What document is America250 commemorating 250 years after its 1776 adoption?

America250 is commemorating 250 years since the adoption of the Declaration of Independence in 1776.

The Declaration was adopted by the Second Continental Congress on July 4, 1776. It stated that the thirteen colonies were politically separate from Great Britain and presented philosophical arguments about government, rights, and the legitimacy of revolution.

Thomas Jefferson drafted the document’s original text, but a five-member committee was responsible for preparing it for Congress. The committee also included John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Roger Sherman, and Robert Livingston. Congress revised the draft before adoption.

The Declaration is often confused with the Constitution because both are foundational American documents. The Declaration announced independence; the Constitution, written in 1787 and effective in 1789, established the framework of the federal government. America250’s 1776 milestone specifically concerns the Declaration and independence.