Which founding document will the United States mark 250 years since adopting in 2026?

The United States will mark 250 years since adopting the Declaration of Independence in 2026.

The Second Continental Congress adopted the document on July 4, 1776, announcing that the Thirteen Colonies were independent states rather than territories of Great Britain. The text explained the colonies' reasons for separating from British rule.

Thomas Jefferson wrote the original draft as part of a five-member committee, although Congress revised the text before adoption. The famous surviving engrossed copy is displayed at the National Archives in Washington, D.C., while printed Dunlap broadsides were distributed in 1776.