Which founding document has its 250th anniversary commemorated by America250?

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

The Continental Congress adopted the document on July 4, 1776, announcing that the thirteen American colonies regarded themselves as free and independent states. The declaration explained the colonies’ reasons for separating from Great Britain and presented a broad political argument about natural rights and government.

Thomas Jefferson drafted the main text, working with a committee that included John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Roger Sherman, and Robert Livingston. Congress revised the draft before adopting it, so the document reflects both Jefferson’s writing and the legislative process of the Continental Congress.

The anniversary is sometimes confused with the Constitution’s anniversary. The Constitution was drafted and signed in 1787, eleven years after the Declaration. America250 centers on independence in 1776, not the later founding documents.