The U.S. Semiquincentennial commemorated the adoption of which founding document?

The U.S. Semiquincentennial commemorated the adoption of the Declaration of Independence. The Second Continental Congress approved the document on July 4, 1776, explaining why the Thirteen Colonies were separating from Great Britain.

Thomas Jefferson wrote most of the initial draft as a member of the five-person Committee of Five, which also included John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Roger Sherman, and Robert R. Livingston. Congress then debated, edited, and shortened the text before approving it. The Declaration presented political and philosophical arguments, including claims about natural rights and the right of revolution.

The document is often confused with the Constitution because both are central American founding documents. They served different purposes: the Declaration announced independence, while the Constitution, written in 1787, established the federal government’s framework. Another nuance is that the formal parchment was signed primarily on August 2, 1776, even though adoption occurred on July 4.