Which document's adoption does America's 250th anniversary commemorate?

America's 250th anniversary commemorates the adoption of the United States Declaration of Independence.

The Second Continental Congress adopted the document on July 4, 1776, declaring that the Thirteen Colonies regarded themselves as free and independent states rather than colonies of Great Britain. The document explained the political reasons for separation and presented a theory of natural rights and government.

Thomas Jefferson wrote the original draft, but the final text was a collective product of Congress. A five-member drafting committee included Jefferson, John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Roger Sherman, and Robert R. Livingston. Congress edited the draft before approving it.

The Declaration is not the same document as the Constitution. The Constitution established the federal government in 1787, eleven years after the Declaration. The Articles of Confederation served as the first national framework during the Revolutionary era. The 250th anniversary specifically counts from the Declaration's 1776 adoption, not from the Constitution or the end of the war.