What founding document’s signing anniversary is America250 commemorating?

America250 is commemorating the signing anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.

The declaration was adopted by the Second Continental Congress in 1776 to explain why the thirteen American colonies were separating from Great Britain. It presents the colonies as free and independent states and lists grievances against King George III.

The document’s best-known opening ideas include natural rights and the principle that governments derive their legitimate powers from the consent of the governed. Thomas Jefferson drafted the initial text as part of the Committee of Five, but Congress debated and revised the wording before approving it.

The declaration is not the same document as the Constitution. The Constitution, written in 1787, established the framework of the federal government. The Articles of Confederation served as an earlier governing framework, while the Mayflower Compact dates to 1620 and concerned self-government among English settlers in Plymouth Colony.