Which document’s 250th anniversary is commemorated by the United States’ America250 celebration?

America250 commemorates the 250th anniversary of the United States Declaration of Independence.

The document was adopted by the Second Continental Congress on July 4, 1776. It announced that the thirteen American colonies regarded themselves as independent states no longer politically subordinate to Great Britain. Thomas Jefferson drafted the text with assistance from the Committee of Five and later revisions by Congress.

The Declaration is both a founding political statement and a formal explanation of the colonies’ decision to separate. Its opening arguments about equality and inherent rights became especially influential in later American political history.

The Declaration is not the same document as the Constitution. The Constitution, drafted in 1787 and ratified in 1788, established the federal government’s framework. The Articles of Confederation served as the first national government’s charter before the Constitution replaced them.