Which document is commemorated by America250 as the foundation of U.S. independence?

America250 commemorates the Declaration of Independence as the document that announced U.S. independence.

The Second Continental Congress adopted the Declaration on July 4, 1776. Its main author was Thomas Jefferson, who worked with a drafting committee and revised the text before Congress approved it. The document stated that the thirteen American colonies were no longer politically subject to Great Britain.

The Declaration is not the same document as the Constitution. The Constitution, written in 1787 and ratified beginning in 1787, established the framework of the federal government. The Articles of Confederation served as the first U.S. governing framework during the Revolutionary era. The Declaration instead served as a public explanation and formal announcement of separation.

The text is especially known for its statement that all people are created equal and for its argument that governments derive legitimate powers from the consent of the governed. Those principles helped make the document central to later American civic memory and to the 2026 commemoration.