What event does America250 commemorate on July 4, 2026?

America250 commemorates the adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776.

The Second Continental Congress approved the document in Philadelphia, formally announcing that the Thirteen Colonies regarded themselves as independent states rather than British colonies. The 250th anniversary therefore falls on July 4, 2026.

The Declaration was drafted primarily by Thomas Jefferson after Congress appointed the Committee of Five. John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Robert R. Livingston, and Roger Sherman served with Jefferson on that committee.

A common mix-up is treating July 4 as the date the parchment copy was signed by every delegate. Congress adopted the text on July 4, while most signatures on the engrossed copy were added later, beginning on August 2, 1776.