Commemorating the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence

On July 4th, 2026, the United States will celebrate the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence — and Utah is gearing up for a bigger party than usual.

The Utah State House of Representatives recently introduced a resolution that designates the whole first week of July 2025 and July 2026 as Independence Week and encourages Utahns to get involved in celebrations.

Still, Rep. Ryan Wilcox, R-Ogden, who introduced HCR10, hopes that the conversation about American democracy doesn’t stop at the party.

“I hope this is like a cultural shift,” he told the Deseret News, “where (we) understand why ... without (the Founding), we would have still been stuck in a monarchy ... there really hadn’t been a constitutional republic, let alone anything resembling a democracy that had survived, right? (America) was so radical at the time.”

The resolution passed unanimously through the House committee.

America250 Utah Commission

Over a year ahead of America’s semiquincentennial anniversary, the America250 Utah Commission is already hard at work.

“(This is) the national moment I think we have the opportunity to capitalize on,” Wilcox said. “Hopefully it’s a unifying thing as Americans ... liking the Constitution.”

The Commission plans to hold statewide celebrations to “inspire Utahns to take steps to improve our communities, state and nation.”

“The semiquincentennial is a chance for everyone to feel a part of this major milestone in our nation,” reads a statement from the Commission’s official website. “We can celebrate courage, liberty and sacrifice, while also reckoning with difficult truths. By fostering a sense of belonging and coming together with our local communities, we can ensure that Utahns of all ages and backgrounds see themselves in American history.”

The America250 Utah Commission is part of a larger parent organization, America250, which was born several years ago in preparation for 2026.

America250 is planning a host of educational, cultural and service-oriented programs in order to “engage, educate and unite Americans from sea to shining sea.”

250 years together — 250 years more

Wilcox particularly expressed support for America250’s focus on education. He has set his sights not just on celebrations in 2025 and 2026, but also dating back to 1776 — as well ones possible in America’s distant future.

He told the story of his visit to Independence Hall in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where the Founding Fathers signed the Declaration of Independence in 1776, and called the experience “sacred.”

“The Founding Fathers themselves felt strongly about one aspect or another,” Wilcox said. “But (their work) was sacred because they shared the same ultimate goal, and when they left there, when they left us with a constitutional republic, they believed that it had a chance unlike anything else that was created.”

He told the Deseret News that America’s 250th anniversary proves the Founding Fathers right.

“We lasted longer than anything else, any other democracy in the history of the world,” he said. “If we’re going to make it another 250, it’s going to be because we understand that, and we don’t let it continue to slide out.”

Wilcox emphasized the end of the bill, which requires the state’s members of Congress and the governor to directly participate in schools and communities during Constitution Week of September 2025, ramping up into the 250th year of the United States.

He cited the importance of “the aspirational promises of America” and the sacrifices the Founding Fathers endured in order to make those promises before also acknowledging turmoil in the present political scene.

“We’re in a really weird time in the political world, where if one side, whether it’s Republican or Democrat, really likes a thing, the other side feels obligated, almost, to oppose it,” he said, though he clarified that he thinks the Utah State Legislature is more unified than the federal government.

“I would hope that everybody watching this out there, if they pay attention to anything, would come away with a reminder about what unites us as much as anything else, regardless of what’s happening federally.”

Ways to celebrate America’s 250th

Get ready — because festivities begin soon.

The America250 Commission has already partnered with the National Scrollathon, a community artwork project sponsored in part by the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., and Two Lights for Tomorrow, a light installation in state capitals across the nation meant to commemorate American hero Paul Revere’s overnight ride on April 18-19, 1775.

Both activities precede the semiquincentennial. The Scrollathon, Utah version, will take place in Millcreek, Utah, on March 15, 2025, while Two Lights for Tomorrow will take place on April 18, 2025 at the Utah State Capitol Building.

In 2026, those celebrating can also visit the Museum of Utah — Utah’s first state history museum. The museum intends to enshrine some of Utah’s most “unique and precious objects” in world-class exhibits.

Other efforts to celebrate America’s 250th birthday:

• The America250 Utah Commission has also partnered with Utah Valley University’s Center for Constitutional Studies to bolster civic education in K-12 schools.
• America’s Culture, a national program showcasing “cultural touchstones” including art, music and more.
• America’s Field Trip, a national scholastic competition for young Americans.
• America Gives, a year-long program meant to bolster a culture of service.
• America Innovates, a nationwide event including a traveling technology exhibit that will circulate the country throughout 2026.
• America’s Potluck, which will be held on Sunday, July 5, 2026, “for a shared meal and connection.”
• Our American Story, a national initiative to gather stories from people across the country and create an oral history of the nation.
• America’s Time Capsule, a national sample of items meant to showcase to future generations what America looked like when it turned 250.