October 06, 2025
Thom Carroll/For PhillyVoice
Philadelphia and Independence Hall, above, will feature prominently in C-SPAN coverage of the United States' 250th anniversary. The network is airing documentaries, reenactments and panel discussions tied to the semiquincentennial through 2026.
Philadelphia museums and historic sites will appear regularly on C-SPAN in the run-up to the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence next year.
Each week, C-SPAN is airing 48 hours of documentaries, reenactments, panel discussions and other programs tied to the semiquincentennial until the end of 2026. Much of it will highlight Philadelphia and the founding events that took place in the city. C-SPAN also will broadcast July 4 celebrations from Philadelphia, New York and Washington.
"We know that Philadelphia will be quite the place for us to be to look at how the city is celebrated ... you can expect to see a lot more of us in Philadelphia," said Paul Orgel, producer for C-SPAN's America250 projects.
C-SPAN boasts that it will have more semiquincentennial-related programming that any other station. Its initial programs began airing in July on its three channels, Orgel said.
"We want to really be the place for all Americans to go anytime they'd like to learn something new about the founding of the country and where we've been since then, where we are now and where we're headed," Orgel said. "That's our mission."
C-SPAN will offer a "smorgasbord" of content, Orgel said, including panel discussions with historians, interviews with authors, live reenactments, documentaries detailing America's progress and interactions with viewers.
Additional content is being posted to C-SPAN's social media pages, YouTube and its website. Currently, there are videos from the C-SPAN archives available on its website's America250 page.
C-SPAN's coverage will include footage from throughout the United States, but the Philadelphia region will be prominently featured due to its historical ties. Thus far, Orgel said, the network plans to air the Navy and Marine Corps 250th celebration taking place next week in Philadelphia, "Hamilton" author Ron Chernow receiving the Liberty Medal at the National Constitution Center on Oct. 17 and the reenactment of George Washington crossing the Delaware River in Bucks County
Orgel said C-SPAN also filmed a walking tour of Philly's Revolutionary War sites and worked with the Museum of the American Revolution on an exhibit about war flags.
Orgel and his team also will film in Boston, Washington, Georgia and the Carolinas before moving on to the Midwest and West Coast.
