The 2026 United States Semiquincentennial follows the Sesquicentennial in the sequence of major U.S. independence commemorations.
The United States Sesquicentennial marked 150 years since the Declaration of Independence and was observed in 1926. The word “sesquicentennial” means a 150th anniversary.
The sequence is straightforward: the Centennial marked 100 years in 1876, the Sesquicentennial marked 150 years in 1926, the Bicentennial marked 200 years in 1976, and the Semiquincentennial marks 250 years in 2026.
The 1926 observance included commemorative events and a half-dollar coin. It is less widely remembered than the 1976 Bicentennial, but it forms an important link in the country’s recurring cycle of anniversary celebrations. America250 continues that tradition at the quarter-millennium mark.