpose was to coordinate a nationwide commemoration of the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence and to encourage participation by public agencies, states, territories, local organizations, and the private sector.
Planning began a decade before the anniversary because a celebration of this size requires long-term work: developing educational materials, coordinating public events, selecting commemorative projects, and preparing museums and historic sites. The initiative later became widely known as America250.
The commission is distinct from the historical Continental Congress that adopted the Declaration in 1776. One body helped create the nation’s independence document; the later commission was created to organize a modern commemoration of that history.