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Congress Seals 900-lb Time Capsule Amid Freedom 250 Fallout

6/25/2026

Center

Trump Freedom250

President Donald Trump's Freedom 250 initiative prompted several states and performers to withdraw from Washington festivities, underscoring a partisan split.
Congressional leaders sealed a 900-pound time capsule in the Capitol containing documents from all 50 states, to open in 2276.
AP-NORC poll: ~40% proud of the anniversary, 80% say founders would be disappointed.
Veteran Duane Mitchell of Montana will drive a restored 1954 Chevrolet pickup in Fourth-of-July parades.

Left

Founders Disappointed

A new Gallup poll finds 77 % of Americans believe the nation’s founders would be disappointed with today’s United States.
Congressional leaders sealed a 900-pound time capsule in Capitol containing documents from all 50 states, to be opened in 2276.
Only 19 % of respondents think the founders would be pleased, while the rest express disappointment.
Just under half of Americans, especially Democrats, say freedom of speech faces major threats.

History

Historical Context

In 1966 Congress formed the American Revolution Bicentennial Commission, which after years of debate organized nationwide events that peaked on July 4 1976, when President Gerald Ford opened a 1,000-pound time capsule in the Capitol Rotunda. The Bicentennial’s post-Vietnam renewal theme revived patriotic disputes traced to the 1850s, and today Trump’s Freedom 250 push and Gallup polls show the same polarized debate over the founders’ legacy.

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Trump Freedom250

President Donald Trump's Freedom 250 initiative prompted several states and performers to withdraw from Washington festivities, underscoring a partisan split.
Congressional leaders sealed a 900-pound time capsule in the Capitol containing documents from all 50 states, to open in 2276.
AP-NORC poll: ~40% proud of the anniversary, 80% say founders would be disappointed.
Veteran Duane Mitchell of Montana will drive a restored 1954 Chevrolet pickup in Fourth-of-July parades.

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