Which founding document’s adoption will the America250 celebration commemorate?

The America250 celebration commemorates the adoption of the Declaration of Independence.

The Second Continental Congress approved the document on July 4, 1776, announcing that the Thirteen Colonies regarded themselves as free and independent states. It explained the colonies’ grievances against King George III and presented arguments for separation from Great Britain.

Thomas Jefferson wrote the initial draft, while Congress debated and revised the wording. The final document became one of the best-known founding texts in world history. Its opening claims that people possess inherent rights and that governments derive their powers from the consent of the governed.

The Declaration is often confused with the Constitution, but the two documents served different purposes. The Declaration announced independence in 1776; the Constitution established the federal government’s framework in 1787. The Bill of Rights was added to the Constitution in 1791.