Which 1776 document does America's 250th anniversary, America250, commemorate?

America's 250th anniversary, America250, commemorates the Declaration of Independence.

The Second Continental Congress approved the document on July 4, 1776, after debating and editing a draft prepared by the Committee of Five. Thomas Jefferson wrote most of the draft, while Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, Roger Sherman, and Robert R. Livingston served with him on the committee.

The Declaration announced that the Thirteen Colonies regarded themselves as independent states and explained their political case against British rule. It followed the Lee Resolution, which Congress passed on July 2 to declare the colonies free and independent.

The Declaration is often confused with the Constitution because both are central American founding documents. They served different purposes: the Declaration announced independence, while the Constitution established the federal government’s framework in 1787 and took effect in 1789.