The United States Semiquincentennial in 2026 marks the 250th anniversary of which document?

The United States Semiquincentennial in 2026 marks the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.

The Second Continental Congress adopted the document on July 4, 1776, announcing that the thirteen American colonies regarded themselves as independent states. The anniversary is therefore tied to the declaration of independence, rather than to the later Constitution or the end of the Revolutionary War.

Thomas Jefferson drafted the document, with editing and suggestions from John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Roger Sherman, and Robert Livingston. Its best-known section explains political principles and lists grievances against King George III.

The document was not the peace treaty that ended the war. The Treaty of Paris was signed in 1783, while the Constitution was drafted in 1787 and ratified in 1788. Those milestones are related but occurred later.