What term names the United States' 250th-anniversary observance, America250?

America250 is the United States Semiquincentennial. The word combines “semi,” meaning half, with “quincentennial,” meaning a 500th anniversary, so it describes half of five centuries: 250 years.

The term is less familiar than “bicentennial,” which means a 200th anniversary. The United States used “Bicentennial” for its 1976 national celebration, while the 2026 observance requires a different anniversary word.

Several alternative labels have appeared in historical and media discussions, including “sestercentennial,” “quarter millennium,” and “bisesquicentennial.” However, “Semiquincentennial” is the principal formal term used for the national 250th-anniversary observance.

America250 is the shorter branding used for the nationwide effort. The celebration commemorates the adoption of the Declaration of Independence in 1776, rather than treating the Constitution, the Revolutionary War’s end, or the first presidential inauguration as the anniversary’s starting point.