What earlier U.S. anniversary celebration does America250 follow?

America250 follows the United States Bicentennial, the nationwide celebration of the country’s 200th anniversary in 1976.

The bicentennial marked two centuries since the Declaration of Independence was adopted in 1776. Celebrations included exhibitions, festivals, parades, commemorative objects, and special projects across the United States. The year became one of the most prominent national commemorations in American history.

The bicentennial also influenced how the country approaches America250. Organizers look to the 1976 experience for ideas about local participation, public history, museum programming, and national symbols. The two anniversaries are separated by exactly 50 years.

The terms can be easy to mix up: bicentennial means 200 years, while semiquincentennial means 250 years. Thus, 1976 was the bicentennial and 2026 is the semiquincentennial.