Native American communities reflect on the nation’s 250th anniversary

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June 3rd, 2026

On the left, three portraits of people, in the middle, a historical photograph of Native Americans standing in a row, and on the right, a contemporary photo of a person wearing traditional clothing
From Top: Patina Park, Josh Arce, and Beth Michel reflect on what the country's 250th Anniversary means to the Native American community. (Daniel Lloyd Blunk Fernandez; Boston Public Library; Partnership with Native Americans; Emory University; North American Traditional Indigenous Food Systems)

America marks 250 years of independence on the 4th of July this year, and observances will be wide-ranging. That includes those who are the descendants of America’s original inhabitants.

By the time European settlers arrived, historians estimate more than 10 million Indigenous people inhabited the land now called America. In the centuries that followed, battles, diseases, diminishing resources and forced land removal led to the rapid decline of the Native population. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the population of Native Americans is currently under 7 million people — only 2% of the nation’s population.

As Native people continue to face land disputes and the highest poverty rate in the U.S., “Closer Look” assembled a Native American panel to reflect on the country at 250 years and offer perspectives as the nation reaches this milestone.

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