What is the 250th anniversary commemorated by America250 called?

America250 commemorates the United States semiquincentennial, the 250th anniversary of American independence.

The word “semiquincentennial” combines Latin-derived parts meaning half of five hundred, or 250. It is a formal name for a 250th anniversary, although “America250,” “the 250th anniversary,” and “the quarter-millennium” are more familiar public terms.

The commemoration centers on July 4, 2026, 250 years after the Continental Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence in 1776. The anniversary is therefore tied to the founding of the United States as an independent nation rather than to the later ratification of the Constitution.

People sometimes confuse the term with “bicentennial,” which means 200th anniversary. The United States celebrated its bicentennial in 1976; America250 marks the next major 50-year milestone.