The United States' 250th Birthday?

It's July 4, 2026, the United States' 250th birthday.

Or is it?

Americans are known for being terrible at geography, but are they also terrible at history, even their own? Or is it just the usual rewriting of history that many countries are guilty of? The US is certainly a champion of that.

Is July 4, 1776, the day Americans began confusing facts and opinions?

Let me explain.

Yes, on July 4, 1776, the United States famously declared independence from Great Britain. However, correct me if I'm wrong (f you're not an American, as they're too biased on the issue), but when did the birth of a country become marked by the day it proclaims independence? In order to be considered independent, a country needs more than just to say so, doesn't it?

I know there are no international rules for this. Nowadays, I suppose the international community and the UN need to recognize a country for it to exist. But back in the 18th century, there was no such thing as the UN, and countries were made and unmade for a variety of reasons.

Still, all parties involved agreed on a date to end the war and recognize the United States' independence. This agreement was the Treaty of Paris, which was signed on September 3, 1783.

In order to exist, a country needs a set of laws. The United States is very proud of its outdated constitution, which was ratified on June 21, 1788, and took effect on March 4, 1789. Prior to that constitution, there were the Articles of Confederation, which were ratified on February 2, 1781, and took effect on March 1, 1781.

Finally, in the past, the crowning of a king was often considered the "birth date" of a country. Sure, the US never had a king, but Americans revere their first president more than many monarchies revere their kings of yore. George Washington became president on April 30, 1789.

Thus, we have here a number of dates that are much more appropriate and accurate for the birth of the United States than July 4, 1776.

Personally, I think the Treaty of Paris on September 3, 1783, makes the most sense because it's the day all the involved countries recognized the United States' independence.

However, I'm not surprised that the U.S. chose an earlier date. After all, the country has always had an inferiority complex towards Europe, so trying to appear older than it really is doesn't come as a surprise. Also, choosing their own date, regardless of the reality of the situation, is consistent with their habits of confusing facts and opinions, of thinking they're alone in the world and of not caring about the rest of the world.

Well, you do you, but I won't acknowledge the U.S.'s 250th birthday until September 3, 2033.

If you're a (non-American) historian reading this, I'm curious to know what you think.