united States Semiquincentennial Timeline
May 20, 2024
250th Anniversary of the Administration of Justice Act and Massachusetts Government Act
The Administration of Justice Act said that British officials accused of capital crimes in the 13 colonies could be tried in Britain. Massachusetts Government Act restructured the Massachusetts government to give the royally-appointed more power.
June 2, 2024
250th Anniversary of the 1774 Quartering Act
The last Intolerable Act passed was the Quartering Act of 1774 which applied not just to Massachusetts, but to all the American colonies. This new act allowed royal governors, rather than colonial legislatures, to find homes and buildings to quarter or house British soldiers.
June 22, 2024
250th Anniversary of Quebec Act
The Quebec Act increased British control of religion, land distribution, and colonial government in North America.
September 5, 2024
250th Anniversary of the 1st Continental Congress Meeting
The First Continental Congress was a meeting of delegates from 12 of the 13 American colonies, held in secret at Carpenters’ Hall in Philadelphia. The delegates gathered to discuss how the colonies could respond to the British government’s actions following the Boston Tea Party.
March 31, 2025
200th Anniversary of Lafayette Arriving in Alabama
Lafayette began his tour of the southern states in March 1825, arriving at the Fort Mitchell crossing of the Chattahoochee River on March 31. His entourage was met in Alabama by a military escort and a welcoming party. Because Lafayette entered Alabama in what was technically Creek territory, an Indian escort guided the party through the region.
April 1-2, 2025
200th Anniversary of Lafayette Arriving in Warrior Stand, AL
The night of April 1, some of Lafayette’s party stayed at Kendall Lewis’s Tavern, but Lafayette traveled several miles further west to Warrior Stand, the homestead of the recently deceased Creek leader Big Warrior. The next day, the procession continued to Line Creek, the boundary between Creek territory and Alabama state land.
April 3, 2025
200th Anniversary of Lafayette Arriving in Montgomery, AL
Lafayette entered Montgomery on April 3 to the serenade of bugles and French horns and was greeted by a crowd of some 3,000 people at Goat Hill, now the site of the current capitol building but on the outskirts of the city at the time. Lafayette enjoyed a private dinner, attended church service, and spent the night in the home of John Edmondson. The following day, he was feted with a public dinner and then a ball at Freeny’s Tavern.
Apr 18, 2025
250th Anniversary of Paul Revere’s Ride
In 1774 and 1775, the Boston Committee of Correspondence and the Massachusetts Committee of Safety employed Paul Revere as an express rider to carry news, messages, and copies of important documents.
On the evening of April 18, 1775, Dr. Joseph Warren gave Paul Revere the task of riding to Lexington with the news that British soldiers stationed in Boston were about to march into the countryside northwest of the town.
As he rode through the countryside, Revere said, “The regulars are coming out!” not “The British are coming!”.
Apr 19, 2025
250th Anniversary of the battles at Lexington and Concord
In this first battle of the American Revolution, Massachusetts colonists defied British authority, outnumbered and outfought the Redcoats, and embarked on a lengthy war to earn their independence.
May 10, 2025
250th Anniversary of the 2nd Continental Congress Assembly
The Second Continental Congress met inside Independence Hall beginning in May 1775. It was just a month after shots had been fired at Lexington and Concord in Massachusetts, and the Congress was preparing for war.
June 15, 2025
250th Anniversary of Washington Being Elected to Command the Continental Army
The Continental Army was established and George Washington was elected as Commander-in-Chief during the Second Continental Congress.
June 17, 2025
250th Anniversary of the Battle at Bunker Hill
The American patriots were defeated at the Battle of Bunker Hill, but they proved they could hold their own against the superior British Army. The fierce fight confirmed that any reconciliation between England and her American colonies was no longer possible.
Jan 10, 2026
250th Anniversary of “Common Sense” being published
On January 10, 1776, writer Thomas Paine published his pamphlet “Common Sense.” Originally published anonymously, “Common Sense” advocated independence for the American colonies from Britain and is considered one of the most influential pamphlets in American history. Credited with uniting average citizens and political leaders behind the idea of independence, “Common Sense” played a remarkable role in transforming a colonial squabble into the American Revolution.
Mar 17, 2026
250th Anniversary of the British Leaving Boston (Evacuation Day)
On March 17, 1776, British commander William Howe ordered the evacuation of his forces and ships from Boston to Halifax, Nova Scotia, ending the siege of Boston. The evacuation, known as Evacuation Day, allowed colonial troops to retake the city.
June 7, 2026
250th Anniversary of the Lee Resolution
On June 7, 1776, Richard Henry Lee of Virginia, introduced a resolution in the Second Continental Congress proposing independence for the American colonies. Lee’s resolution stated “that these united colonies are and of right ought to be free and independent states.”
July 2, 2026
250th Anniversary of the Colonies declaring their independence
On July 2, 1776, the Continental Congress voted to approve a resolution submitted by Virginia delegate Richard Henry Lee that declared the “United Colonies of North America” to be free and independent states, severing ties with Great Britain. The resolution’s dramatic words were later incorporated into the Declaration of Independence.
July 4, 2026
250th Anniversary of the signing of the declaration of independence
Independence Day. On July 4, 1776, the Second Continental Congress unanimously adopted the Declaration of Independence, announcing the colonies’ separation from Great Britain.
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