For America’s 250th anniversary, Watson Coleman wants to bury a time capsule on the Capitol lawn

Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-Ewing) wants to bury the truth of American history. In a good way.

To celebrate the upcoming 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, known as the Semiquincentennial, Watson Coleman authored a bill to create a time capsule featuring important legislation and milestones from the first 250 years of congressional history and other items that represent the current state of America. The capsule will be buried in 2026 on the west lawn of the Capitol and unearthed on July 4, 2276, when the country will – hopefully – be celebrating its 500th anniversary.

Today, Watson Coleman’s bill passed the House on a voice vote; the congresswoman said she’s confident it will pass the Senate as well. Assuming it’s signed into law, it will authorize the Architect of the Capitol to begin work on the time capsule in preparation for July 4, 2026.

“I am so pleased the House overwhelmingly passed my bipartisan legislation to commemorate America’s 250th Birthday with a time capsule,” Watson Coleman said in a statement. “This time capsule will memorialize our moment in American history, and give future generations a chance to glimpse our nation as it was.”

Since 2019, Watson Coleman has been a member of the U.S. Semiquincentennial Commission, better known as America250, a nonpartisan commission created in 2016 to lay the groundwork for 2026. She’s also a co-chair of the America250 Caucus, a congressional caucus dedicated to the same purpose.

Watson Coleman’s own congressional district played a key part in America’s founding; when George Washington famously crossed the Delaware in 1776, he landed on the shores of Hopewell Township, a suburb of Trenton represented today by Watson Coleman. The congresswoman said that, through her role on America250, she aims to put New Jersey in its rightful central place in American history.

“There is stuff happening all over the country, and there will be stuff in Trenton and New Jersey,” Watson Coleman said of celebrations planned for 2026. “I tell the commission members, I was assigned to this commission to make sure that Trenton and New Jersey come before the comma when we discuss how great this nation has become.”