Which document's 250th anniversary is America250 primarily commemorating?

America250 is primarily commemorating the 250th anniversary of the United States Declaration of Independence.

The Second Continental Congress adopted the Declaration on July 4, 1776, in Philadelphia. The document announced that the Thirteen Colonies regarded themselves as free and independent states rather than colonies within the British Empire.

Thomas Jefferson drafted the document with assistance from the Committee of Five, whose other members were John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Roger Sherman, and Robert R. Livingston. Congress revised the draft before approving its final wording.

The Declaration is often confused with the Constitution, which was drafted in 1787 and established the federal government’s framework, or the Articles of Confederation, which preceded the Constitution. America250’s central anniversary date comes from the 1776 Declaration, not either later governing document.