Which document’s 1776 adoption is used as the founding marker for America250?

The Declaration of Independence is the document whose 1776 adoption serves as the founding marker for America250.

The Second Continental Congress adopted the Declaration on July 4, 1776. It announced that the thirteen American colonies regarded themselves as independent states rather than parts of the British Empire.

The document’s anniversary provides the date for the national semiquincentennial in 2026. Its opening argument about natural rights and government by consent has also made it one of the most frequently studied texts in American history.

The Declaration is not the same document as the Constitution. The Constitution established the federal government’s framework in 1787, while the Declaration announced independence in 1776. The Articles of Confederation later provided an earlier governing framework before the Constitution replaced them.