Columbia University is highlighting its profound historical connections to the founding of the United States as the nation prepares to mark its Semiquincentennial, or 250th anniversary, in 2026. Established in 1754 as King's College under British rule, the institution predates the Declaration of Independence by more than two decades, playing a significant role in the Revolutionary era.
Columbia News is exploring this extensive legacy through insights from historians, archival treasures from its libraries, and stories of students, alumni, and faculty who have influenced the country's trajectory. Among these figures is Robert Livingston (KC 1765), who, at 29, was part of the committee that drafted the Declaration of Independence. The university also remembers Harman Rutgers, its first alumnus to fall in the cause of independence.
Further commemorating its past, the Rare Book & Manuscript Library will open "Spirit of 1976" on June 1, an exhibition tracing Columbia's observance of the American Bicentennial. Additionally, the Imagining Liberty Project at Teachers College aims to emphasize education's role in the nation's 250th anniversary, reflecting on the shared hope that has driven social change throughout U.S. history.