How much do you know about our nation's early economic history? Take our Semiquincentennial quiz and find out.
On July 4, 1776, the Continental Congress did something no nation had ever done before, formally severing its ties with a colonial power. The reasons for this decision were clearly stated in a Declaration of Independence built around a core proposition that all people are created equal and have unalienable rights to “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.”
These rights have been a driving force for the nation’s growth.
From a loose confederation of 13 states occupying a small portion of North America to a nation of 50 states and territories extending from the Atlantic to the Pacific and beyond.
From a weak and largely agrarian society to the world’s leading economic power, driven largely by the industry and entrepreneurial spirit of immigrants from nearly every nation and millions of African-Americans freed from bondage at the end of the Civil War.
We might not agree with many policies carried out by our government over the centuries, but the Founding Fathers had the foresight to codify the right to point out our flaws and challenge ourselves to be better—both in what we say and at the ballot box.
Whether you’re celebrating our Semiquincentennial at a parade, at a fireworks display, at a baseball or World Cup game, or with your family and friends, we invite you to take a few minutes to think about the huge risk the Revolutionary Generation took in 1776—and how it has paid huge dividends for future generations.
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