Year of Celebration and Rededication, 2026

Proclamation 11007 of January 29, 2026

Year of Celebration and Rededication, 2026

By the President of the United States of America

A Proclamation

On January 1, 2026, the United States began our year-
long commemoration of an important milestone in the
history of our country: 250 years of American freedom
and independence.

Two and a half centuries ago, on July 4, 1776,
thousands of years' worth of wisdom, philosophy, and
culture were brought together in Philadelphia where
delegates to the Second Continental Congress gathered
to declare the birth of a new nation--``conceived in
Liberty and dedicated to the proposition that all men
are created equal''--and, in so doing, launched the
single greatest force for goodness, justice,
prosperity, and human flourishing the world has ever
known.

As we celebrate the 250th year since the signing of the
Declaration of Independence, we acknowledge with
gratitude and pride that July 4, 1776, represents the
most seminal political event in all of human history.

Unlike other nations, America's Founding was rooted in
the belief that every man, woman, and child is
``endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable
Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the
pursuit of Happiness.''

This conviction, enshrined in our Declaration of
Independence, and indelibly etched upon every American
heart, remains the bedrock of our government and the
crown jewel of Western civilization. For 250 years, the
burning flame of liberty has been passed down from one
generation to the next, and has carried our Nation and
our people to heights that our Founding Fathers could
have never dreamed.

Guided by the example of Founding Fathers like George
Washington, John Adams, James Madison, Benjamin
Franklin, and other American patriots who helped light
the torch of liberty in 1776, let us ask our Creator to
bless America, free our Nation and our people from all
threats to our safety and happiness, and to guide our
actions for the security and common good of all
Americans.

This year, we honor and cherish the generations of
pioneers, warriors, statesmen, preachers, inventors,
risk-takers, workers, and heroes whose unwavering
commitment to the promise of freedom gave rise to the
greatest Republic ever created. Today and throughout
this year, I call on every American to celebrate this
triumph of the American spirit, and to rededicate
themselves to the sacred cause of liberty and justice
for all.

The Bible teaches: ``In all circumstances give
thanks.'' As such, it is fitting that we mark this
special year as a unique occasion to celebrate our
proud history, reflect on our abundant blessings, pray
for our country and our people, and rededicate
ourselves as one Nation under God.

From the earliest days of our national story,
reflection and thanksgiving have been central to our
character, identity, and destiny. Just weeks before
declaring independence, the Second Continental Congress
ordered a day of ``fasting, humiliation and prayer,''
petitioning God ``to pardon all our manifold sins and
transgressions'' and to ``establish the peace and
freedom

of America, upon a solid and lasting foundation.''
Later, in the heart of the Revolutionary War, the
Second Continental Congress declared it ``the
indispensable duty of all men to adore the
superintending providence of Almighty God.''

In the sweltering summer of 1776, the promise of
Freedom moved our ancestors to break with a tyrannical
empire, issue the Declaration of Independence, and go
on to overcome every hardship to establish a Republic
like no other. It is this unwavering spirit of courage,
faith and patriotism that propelled Paul Revere on his
famous midnight ride, and that later inspired some of
the world's greatest men to pledge their lives,
fortunes, and sacred honor to build a new nation. It is
this spirit that led General George Washington to
persevere at Valley Forge; inspired Davy Crockett to
make his last stand at the Alamo; sustained settlers on
the Oregon Trail; held the bloody ridges of Gettysburg;
set slavery on a path to worldwide extinction; roused a
generation of young men to conquer tyranny and
communism overseas; and carried our beautiful Stars and
Stripes to the face of the moon. To this very day, it
is this American spirit that lives on in the hearts,
minds, and souls of every patriot--and inspires every
new generation of American citizens to reach further
and aim higher.

When the Second Continental Congress voted in favor of
independence, General George Washington issued General
Orders to his army. In words that have echoed
throughout history, he wrote: ``The fate of unborn
Millions will now depend, under God, on the Courage and
Conduct of this army. . . Let us therefore rely upon
the goodness of the Cause, and the aid of the supreme
Being, in whose hands Victory is, to animate and
encourage us to great and noble Actions.''

Today, too, we pray that our noble cause continues to
be guided by the hand of providence and the grace of
God--and that the fire of freedom will forever burn
brightly in the heart of every American. Above all,
this year, we pray and endeavor that the triumph of the
American spirit and the glorious truths expressed in
our Declaration of Independence will shine more
radiantly than ever before.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, DONALD J. TRUMP, President of the
United States of America, do hereby proclaim 2026 as a
Year of Celebration and Rededication. I call on every
American to reflect upon and celebrate the wisdom and
deeds of the heroes of our Founding who made the
miracle of America possible. I call on parents to teach
their children about America's inspiring history,
heritage, and heroes. I invite the world to come to our
shores to experience the splendor, warmth, and
hospitality of America. And I encourage all Americans--
including businesses, churches, families, and the
military--to observe this year, reflecting on the
blessings our Nation has received, with appropriate
programs, ceremonies, concerts, celebrations, and
activities in their homes, schools, work, communities,
military bases, and houses of worship.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this
twenty-ninth day of January, in the year of our Lord
two thousand twenty-six, and of the Independence of the
United States of America the two hundred and fiftieth.