Which founding document is at the center of the United States’ 250th-anniversary commemoration?

The Declaration of Independence is the founding document at the center of the United States’ 250th-anniversary commemoration.

The Second Continental Congress adopted the Declaration on July 4, 1776, announcing that the thirteen American states regarded themselves as independent from Great Britain. The document also explained the political reasons for separation.

Thomas Jefferson drafted the original text as part of a five-member committee, and Congress revised the draft before adoption. The famous parchment copy was later engrossed and signed by delegates.

The Declaration is distinct from the Constitution. The Declaration announced independence in 1776, while the Constitution created the federal government’s framework in 1787 and took effect in 1789.