What document does the United States Semiquincentennial commemorate 250 years after its adoption?

The United States Semiquincentennial commemorates the Declaration of Independence 250 years after its adoption. The Second Continental Congress adopted the Declaration on July 4, 1776.

The document announced that the thirteen American colonies regarded themselves as free and independent states. It also explained the political principles and grievances that the Continental Congress used to justify separation from Great Britain.

The Declaration is not the same document as the U.S. Constitution. The Constitution established the federal government in 1787, while the Declaration stated the colonies’ independence in 1776. The Articles of Confederation later provided an initial framework for national government before the Constitution replaced it.

America250 therefore centers on the revolutionary-era declaration, not on the Constitution’s signing or the later adoption of the Bill of Rights. Those documents are related to U.S. founding history but mark different events and dates.