The United States Semiquincentennial marked 250 years of American independence on July 4, 2026.
The anniversary is calculated from July 4, 1776, when the Continental Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence. The date became the foundation for the United States’ annual Independence Day observance and for the America250 commemoration.
The word semiquincentennial means a 250th anniversary. “Semi” means half, “quinque” relates to five, and “centennial” refers to 100 years. The term is less familiar than bicentennial, which describes a 200th anniversary.
America250 is a broad national commemoration rather than a claim that every institution in the United States began on the same day. It centers on the Declaration’s adoption and the country’s independence, while also highlighting the nation’s longer and more complicated history.