Which document begins with the words “When in the Course of human events,” central to America250 history?

The document beginning “When in the Course of human events” is the Declaration of Independence.

The opening sentence introduces the document’s explanation of why the thirteen colonies believed they could separate from Great Britain. The Declaration was adopted by the Second Continental Congress on July 4, 1776, the founding event commemorated by America250.

Thomas Jefferson drafted the principal text with assistance and revisions from the Committee of Five and Congress. The document presents political principles, including equality and natural rights, before listing grievances against King George III. Its final section declares that the colonies are free and independent states.

The Declaration is not the same as the Constitution. The Declaration announced independence and justified separation; the Constitution, drafted in 1787, established the federal government’s structure. Nor is the famous opening the preamble of the Articles of Confederation, which served as the first national governing framework. The phrase is therefore a distinctive textual clue pointing to the Declaration and its role in the 1776 founding story.