On what date did Congress create the United States Semiquincentennial Commission?

Congress created the United States Semiquincentennial Commission on July 22, 2016.

That date is when President Barack Obama signed the United States Semiquincentennial Commission Act into law. The statute became Public Law 114-196 and formally established the commission responsible for planning and coordinating the 250th-anniversary commemoration.

The date is easy to confuse with July 4, 1776, the anniversary being celebrated, or with July 4, 2026, the 250th anniversary year’s central date. The commission’s legal creation happened a decade earlier, giving planners time to organize national and local programs.

The act also reflected a broader approach to commemorating the United States: it directed attention to history, civic participation, education, and coordination among public and private organizations. America250 is therefore the result of both a 1776 founding milestone and a 2016 planning law.