America's 250th Birthday: A Semiquincentennial Celebration

Picture a young woman named Clara standing in Philadelphia in the summer of 1776, watching breathlessly as delegates emerged from the Pennsylvania State House with extraordinary news. The CONTINENTAL CONGRESS had just voted to adopt the DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE, a document asserting that thirteen American colonies were no longer subjects of the British Crown. Written primarily by Thomas Jefferson, the Declaration proclaimed that all men are ENDOWED with UNALIENABLE (INALIENABLE / INSEPARABLE / CANNOT BE TAKEN AWAY) rights — life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. The official vote for independence took place on July 2, 1776, but the Declaration itself was formally adopted on July 4, making that date the one COMMEMORATED ever since. In 2026, the United States will mark 250 years since that foundational moment, a milestone known as the SEMIQUINCENTENNIAL (sem-ee-kwin-sen-TEN-ee-ul) (250TH ANNIVERSARY).