Weekly Column: Commencing The Celebration Of Our Declaration's 250th

Our Declaration of Independence is undoubtedly one of our country’s greatest treasures.  With their pens, courage and God-given wisdom, the Founding Fathers built a bedrock of individual liberties and self-governance we celebrate each Fourth of July. 

As John Adams wrote to his wife Abigail on July 3, 1776, following the Continental Congress’s approval of a resolution declaring the independence of the colonies from Great Britain, “I am well aware of the toil and blood and treasure that it will cost us to maintain this Declaration, and to support and defend these States; yet through all the gloom I can see the rays of ravishing light and glory; that the end is worth all the means; . . .”

This Fourth of July signifies the kickoff of the year leading up to a significant milestone in our tested and enduring country.  July 4, 2026, will mark the United States of America’s 250th Anniversary.  President Trump, the federal government and communities across our state and nation have started preparing for this celebration. 

Congress established a commission to set up celebration efforts for the 250^th anniversary, and last year, I, along with the entire Idaho Congressional Delegation, joined the America250 Caucus to help disseminate information about the commission’s programs and engagement with local communities.  America250 recently announced three Idaho students as recipients of field trips to iconic American historical destinations for their inspiring answers to the question, “What does America mean to you?”

America250 in Idaho Ambassadors have been getting the word out about events and commemorations taking place in Idaho throughout the coming year.  A list of events highlighted by America250 in Idaho can be found here: https://america250.idaho.gov/events/.

These include:

• An opportunity to share messages reflecting personal hopes for our nation on this historic anniversary;

• A photo contest to decorate the interior of the USS Idaho;

• Parades, concerts, discussions and more.

Likewise, residents of Minidoka and Cassia (Mini-Cassia) Counties formed a committee to put together a year’s worth of celebrations in the countdown to the anniversary.  The committee has highlighted events and shared fascinating, historical details relating to our country’s fight for independence, including specifics about early copies of our Declaration.

Copies of our revered Declaration of Independence are ubiquitous now.  But, in the early days of the Revolution, typeset prints were an overnight effort, and those that remain are special.  According to a presentation by Mark Dimunation and Amanda Zimmerman with the Library of Congress, immediately following the Continental Congress’s adoption of the Declaration on July 4, 1776, it was quickly walked to the nearby print shop of John Dunlap, who stayed up all night and produced a typeset edition and printed it in the early morning of July 5, 1776. 

George Washington received one of the first copies and had it read to his troops in New York on July 9, 1776.  Dimunation also reports, “that evening a raucous crowd of supporters of the sentiment tore down the statue of George III.  Now, this statue, in fact, was broken down and smelted into 42,000 bits of ammunition for the Colonial Army, so it had a very poetic demise.”  Some of these original copies, including Washington’s, are housed at the Library of Congress, while the National Archives displays the official, signed copy of the Declaration of Independence, which was engrossed on parchment and signed by delegates beginning August 2, 1776. 

This Fourth of July is a wonderful opportunity to commence the celebration of the 250^th Anniversary of the establishment of our country’s foundational principles embodied in our Declaration of Independence.  I encourage Idahoans to learn more about transformational efforts to found this great nation and defend its bedrock principles.  Like John Adams, may we all never lose sight of their “rays of ravishing light and glory.” 

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