Our Nation's Story
Sign up for our newsletterAn initiative to engage Americans in conversations that account for all aspects of our history and find common hopes for the future of our country.
As the United States approaches its 250th anniversary in 2026, the American Academy of Arts & Sciences envisions this milestone as an opportunity to strengthen the nation’s commitment to constitutional democracy. The semi-quincentennial invites reflection on the full breadth of American history and offers a moment to forge shared aspirations for the future.
Since 2022, the Academy's Our Common Purpose project has brought together a network of leading civil society organizations—including those representing the arts, museums, libraries, local history institutions, state and jurisdictional humanities councils, and academic centers. Together, this network has developed a set of guiding principles to support a commemoration that is inclusive, meaningful, and reflective of the nation’s diverse experiences.
To learn more about this initiative, please contact Kelsey Ensign.
To coincide with the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, create a Telling Our Nation’s Story initiative to engage communities throughout the country in direct, open-ended, and inclusive conversations about the complex and always evolving American story. . . .
"Listen and Dialogue" photo by SolStock.
"Include" photo by NPS / Kelsey Graczyk.
"Reckon, Celebrate, and Imagine" and "Experiment" photos by Smithsonian Naitonal Museum of American History.