United States 250
2026 marks the United States’ semiquincentennial, the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. To mark this historic milestone, the Phelan US Centre brings together a series of events, commentaries and podcasts reflecting on America’s past, present, and future.
This year also marks the 10th anniversary of the Phelan United States Centre at LSE. For the past decade, the Centre has grown to become the go to hub for global expertise, internationally oriented scholarship, and timely, policy-relevant and analysis and commentary on the United States.
America's Changing Role in the World lecture series
As the United States marks its 250th year, in 2025/26 the Phelan US Centre’s America’s Changing Role in the World lecture series convenes academic experts from the US and abroad to discuss America’s changing global role.
Donald Trump and the unmaking of Europe
12 March 2026
American foreign policy in the age of Trump
19 February 2026
America first and the future of Eurasian geopolitics
26 November 2025
America adrift: the end of the east coast foreign policy elite
12 November 2025
The promise and peril of Trump's America first
8 October 2025
Listen and watch
Media on America 250 from LSE and the Phelan US Centre's podcast, The Ballpark
How does the USA's Constitution survive political turbulence?
Watch the new Instagram video with LSE's President and Vice Chancellor, Larry Kramer
Phelan US Centre 2026 master's essay competition
What role can democratic citizenry play in shaping America’s role in the world as it enters its 250th year?
The most important act of American global leadership may be winning a local primary
In the winning essay, Alexander Minford writes that as the US marks its 250th anniversary, citizens who wish to shape America’s global role must begin by defending democratic institutions at home.
Finding Tocqueville in Times Square: how lessons from America’s vibrant civic past can reinvigorate its citizenry in the present
n this runner-up essay, Iman Shaikh writes that growing corporate political influence, political polarization, and falling public trust in government have diminished democratic citizenry’s part in shaping America’s role in the world.
At 250, the world’s oldest democracy is autocratising at a global cost that its citizens have the power to stop
In this runner-up essay, Kristýna Šimonová argues that the expansion of presidential executive power shows that the US is becoming an autocracy, a process made easier by growing partisan disagreement about basic facts.
USAPP blog articles
Articles from the Phelan US Centre's blog on America's 250th
Like America 250, the 1876 bicentennial celebrations were an attempt at unity in a divisive time
Joss Harrison looks back to the 1876 centennial, which was focused on Philadelphia, with events then occurring against a similar backdrop of economic turmoil and deep societal divisions.
At 250, America is a nation of exploitation, inequality, idealism and resistance
Glyn Robbins considers his four decades of experiences with a country that he has found to be both inspirational and concerning.
At the UFC 250 White House event Trump flaunted the high, not the low
Daniel Paget argues that Trump’s approach to the event marked out just how separate he is from his supporters and shows how he has reinvited “high” culture in his own image.
Despite 250 years of independence, the US House and the UK Commons have been shaped by transatlantic collaboration
Lauren C. Bell writes that social and technological change in both the UK and US has led to changes in legislators’ relationships with those they govern.
As America looks ahead to its 250th anniversary, the nation’s past is likely to be just as contested as its present
Thomas Cryer looks at the work of the US Semiquincentennial Commission ahead of the anniversary.
Publications
Latest from speakers in the America's Changing Role in the World lecture series
In Rethinking the 1990s: Liberal World Order-Building in the Aftermath of the Cold War, Peter Trubowitz and G. John Ikenberry offer a retrospective analysis of the 1990s and the foundations of the post–Cold War liberal international order.
They explore whether the United States and other countries could have made different choices in the 1990s to place the world order then envisioned by Western policymakers on a firmer foundation.
America's 250th at LSE and London
America 250 at Benjamin Franklin House
Events and programmes
Heritage Gallery Exhibition: America and London - 2 May 2026 – 29 October 2026
An exhibition at the City of London Heritage Gallery marking the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, showcasing historical documents and objects that trace political, cultural, and diplomatic links between America and London. Highlights include 1775 letters, a memorial bookmark for Abraham Lincoln, and records of figures like Dwight D. Eisenhower connected to the City of London’s history.
Revolution 250: The Making of the USA at the National Archives - 24 June 2026 – 29 November 2026
Featuring some of the most significant letters, papers, maps and documents from 1776, including a rare Dunlap print of the Declaration of Independence itself.
US at 250: Trade vs. Protectionism – America’s enduring economic debate - 15 July 2026
Chatham House experts will assess America’s struggle to balance independence, openness, and strategic competition in the global economy.
America at 250 Study Day at the British Library - 16 September 2026
This bespoke study day invites A-level history students to explore the ideas, conflicts and contradictions that shaped the American Revolution.
