in Celebration of the Declaration of Independence:
Initiatives Celebrating the Historic 250th Anniversary
MORE PERFECT and its partners have launched a suite of exciting initiatives to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence in 2026. These engaging opportunities invite Americans to rediscover and reflect on consequential moments that have shaped our country, and how individual citizens continue to contribute to the character of a nation. While rooted in the 250th anniversary, these initiatives are meant to inspire action and reflection well beyond 2026.
IN PURSUIT
Directed by the 11th Archivist of the United States Colleen Shogan, In Pursuit is an ambitious history-based nonpartisan civics initiative to identify the most insightful and timeless lessons from the past 250 years of American history. The first phase of In Pursuit is the curation of short essays written by our nation’s leading thinkers and leaders about presidents and select first ladies. Each essay identifies one accessible lesson about leadership relevant to all Americans. The project is powered by Substack, with the 70 essays and lessons broadly disseminated using a variety of media. Educational content for K-12 and college students will be developed from the identified lessons. In Pursuit features an extraordinary group of diverse participants, among them three former presidents, three former first ladies, the Chief Justice of the United States, seven Pulitzer Prize winners, and trusted historians. The goal of In Pursuit is to bring American history to life through compelling stories and a national reach.
America’s 100 Documents is a collaboration with the National Archives Foundation. The initiative has identified 100 highly significant original records from the National Archives’ holdings that focus attention on key moments that have shaped our nation’s history while engaging school and community audiences in a fun online game to create dialogue about the value of records and the most important moments in our nation’s past. These 100 documents will remind Americans of the times when the nation has struggled with difficult challenges and when we have bridged differences to do extraordinary things in the public interest.
Thomas Jefferson was the principal author of the Declaration of Independence, which created the United States. To celebrate the Declaration of Independence's upcoming 250th birthday on July 4, 2026, More Perfect has partnered with Monticello to launch Declaration Book Club, a 3-meeting resource featuring short readings, lively videos, and probing questions to spark discussion of our past, present, and future as one people, created equal. What did Jefferson and his cosigners declare in 1776–and how do you pursue life, liberty, and happiness today?
In response to growing concerns among the American people about the erosion of core values, More Perfect and General Stanley McChrystal have launched Conversations on Character, a series of public events across the country designed to foster reflection on personal and national character. This series coincides with the recent release of General McChrystal’s new book, On Character, which draws from his extensive military career to explore lessons learned from success and failure and the discipline required to live up to one's beliefs. Our ambition is to foster “Conversations on Character” across the nation – among Americans in homes, houses of worship, schools, nonprofits, businesses, government and other places where people gather. For this purpose, More Perfect has developed a Discussion Guide that invites conversation to explore dimensions of our personal character; character in our roles as citizens in communities, workplaces and other public settings; and the character of America as a nation.
