Celebrating America's 250th Anniversary
'What it harkens back to is who we are as a country,' says Rosie Rios, former U.S. Treasurer now serving as chair of the America 250 commission
The Story of the American Revolution
History must guide the reform of our magnificent democracy
Amid the pessimism and fear blanketing American politics today, a radiant light of hope and renewal rises.
It’s the 250th anniversary of thirteen colonies’ radical defiance of tyranny on July 4, 1776. The Declaration of Independence gave birth not only to a new nation but to a fierce people’s lasting commitment to equality, liberty, safety, and justice for all.
According to Rosie Rios, chair of the America 250 Commission, this milestone will not be commemorated on a single day but rather over a 15-year period beginning on July 4, 2026, and concluding in December of 2041, when the new federal government adopted the Bill of Rights.
It’s essential to add to this list of celebratory milestones the formation of the Pennsylvania Abolition Society in 1775; the abolition of slavery in Vermont’s constitution in 1777; the initiation of gradual abolition in Pennsylvania in 1780, Massachusetts and New Hampshire in 1783, Connecticut and Rhode Island in 1784; and the abolition of slavery in the Northwest Territory in 1787.
Rosie Rios, Chair of the America 250 Commission
Rios, who served as the 43rd Treasurer of the United States under Barack Obama, says she was inspired to spearhead America 250 by the legacy she wishes to leave for her children and others who will inherit the American experiment.
Looking forward to the 250th anniversary, also known as the semiquincentennial or America 250, Rios asserts that a return to healthy patriotism is one of the critical aims of the federal commission she heads.
“That feeling of hope, gratitude, [and] patriotism is what I want my kids to feel,” she shared in an interview on the podcast Crossroads from Washington National Cathedral.
“Patriotism for all,” she calls it—adding “baseball, hotdogs, and apple pie” to the vital mix needed for a successful 250th celebration.
Rios, whose parents immigrated from Mexico to the United States in 1958, tells the story of her joyful experience of the 1976 bicentennial celebration.
“On July 4, 1976, it was a cloudy night, but those fireworks were never brighter,” she says, highlighting her own life as a fulfillment of the American dream.
That year Rios was in the 5th grade. At the bicentennial, she remembers feeling “very optimistic about the future, very patriotic, a love of country that I still feel today.”
“What it harkens back to,” she continues, “is who we are as a country, how we were founded, and what kind of country we want to be moving forward. We're a country that was founded on values. We're a country that was founded on faith. We're a country that was founded on service.”
Rios’ greatest hope for the 250th anniversary is that all Americans will embrace our collective history, while always remaining wise to the fact that the long march to freedom continues—and will not be stopped.
We're a country that was founded on values. We're a country that was founded on faith. We're a country that was founded on service.
Rosie Rios, Chair of the America 250 Commission
‘The Story of our Great Nation’
Fêtes celebrating the 250th anniversary will take place in thousands of cities and towns across the nation.
However, according to Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, the main attraction will be Philadelphia, where our 18th-century founders crafted both the Declaration of Independence (1776) and the Constitution (1787).
Center stage will be Philadelphia’s three-block Independence Mall, a rectangular green that extends from the famed Independence Hall on Chestnut Street past the Liberty Bell onward to the National Constitution Center on Arch Street and the Museum of the American Revolution on 3rd Street.
“The story of our great nation,” Shapiro says of America 250, “is really one of ordinary Americans rising up, demanding more, seeking justice, and then ushering in eras of change.”
“We are going to be focused on telling those stories along with having a helluva good time in 2026 in our bars, in our restaurants, on our streets. It's going to be an awesome party here in Philly and throughout Pennsylvania.”
Like Rios, Shapiro evokes the spirit of ‘76:
This is where our founding fathers came together and dreamed of this nation, dreamed of a place where we could be free, dreamed of a place where we could achieve prosperity through hard work, dreamed of a place that would be a place of inclusion and tolerance.
The governor continues:
We are proud of that heritage. We're proud of the fact that we've defined freedom and expanded freedom over many generations, and we're excited to both celebrate our history [and] also take a moment to look forward at the challenges we have ahead and draw from the strength of our past in order to be able to have an even brighter future—not just for folks in Pennsylvania but for all Americans.
The story of our great nation is really one of ordinary Americans rising up, demanding more, seeking justice, and then ushering in eras of change.
Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro
American Commonwealth
It’s been a long time since I have felt this excited.
I’m excited at the prospect of joining others in the transformation of our 250th anniversary into a tidal force for good. Imagine the power such a force possesses to crush political banditry over the course of the next fifteen years.
I’m excited, too, to go on the road and give talks and interviews about the abiding spirit of ‘76. Already, sixteen months out from the 2026 celebration, I’m scheduled to give three.
I plan to expand the number, so if you, or someone you know, wants to organize a talk or conversation, reach out any time (see contact info below).
Mainly, however, I am excited to write.
That’s why the ship American Commonwealth is coming home. It’s weighing anchor from London, descending the Thames, crossing the Atlantic, and turning up the James River to Richmond, Virginia, in March of 1775.
Next week is the 250th anniversary of a spectacular event. At St. John's Church in Richmond, we’ll hear from a soaring rhetorical genius. He’s the most gifted speaker of the Revolution, a man who was broken in many ways but who nonetheless lit the torch of liberty that he prayed would save America from the tyranny of his day.
American Commonwealth is a reader-supported publication.
*******
Eli Merritt is a psychiatrist and historian who writes about the origins of our present political discontents and solutions to them.
To contact, reply to this email or reach out at eli.merritt@vanderbilt.edu
More articles by Eli Merritt
Books
Disunion Among Ourselves: The Perilous Politics of the American Revolution
The Curse of Demagogues: Lessons Learned from the Presidency of Donald J. Trump
To aid the educational efforts of American Commonwealth, take the next step:
Gift a subscription to a friend or family member
Share, Like, Comment, or Restack below:
Let's hope the 250th Anniversary is not, in fact, the coda to American democracy. The majority of French, German, and British already think Trump is a dictator, according to one poll. https://www.brusselstimes.com/belgium/1478548/majority-of-french-germans-and-british-think-trump-is-a-dictator I'm inclined to agree with them.