The United States Semiquincentennial commemorates which founding document adopted on July 4, 1776?

The United States Semiquincentennial commemorates the Declaration of Independence, adopted on July 4, 1776.

The document announced that the Thirteen Colonies regarded themselves as free and independent states rather than territories governed by Great Britain. It also presented political and philosophical reasons for separation, including arguments about natural rights and the legitimacy of changing an unjust government.

The Second Continental Congress adopted the Declaration in Philadelphia. Thomas Jefferson largely drafted it, while the Committee of Five and Congress revised the text before approval. The famous parchment copy was signed primarily on August 2, rather than all at once on July 4.

The Declaration is not the same document as the Constitution. The Constitution established the federal government in 1787, while the Declaration explained and announced independence in 1776. The Bill of Rights was added to the Constitution in 1791.