How Americans are marking the country's big 2-5-0

By — Joshua Barajas Joshua Barajas Leave your feedback Share Copy URL https://www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/how-americans-are-marking-the-countrys-big-2-5-0 Email Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Tumblr Share on Facebook Share on Twitter How Americans are marking the country's big 2-5-0 Nation Jun 17, 2026 12:37 PM EDT As America inches closer to the big 2-5-0, Americans are contemplating how to mark this moment. This July Fourth will celebrate a quarter millennium since the Founding Fathers signed the Declaration of Independence. America's birthday is always celebrated with fireworks, parades and flag-flying pomp. Under President Donald Trump, the nation's 250th also includes cage matches , a street race through Washington, a Christian jubilee and a "Trump rally." Smaller celebrations, too, are taking shape across the country, as documented by Judy Woodruff and the "America at a Crossroads" team. PBS News asked you to share more from your own lives and communities, as well. We received dozens of responses on how you're preparing for and thinking about the day. Educate your inbox Subscribe to Here’s the Deal, our politics newsletter for analysis you won’t find anywhere else. For some, it's a weighty milestone that stirs greater reflection about the ways the nation could learn from its past. "We've certainly accomplished a lot," said Richie Comia, who lives in Virginia Beach, Virginia. "This country has a lot to be proud of, but I think a large part of the country won't acknowledge what the cost of that was." Comia, 58, is the son of Filipino immigrants. His father served in the U.S. Navy at a time when Filipino recruits in the branch weren't given the same rank opportunities as their American counterparts and had to "start lower down on the rung than everybody else," he said. "My parents taught me when I was really young that we'll never be 100% accepted in this country because we're not white, we're different," he added. Comia plans to cook some burgers on his George Foreman grill on July Fourth, but not much more. He said Americans need to consider, not dismiss, the full breadth of the country's history, including how chattel slavery remained in place for many years after America's founding. Besides America's 250th, Cindy Orban has another number in mind: 365. She lives in Talbot County, Maryland, the birthplace of abolitionist Frederick Douglass that is celebrating its 365th year. As a member of the county's Talbot250 Commission , Orban is also focused on sharing stories of people and events that occurred long before – sometimes thousands of years before – the founding of America. "There is much of our local history, state history — and certainly national history — that goes well beyond these 250 years since the signing of the Declaration of Independence," the 74-year-old said. Located on Maryland's Eastern Shore, Talbot County is a waterfront community with deep agricultural roots. Farmers have discovered Native American artifacts while till