{{Short description|200th anniversary of the founding of the United States}} {{Use mdy dates|date=May 2013}} {{Use American English|date=September 2025}} {{Lead rewrite|date=January 2026|reason=Too short, celebrations and works should be covered}} {{Infobox recurring event | logo_caption = [[#Logo|Bicentennial logo]] commissioned by the American Revolution Bicentennial Commission | image = American revolution bicentennial.svg | date = {{Start date and age|July 4, 1976}} | location = United States | prev = [[Sesquicentennial Exposition|Sesquicentennial]] (1926) | next = [[United States Semiquincentennial|Semiquincentennial]] (2026) | activity = 200th anniversary of the adoption of the [[United States Declaration of Independence|Declaration of Independence]] | leader_title = [[President of the United States|President]] | leader_name = [[Gerald Ford]] | organized = American Revolution Bicentennial Commission (1966–1973)<br />American Revolution Bicentennial Administration (1973–1976) }} The '''United States Bicentennial''' was a series of celebrations and observances during the mid-1970s that paid tribute to historical events leading up to the creation of the United States as an independent republic. It was a central event in the memory of the [[American Revolution#Commemorations|American Revolution]]. The Bicentennial culminated on Sunday, July 4, 1976, with the 200th anniversary of the adoption of the [[United States Declaration of Independence|Declaration of Independence]] by the [[Founding Fathers of the United States|Founding Fathers]] in the [[Second Continental Congress]].
==Background== The United States has historically commemorated the founding as a gesture of patriotism and, at times, as an argument in political battles. Historian Jonathan Crider points out that in the 1850s, editors and orators, from both Northern and Southern states, claimed their region was the true custodian of the legacy of 1776, as they used the Revolution symbolically in their rhetoric.<ref>{{cite journal| first=Jonathan B.| last=Crider| title=De Bow's Revolution: The Memory of the American Revolution in the Politics of the Sectional Crisis, 1850-1861| date=September 1, 2009| pages=317–322| volume=1-| number=3| url=https://www.academia.edu/915641| journal=American Nineteenth Century History| doi=10.1080/14664650903122950| s2cid=144611072| archive-date=November 21, 2023| access-date=November 1, 2021| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231121103408/https://www.academia.edu/915641| url-status=dead}}</ref>
The plans for the Bicentennial began when [[89th United States Congress|Congress]] created the '''American Revolution Bicentennial Commission''' on July 4, 1966.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/STATUTE-80/pdf/STATUTE-80-Pg259.pdf |title=Resolution Establishing the American Revolution Bicentennial Commission – P.L. 89-491 |publisher=U.S. Government Printing Office}}{{USStat|80|259}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://archive.org/details/4731549.1966.001.umich.edu/page/302 |title=Letter to the President of the Senate and to the Speaker of the House Proposing the Establishment of an American Revolution Bicentennial Commission - March 10, 1966 |last=Johnson |first=Lyndon B. |date=March 10, 1966 |website=Internet Archive |location=Washington, D.C. |publisher=National Archives and Records Service |pages=302–303}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://archive.org/details/4731549.1966.002.umich.edu/page/713 |title=Statement by the President Announcing the Signing of a Resolution Establishing the American Revolution Bicentennial Commission - July 8, 1966 |last=Johnson |first=Lyndon B. |date=July 8, 1966 |via=Internet Archive |location=Washington, D.C. |publisher=National Archives and Records Administration |pages=713–714}}</ref><ref name="archives">{{cite web| title=Records of the American Revolution Bicentennial Administration [ARBA]| publisher=National Archives and Records Administration| year=1995| url= https://www.archives.gov/research/guide-fed-records/groups/452.html| access-date=2011-05-24}}</ref> Initially, the Bicentennial celebration was planned as a single city exposition (titled Expo '76) that would be staged in either [[Philadelphia]] or [[Boston]].<ref name="76Birthday">{{cite news| title=Who's Having the '76 Birthday Party?| agency=Associated Press| date=September 25, 1969| newspaper=[[The Tuscaloosa News]]| first=Lee| last=Linder| url =https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1817&dat=19690925&id=TRwoAAAAIBAJ&pg=7522,5716607| access-date=2019-10-24}}</ref> After 6½ years of tumultuous debate, the Commission recommended that there should not be a single event. Congress dissolved it on December 11, 1973, and created the '''American Revolution Bicentennial Administration''' (ARBA), which it charged with encouraging and coordinating locally sponsored events.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.congress.gov/bill/93rd-congress/house-bill/7446 |title=H.R. 7446 ~ American Revolution Bicentennial Administration Establishment of 1973 |date=May 3, 1973 |series=P.L. 93-179 ~ 87 Stat. 697 |publisher=Congress.gov}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/STATUTE-87/pdf/STATUTE-87-Pg697-2.pdf |title=American Revolution Bicentennial Administration Establishment – P.L. 93-179 |publisher=[[U.S. Government Printing Office]]}}{{USStat|87|697-2}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://archive.org/details/4731942.1973.001.umich.edu/page/1009 |title=Remarks on Signing a Bill Establishing the American Revolution Bicentennial Administration - December 11, 1973 |last=Nixon |first=Richard M. |date=December 11, 1973 |via=Internet Archive |location=Washington, D.C. |publisher=National Archives and Records Administration |page=1009}}</ref><ref name="bash">{{cite magazine| title=Bicentennial: The U.S. Begins Its Birthday Bash| url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,917323,00.html| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110122073111/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,917323,00.html| url-status=dead| archive-date=January 22, 2011| date=21 April 1975| magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]]| access-date=2011-05-24}}</ref> David Ryan, a professor at [[University College Cork]], notes that the Bicentennial was celebrated only a year after the [[Fall of Saigon]] in 1975 and that the [[Presidency of Gerald Ford|Ford administration]] stressed the themes of renewal and rebirth based on a restoration of traditional values, giving a nostalgic and exclusive reading of the American past.<ref name=ryan>{{cite journal| first=David| last=Ryan| title=Re-enacting Independence through Nostalgia – The 1976 US Bicentennial after the Vietnam War| date=9 December 2012| url=http://interamericaonline.org/volume-5-3/ryan/| journal=FIAR: Forum for Inter-American Research| volume=5| issue=3| pages=26–48| publisher=International Association of Inter-American Studies| access-date=2014-01-29}}</ref>
==Logo== [[File:VAB aerial 1977.jpg|thumb|[[NASA]]'s [[Vehicle Assembly Building]] in 1977]]
[[Bruce Blackburn|Bruce N. Blackburn]], co-designer of the modernized [[NASA insignia]], designed the logo.<ref>{{cite news |last=Vadukul |first=Alex |date=February 18, 2021 |title=Bruce Blackburn, Designer of Ubiquitous NASA Logo, Dies at 82 |newspaper=[[The New York Times]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.fastcompany.com/3065890/the-latest-graphics-standards-manual-reprint-americas-forgotten-logo |title=Reprinting America's Forgotten 1970s Graphics Standards Manual |last=Schwab |first=Katherine |date=November 22, 2016 |website=Fast Company & Inc. |access-date=August 15, 2021}}</ref> The logo consisted of a white five-point star inside a stylized star of red, white and blue. It was encircled by the inscription ''American Revolution Bicentennial 1776–1976'' in [[Helvetica]] Regular. An early use of the logo was on a 1971 US postage stamp. The logo became a flag that flew at many government facilities throughout the United States and appeared on many other souvenirs and postage stamps issued by the [[United States Postal Service|Postal Service]]. NASA painted the logo on the [[Vehicle Assembly Building]] at the [[Kennedy Space Center]] in 1976 where it remained until 1998 when the agency replaced it with its own emblem as part of its 40th anniversary celebrations.<ref name="nasa">{{cite web| title=Restoring Old Glory and a Massive Meatball| url=http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/behindscenes/vab_flag.html| date=January 11, 2007| website=NASA| access-date=2011-05-24| archive-date=March 4, 2021| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210304110808/http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/behindscenes/vab_flag.html| url-status=dead}}</ref>
== 1973 events == [[File:"Peoples Bicentennial Commission" at Boston Tea Party reenactment, Faneuil Hall.jpg|thumb|upright|Protestors gathering outside of Faneuil Hall in Boston before the reenactment of the [[Boston Tea Party]]. Signs protesting oil conglomerates and the Nixon administration appear in the crowd.]]
===Boston Oil Party===
In 1973, on the shores of Boston Harbor, activists and history enthusiasts recreated the [[Boston Tea Party]]. Participants and spectators boasted signs and effigies in an effort to promote "environmental protection, racial justice, an end to corporate profiteering, and the impeachment of Richard Nixon."<ref>{{Cite web |title=1973 Boston Tea Party Anniversary |url=https://revolutionaryspaces.org/explore/past-programs/1973-boston-tea-party-anniversary/ |access-date=2024-02-25 |website=Revolutionary Spaces }}</ref> Several people threw packages and oil barrels labeled "[[Gulf Oil]]" and "[[ExxonMobil|Exxon]]" into [[Boston Harbor]] in symbolic opposition to corporate power, in the style of the Boston Tea Party.<ref name="zinn">{{cite book |last=Zinn |first=Howard |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Y8JcCgAAQBAJ&q=exxon+gulf |title=A People's History of the United States |date=August 12, 2015 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-1-3173-2530-7 |edition=third |location=New York |page=562 |author-link=Howard Zinn |url-access=subscription}}</ref> This reenactment later was termed as the "Boston Oil Party", and roughly 10,000 people witnessed the dumping of oil conglomerates, as well as the hanging of an effigy of President Nixon.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Times |first=John Kifner Special to The New York |date=1973-12-17 |title=Impeachment of Nixon Urged at Re-enactment of Boston Tea Party |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1973/12/17/archives/impeachment-of-nixon-urged-atreenactment-ofboston-tea-party-the.html |access-date=2024-02-25 |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331}}</ref>
== 1975 events == [[File:1976 American Freedom Train, 4-8-4 steam locomotive.jpg|thumb|left|The ''American Freedom Train'' stopping at the Naval Air Station in Miramar, California on January 15, 1976]] The official Bicentennial events began April 1, 1975, when the ''[[American Freedom Train#The 1975–76 American Freedom Train|American Freedom Train]]'' launched in [[Wilmington, Delaware]] to start its 21-month, {{convert|25,388|mi|km|adj=on}} tour of the 48 contiguous states.<ref>(1) {{cite web| first=Larry| last=Wines| url=https://www.freedomtrain.org/american-freedom-train-home.htm| title=The Story of the 1975 - 1976 American Freedom Train| year=2019| access-date=November 2, 2019| website=Accuen Media LLC| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190410222906/http://www.freedomtrain.org/american-freedom-train-home.htm|archive-date=April 10, 2019| url-status=live}}<br />(2) {{cite web| first=Wes| last=Barris| url=https://www.steamlocomotive.com/events/aft/| title=The American Freedom Train| website=SteamLocomotive.com| access-date=November 2, 2019| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190712152236/https://www.steamlocomotive.com/events/aft/| archive-date=July 12, 2019| url-status=live}}<br />(3) {{cite web| url=http://www.brooklineconnection.com/history/Facts/FreedomTrain.html| title=The American Freedom Trains Come To Pittsburgh: September 15–17, 1948 and July 7–10, 1976; The Second Coming Of The Freedom Train| website=The Brookline Connection| access-date=November 2, 2019| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190404183309/http://www.brooklineconnection.com/history/Facts/FreedomTrain.html| archive-date=April 4, 2019| url-status=live}}<br />(4) {{cite news| last=Kelly| first=John| url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/in-1975-and-76-an-artifact-filled-choo-choo-chugged-around-the-us/2019/05/25/321ecd3c-7e6e-11e9-a5b3-34f3edf1351e_story.html| title=In 1975 and '76, an artifact-filled choo-choo chugged around the U.S.| newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]| date=May 25, 2019| access-date=November 2, 2019| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190527221038/https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/in-1975-and-76-an-artifact-filled-choo-choo-chugged-around-the-us/2019/05/25/321ecd3c-7e6e-11e9-a5b3-34f3edf1351e_story.html| archive-date=May 27, 2019| url-status=live}}</ref>
On April 18, 1975, President [[Gerald Ford]] traveled to [[Boston]] to light a third lantern at the historic [[Old North Church]], symbolizing America's third century.<ref name="remarks">{{cite press release| title=Remarks of the President at the Old North Church| publisher=Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library| date=April 18, 1975 |url=http://www.fordlibrarymuseum.gov/library/document/0248/whpr19750418-013.pdf| access-date=January 11, 2013}}</ref> The following day, April 19, he delivered a major address in [[Concord, Massachusetts]] at the [[Old North Bridge]] where the "[[shot heard round the world]]" was fired, commemorating the 200th anniversary of the [[Battles of Lexington and Concord]] which began the military aspect of the American Revolution.<ref>{{cite web| title=Remarks at the Old North Bridge, Concord, Massachusetts| url=https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/documents/remarks-the-old-north-bridge-concord-massachusetts| website=The American Presidency Project| date=April 19, 1975| access-date=October 31, 2021}}</ref> According to the ''New York Times'' "more than 2,000 spectators were on hand" as cannons were fired and a Paul Revere reenactor rode through announcing the arrival of British regulars.<ref>{{Cite news |date=1976-04-20 |title=Lexington and Concord Hold Bicentennial Fetes |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1976/04/20/archives/lexington-and-concord-hold-bicentennial-fetes.html |access-date=2024-02-05 |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331}}</ref>
On December 31, 1975, the eve of the Bicentennial Year, Ford recorded a statement to address the [[Americans|American people]] by means of radio and television broadcasts.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://archive.org/details/4732052.1975.002.umich.edu/page/1024 |title=Remarks on the Eve of the Bicentennial Year - December 31, 1975 |last=Ford |first=Gerald R. |date=December 31, 1975 |via=Internet Archive |location=Washington, D.C. |publisher=National Archives and Records Administration |page=2020}}</ref> Presidential Proclamation 4411 was signed as an affirmation to the Founding Fathers of the United States principles of [[dignity]], [[Social equality|equality]], [[Representative democracy|government by representation]], and [[liberty]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/STATUTE-90/pdf/STATUTE-90-Pg3072.pdf |title=The Bicentennial Year - December 31, 1975 |last=Ford |first=Gerald R. |date=December 31, 1975 |work=90 Stat. 3072 ~ Presidential Proclamation 4411 |publisher=Government Printing Office}}</ref>
==1976 events== 1976 festivities included elaborate [[fireworks]] in the skies above major US cities. President Ford presided over the display in Washington, D.C., which was televised nationally. Celebrations in cities and towns across the nation opened into full effect including celebrations such as [[Operation Sail]] (Op Sail), a large international fleet parade of tall-masted [[sailing ship]]s gathering first in New York City on [[Independence Day (United States)|Independence Day]] and then in Boston about one week later. Other large-scale events, such as reenactments, parades, and booms in commercialized commemoration, spread across the nation as the year went on.
===New York=== In addition to the presence of the 'tall ships', navies of many nations sent warships to New York harbor for an [[Naval Review|International Naval Review]] held the morning of July 4. President Ford sailed down the [[Hudson River]] into New York harbor aboard the [[guided missile cruiser]] {{USS|Wainwright|CG-28|6}} to review the international fleet and receive salutes from each visiting ship, ending with a salute from the [[Royal Navy]] guided-missile destroyer {{HMS|London|D16|6}}. The review ended just above [[Liberty Island]] at around 10:30 am.
===Washington, D.C.=== [[File:BettyFordNARA.jpg|thumb|First Lady [[Betty Ford]], with President Gerald Ford, Queen Elizabeth II, and Prince Philip in the [[President's Dining Room]] in conjunction with a 1976 state visit during the US Bicentennial]] [[Johnny Cash]] served as the Grand Marshal of the US Bicentennial parade.<ref>{{cite news| last=Halloran| first=Richard| date=July 4, 1976| page=1| url-access=subscription| url=https://www.nytimes.com/1976/07/04/archives/500000-view-capitals-bicentennial-parade-500000-watch-capital.html| title=500,000 View Capital's Bicentennial Parade| newspaper=The New York Times| access-date=2019-10-24}}</ref>
The event was attended by [[Elizabeth II|Queen Elizabeth II]] and [[Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh|Prince Philip]]. The royal couple made a [[1976 state visit by Elizabeth II to the United States|state visit]] to the United States, toured the country, and attended other Bicentennial functions with President and Mrs. Ford. Their visit aboard the British royal yacht [[HMY Britannia|HMY ''Britannia'']] included stops in Philadelphia, Washington, D.C., Virginia, New York, Connecticut, and Massachusetts.
The [[Smithsonian Institution]] opened a long-term exhibition in its [[Arts and Industries Building]] replicating the look and feel of the 1876 [[Centennial Exposition]] in Philadelphia, including artifacts from earlier exposition. The Bicentennial [[Smithsonian Folklife Festival|Festival of American Folklife]], a collaboration of the Smithsonian with thousands of national and international scholars, folk artisans, and performers, hosted programs in the western part of the National Mall five days a week for twelve weeks in the summer of 1976.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://festival.si.edu/past-program/1976 |title=1976 Festival of American Folklife |website=Smithsonian: Past Programs |access-date=2022-06-17}}</ref> The Smithsonian also opened the new home of the [[National Air and Space Museum]] on July 1, 1976.<ref>{{cite news| title=A Bow to Conquest of Flight| url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/103954597/st-louis-post-dispatch/| first=Mark| last=Olshaker| newspaper=[[St. Louis Post-Dispatch]]| page=D1| date=July 16, 1976| access-date=June 17, 2022}}</ref>
===Government celebration=== [[File:ONA Douglas DC-8 at Zurich - July 1975.jpg|thumb|[[Douglas DC-8]] of [[Overseas National Airways]] in US Bicentennial special livery]] [[George Washington]] was posthumously appointed to the grade of [[General of the Armies|General of the Armies of the United States]] by the congressional joint resolution [[s:Public Law 94-479|Public Law 94-479]] passed January 19, 1976, with an effective appointment date of July 4, 1976.<ref name="Bell">{{cite book |title=Commanding Generals and Chiefs of Staff, 1775–2005: Portraits & Biographical Sketches of the United States Army's Senior Officer |first1=William Gardner |last1=Bell |publisher=Government Printing Office |year=2005 |isbn=9780160873300}}</ref> This restored Washington's position as the [[United States military seniority|highest-ranking military officer in US history]].{{efn|William Gardner Bell states that when Washington was recalled back into military service from his retirement in 1798, "Congress passed legislation that would have made him General of the Armies of the United States, but his services were not required in the field and the appointment was not made until the Bicentennial in 1976, when it was bestowed posthumously as a commemorative honor".<ref name="Bell"/>{{page needed|date=May 2026}} The Army says that with [[wikisource:Public Law 94-479|Public Law 94-479]], President Ford specified that Washington would "rank first among all officers of the Army, past and present. 'General of the Armies of the United States' is only associated with two people ... one being Washington and the other being [[John J. Pershing]]."<ref>[https://archive.today/20120717181314/http://www.history.army.mil/html/faq/5star.html How many U.S. Army five-star generals have there been and who were they?]</ref>}}
NASA commemorated the Bicentennial by staging a science and technology exhibit housed in a series of geodesic domes in the parking lot of the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) called ''Third Century America''. An American flag and the Bicentennial emblem were also painted on the side of the VAB; the emblem remained until 1998, when it was painted over with the NASA insignia. NASA planned for ''[[Viking 1]]'' to land on Mars on July 4, but delayed the landing to July 20, the anniversary of the [[Apollo 11]] lunar landing. On the anniversary of the [[Constitution Day (United States)|signing of the Constitution]], NASA held the rollout ceremony of the [[Space Shuttle Enterprise|first Space Shuttle]] (which NASA had planned to name ''Constitution'' but was, instead, named "Enterprise" in honor of [[USS Enterprise (NCC-1701)|its fictional namesake]] on the television series ''[[Star Trek: The Original Series|Star Trek]]''<ref name="Rioux2005">{{cite book |last=Rioux |first=Terry Lee |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fHqtNdfIdi8C&q=space+shuttle |title=From Sawdust to Stardust: The Biography of DeForest Kelley, Star Trek's Dr. McCoy |publisher=Simon and Schuster |year=2005 |isbn=978-1-4165-0004-9 |page=221}}</ref>).
===Delaware crossing reenactment=== [[File:1976 crossing of the Delaware reenactment.jpg|thumb|Reenactors command their vessel across the Delaware River to commemorate the Delaware Crossing, circa 1976]] On November 20 and 21 of 1976, participants immersed themselves in the era by donning period-accurate uniforms and equipping themselves with the tools and weaponry characteristic of that Christmas night over two centuries prior.<ref>{{cite news |last=Henley |first=Robert |date=1976-11-17 |title=Re-enactment to Follow Washington's Footsteps |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1976/11/17/archives/reenactment-to-follow-washingtons-footsteps.html |access-date=2024-02-25 |newspaper=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |url-access=subscription}}</ref> The reenactment unfolded as a grand spectacle, featuring a flotilla of boats navigating the icy currents of the Delaware River.
Since then, the [[George Washington's crossing of the Delaware River|Crossing the Delaware]] reenactment has occurred every year to relive and recognize this moment.<ref>{{cite news| title=Christmas tradition returns to Washington Crossing Historic Park| url=https://www.phillyburbs.com/story/entertainment/2023/10/12/washington-crossing-historic-park-christmas-day-reenactment-delaware-river-crossing-2023-pa-nj/71141927007/| first=Damon C.| last=Williams| date=October 12, 2023| newspaper=[[Bucks County Courier Times]]| access-date=December 13, 2024}}</ref>
===Philadelphia=== [[File:BicentennialBell.jpg|thumb|left|The Bicentennial Bell in Benjamin Rush Garden in Phliadelphia, PA, 2025]]
While in Philadelphia on July 6, 1976, Queen Elizabeth presented the Bicentennial Bell on behalf of the British people. The bell is a replica of the Liberty Bell, cast at the same foundry—[[Whitechapel Bell Foundry]]—and bearing the inscription "For the People of the United States of America from the People of Britain 4 July 1976 LET FREEDOM RING."<ref>{{cite web| title=Bicentennial Bell| url=https://home.nps.gov/inde/learn/historyculture/the-bicentennial-bell.htm| website=Independence National Historical Park| access-date=3 August 2013}}</ref>
===Los Angeles=== [[Disneyland]] and the [[Magic Kingdom]] at [[Walt Disney World]] presented ''[[America on Parade]]'', an elaborate parade celebrating American history and culture, and featured the [[Sherman Brothers]]' song "[[The Glorious Fourth]]". The parade featured nightly fireworks and ran twice daily from June 1975 to September 1976.
Los Angeles observances included the Bicentennial Parade of 1976 on Wilshire Boulevard,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.ebay.com/itm/403215834922 |title=1976 County of Los Angeles Bicentennial Parade Patch |website=[[eBay]] |access-date=22 February 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220204150005/https://www.ebay.com/itm/403215834922 |archive-date=4 February 2022 |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Brundige |first1=Linda |title=American Bicentennial parade on Wilshire Boulevard |url=https://calisphere.org/item/f9aba9ca61107f63e9fcc4b52610afd4/ |website=[[calisphere]] |access-date=4 February 2022 |date=1976 |quote=[[Los Angeles Herald-Examiner]] photograph [[Los Angeles Public Library]] Photo Collection}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=What the 4th of July Looked Like in Vintage Los Angeles |url=https://www.lapl.org/collections-resources/blogs/lapl/what-4th-july-looked-vintage-la |website=[[Los Angeles Public Library]] |access-date=4 February 2022}}</ref> and the Los Angeles City Schools Bicentennial Pageant at [[Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum]], broadcast as part of ''Happy Birthday, America'' (NBC), hosted by [[Paul Anka]],<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.ebay.com/itm/164513503287 |title=Los Angeles City Schools Bicentennial 1976 Official Program |website=eBay |access-date=22 February 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220204145812/https://www.ebay.com/itm/164513503287 |archive-date=4 February 2022 |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=American Revolution Bicentennial, 1976 |url=https://tessa.lapl.org/cdm/search/searchterm/American%20Revolution%20Bicentennial,%201976--Anniversaries,%20etc./mode/exact |website=[[Los Angeles Public Library]] Photo Collection |access-date=4 February 2022 |quote=[[Los Angeles Herald Examiner]] Photo Collection}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.ebay.com/itm/303595406923 |title=1976 Los Angeles Area Council Bicentennial Patch |website=eBay |access-date=22 February 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220204151803/https://www.ebay.com/itm/303595406923 |archive-date=4 February 2022 |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name="concertarchives-Anka">{{cite web |title=05/28/1976: Happy Birthday America: Los Angeles City School's Bicentennial presentation at the L.A. Coliseum. Paul Anka and family hosts at Los Angeles, California, United States |url=https://www.concertarchives.org/concerts/happy-birthday-america-los-angeles-city-school-s-bicentennial-presentation-at-the-l-a-coliseum-paul-anka-and-family-hosts |website=Concert Archives |access-date=4 February 2022}}</ref> ''Pacific 21'', a bicentennial exhibition and conference center,<ref>{{cite news |title=Bicentennial Center to Open At Los Angeles Site in '76 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1975/02/09/archives/bicentennial-center-to-open-at-los-angeles-site-in-76.html |access-date=4 February 2022 |work=The New York Times |date=9 February 1975}}</ref> and Knott's Berry Farm bicentennial celebration.<ref name="KCET">{{cite web |title=Photos: SoCal Fourth of July Celebrations of the Past |url=https://www.kcet.org/shows/lost-la/photos-socal-fourth-of-july-celebrations-of-the-past |website=[[KCET]] |date=30 June 2011}}</ref>
===Professional sports celebrations=== The overall theme of the entertainment of [[Super Bowl X]], held on January 18, was to celebrate the Bicentennial. Players on both teams, the [[Pittsburgh Steelers]] and the [[Dallas Cowboys]], wore a special patch with the Bicentennial Logo on their jerseys; the Cowboys also added red, white, and blue striping to their helmets throughout the 1976 NFL season. The halftime show, featuring the performance group [[Up with People]], was entitled "200 Years and Just a Baby: A Tribute to America's Bicentennial".
The [[United States Olympic Committee]] (USOC) initiated bids to host both the 1976 Summer and Winter Olympic Games to celebrate the Bicentennial. Los Angeles bid for the [[1976 Summer Olympics]] but lost to [[Montreal]]. [[Denver]] was awarded the [[1976 Winter Olympics]] in 1970. Still, concern over costs led [[Colorado]] voters to reject a referendum to fund the games, and the [[International Olympic Committee]] awarded the games to [[Innsbruck]], Austria, the host of the 1964 games.<ref name="76olympics">{{cite news |last=Sanko |first=John |date=12 October 1999 |title=Colorado only state ever to turn down Olympics |url=http://denver.rockymountainnews.com/millennium/1012stone.shtml |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090601181029/http://denver.rockymountainnews.com/millennium/1012stone.shtml |archive-date=June 1, 2009 |access-date=2014-07-31 |newspaper=[[Rocky Mountain News]] |location=Denver |df=mdy-all}}</ref> As a result, there was no Olympics in the United States in 1976 despite a last minute offer from [[Salt Lake City]] to host. However, [[Lake Placid, New York|Lake Placid]] would host the [[1980 Winter Olympics]], Los Angeles would eventually host the [[1984 Summer Olympics]], and Salt Lake City would also eventually host the [[2002 Winter Olympics]].
[[File:Darrell Johnson Gerald Ford and Sparky Anderson in 1976 (cropped).jpg|thumb|upright|President Gerald Ford (center) with [[Darrell Johnson]] and [[Sparky Anderson]] during ceremonies at the 1976 Major League Baseball All-Star Game]]
As site of the [[Continental Congress]] and signing of the Declaration of Independence, [[Philadelphia]] served as host for the [[1976 NBA All-Star Game]], the [[29th National Hockey League All-Star Game|1976 National Hockey League All-Star Game]], the [[1976 NCAA Division I basketball tournament|1976 NCAA Final Four]], and the [[1976 Major League Baseball All-Star Game]] at which President Ford threw out the first pitch.<ref>{{cite news |last=Lyon |first=Bill |date=17 March 2009 |title=Sports helped Philly celebrate Bicentennial |url=http://www.philly.com/philly/sports/phillies/20090327_Sports_helped_Philly_celebrate_Bicentennial.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090330204525/http://www.philly.com/philly/sports/phillies/20090327_Sports_helped_Philly_celebrate_Bicentennial.html |archive-date=March 30, 2009 |access-date=2009-03-30 |newspaper=[[Philadelphia Inquirer]]}}</ref> The [[1976 Pro Bowl]] was an exception and was played in New Orleans, likely due to weather concerns.
===Other=== Local observances included painting mailboxes and fire hydrants red, white, and blue. A wave of patriotism and nostalgia swept the nation, and there was a general feeling that the era of the [[civil rights movement]], the [[Vietnam War]], and the [[Watergate scandal|Watergate]] constitutional crisis of 1974 had finally come to an end.
[[File:South Bend, IN Bicentennial Fire Hydrants.jpg|thumb|Examples of the painted fire hydrants from [[South Bend, Indiana]], circa 1976]] In the summer of 1976, the city of [[South Bend, Indiana]], embarked on a unique project to commemorate the United States Bicentennial: painting its fire hydrants in vibrant colors and patriotic designs. Over four decades later, many of South Bend's painted fire hydrants still stand as reminders of America's Bicentennial celebration.<ref>{{cite web |title=Painted fireplugs for the bicentennial celebration of the United States of America |url=https://michianamemory.sjcpl.org/digital/collection/p16827coll7/id/51 |access-date=2024-02-23 |website=michianamemory.sjcpl.org }}</ref>
[[Bell Telephone Company]] commissioned [[Stanley Meltzoff]] to create a cover for its 1976 directory to commemorate both the Bicentennial and the centennial of the invention of the [[telephone]]. Based on [[Norman Rockwell]]'s ''The Gossips'', Meltzoff depicted America's great historic and iconic figures using the telephone. It became the biggest-selling directory in Bell's history.<ref>[http://www.jklmuseum.com/the-1976-bell-system-telephone-book-cover/ "The 1976 Bell System Telephone Book Cover"] ''jklmuseum.com''; retrieved 2023-09-28</ref>
Many national railroads and [[shortline railroad|shortlines]] painted locomotives or rolling stock in patriotic color schemes, typically numbered 1776 or 1976, and model railroad manufacturers quickly released bicentennial locomotives, which were popular among children and adults. Many military units marked aircraft with special designs in honor of the Bicentennial. [[John Warner]] served as ARBA director.<ref name="marsh">{{cite web| title=American Revolution Bicentennial Administration – Licensing/Use of Symbol and Flag| work=John Marsh files| publisher=Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library| page=31| url=http://www.fordlibrarymuseum.gov/LIBRARY/document/0067/1563260.pdf| access-date=2014-07-31}}</ref>
The [[New Jersey Lottery]] operated a special "Bicentennial Lottery" in which the winner received $1,776 per week (before taxes) for 20 years (a total of $1,847,040).
The Bicentennial Wagon Train Pilgrimage began a journey from [[Blaine, Washington]] on June 8, 1975, concluding at [[Valley Forge, Pennsylvania]] on July 4, 1976.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.fordlibrarymuseum.gov/library/guides/findingaid/asmuspapers.asp |title=Larry and Pauline Asmus Papers, 1975-77: Bicentennial Wagon Train Participants |publisher=Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library and Museum |access-date=December 20, 2015 |archive-date=November 21, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231121210152/https://www.fordlibrarymuseum.gov/library/guides/findingaid/asmuspapers.asp |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.726831204074672.1073741857.336881759736287 |title=1976 Bicentennial Wagon Train to Valley Forge, PA |via=Facebook |website=Old Images of Montgomery County PA}}</ref> The [[wagon train]] pilgrimage traced the original [[covered wagon]] trade and transportation routes across the United States.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.fordlibrarymuseum.gov/library/exhibits/bluecadet/000200152-001.pdf |title=Bicentennial Wagon Train Pilgrimage to Pennsylvania |via=Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library and Museum |publisher=Bicentennial Commission of Pennsylvania}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.fordlibrarymuseum.gov/library/exhibits/bluecadet/038900000-004.pdf |title=Bicentennial Wagon Train Pilgrimage to Pennsylvania 1975-1976 ~ Official Souvenir Program |via=Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library and Museum |publisher=Bicentennial Commission of Pennsylvania}}</ref> The [[Conestoga wagon]] overland pilgrimage encompassed the [[Bozeman Trail]], [[California Trail]], [[Southern Emigrant Trail|Gila Trail]], [[Great Wagon Road]], [[Mormon Trail]], [[Natchez Trace Trail]], [[Boston Post Road|Old Post Road]], [[Old Spanish Trail (trade route)|Old Spanish Trail]], [[Oregon Trail]], [[Overland Trail]], [[Santa Fe Trail]], and [[Wilderness Road]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1975/06/16/archives/wagon-train-gets-under-way-on-years-trip-to-valley-forge.html |title=Wagon Train Gets Under Way on Year's Trip to Valley Forge |first=Andrew R |last=Malcolm |date=June 16, 1975 |work=The New York Times}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1976/06/15/archives/bicentennial-pilgrims-are-making-progress.html |title=Bicentennial 'Pilgrims' Are Making Progress |date=June 15, 1976 |work=The New York Times}}</ref>
Karen Steele was the first baby born on July 4, 1976, 12 seconds after midnight, and was referred to as the "Bicentennial Baby". She was featured on ''[[Today (American TV program)|The Today Show]]'' and ''[[Good Morning America]]'', and received commemorations from President Ford, New Jersey Governor [[Brendan Byrne]], and a host of other notables.
Many commercial products, including sports, apparel, and collectibles, appeared in red, white, and blue packages in an attempt to tie them to the Bicentennial. Liberty, a brand of Spanish olives, sold its product in glass jars that replicated the Liberty Bell at the time. Products were only permitted to display the trademarked Bicentennial logo by paying a license fee to ARBA.
==Ceremonial coinage== {{Main|United States Bicentennial coinage}}
The US government also commemorated the Bicentennial by creating new designs for national currency. The creation of the ceremonial coinage was both a way to get the American public involved in celebrating the Bicentennial and to encourage Americans to collect and purchase more Bicentennial memorabilia.<gallery> George Washington bicentennial quarter, reverse.jpg|Reverse of the Bicentennial [[Quarter (United States coin)|quarter]], minted 1975–1976 1976-S 50C Clad Deep Cameo (rev).jpg|Reverse of the Bicentennial [[Kennedy half dollar]], minted 1975–1976 1976S Type1 Eisenhower Reverse.jpg|Reverse of the Bicentennial [[Dollar coin (United States)|dollar]] (Type 1), minted 1975–1976<ref>{{cite web |date=January 21, 2010 |title=1976 Eisenhower Dollar Varieties |url=https://eisenhowerdollarguide.com/1976-eisenhower-dollar-varieties/ |access-date=2019-10-24 |website=My Coin Guides}}</ref> 1976D Type2 Eisenhower Reverse.jpg|Reverse of the Bicentennial dollar (Type 2), minted 1975–1976 </gallery>
==Bicentennial on screen== ===Television=== ====Related network television programs aired July 3–4, 1976==== * ''The Great American Celebration'', a 12-hour syndicated entertainment program hosted by [[Ed McMahon]] and airing the night of July 3 * ''The Inventing of America'' (NBC), a two-hour BBC co-production reviewing 200 years of American technological innovations and their impact on the world, co-hosted by [[James Burke (science historian)|James Burke]] and [[Raymond Burr]]<ref>{{cite web |url=https://history.nasa.gov/sp482.pdf |title=The Impact of Science on Society |date=1985 |publisher=[[NASA]] |page=2 |access-date=2016-05-28}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |date=June 27, 1976 |title='Inventing of America' poses, answers queries |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1310&dat=19760627&id=FaxVAAAAIBAJ&pg=4924,7398651&hl=en |newspaper=[[The Register-Guard|Eugene Register-Guard]]|access-date=2016-05-28 }}</ref> * ''In Celebration of US'' (CBS), a 16-hour coverage hosted by [[Walter Cronkite]] * ''The Glorious Fourth'' (NBC), a 10-hour coverage hosted by [[John Chancellor]] and [[David Brinkley]] * ''The Great American Birthday Party'' (ABC), hosted by [[Harry Reasoner]] * ''Happy Birthday, America'' (NBC), hosted by [[Paul Anka]] from the [[Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum]]<ref name="concertarchives-Anka"/> * ''[[Bob Hope]]'s Bicentennial Star-Spangled Spectacular'' (NBC) * ''Best of the Fourth'' (NBC), recap with John Chancellor and David Brinkley * July 4 satellite broadcast of the [[University of North Texas]] [[One O'Clock Lab Band]] live performance in Moscow (NBC), sponsored by the [[United States Department of State|US Department of State]] * ''Days of Liberty'' (WABC-TV—New York), an animated holiday special * ''Goodbye America'' (PBS), a mock "newscast" re-enacting a 1776 debate in the [[House of Commons of the United Kingdom|House of Commons]] concerning the future of the [[Thirteen Colonies]] * ''Eastward Ho!'' (WPSX-TV), a half-hour documentary about the Bicentennial Wagon Train, produced by [[Pennsylvania State University]] (Penn State). Includes the show troupe, which traveled with the wagon train and performed at the campsite each night.
The ''[[Bicentennial Minutes|Bicentennial Minute]]'' was a series of short vignettes aired on CBS from 1974 through the end of 1976 to mark the occasion.
====Saturday morning Bicentennial programs==== In the months leading up to the Bicentennial, ''[[Schoolhouse Rock!]]'', a series of educational cartoon shorts airing on ABC between programs on Saturday mornings, created a sub-series called "History Rock". However, the official name was "America Rock". The ten segments covered various aspects of American history and government. Several of the segments, most notably "[[I'm Just a Bill]]" (discussing the legislative process) and "The Preamble" (which features a variant of the preamble of the Constitution put to music), have become some of ''Schoolhouse Rock''{{'s}} most popular segments.
In 1974, CBS aired a new animated [[Archie Comics|Archie]] series on Saturday mornings called ''[[The U.S. of Archie]]''; 16 episodes were produced and aired in reruns until September 1976.
===Films=== {{External media|video1=[https://vimeo.com/430182794 ''Bicentennial City''] (June 7, 2020) on [[Vimeo]]|float=right}} For the Bicentennial celebration, Hollywood filmmaker [[John Huston]] directed a short movie—''[[Independence (1976 film)|Independence]]'' (1976)—for the US [[National Park Service]] which continues to screen at [[Independence National Historical Park]] in Philadelphia.<ref>{{cite journal| title=Filming Independence Where It Happened| url=https://theasc.com/articles/flashback-independence| last=Roziman| first=Owen| date=July 1976| journal=American Cinematographer| access-date=December 13, 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite AV media| title=Independence| url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sVnAlTw4LBw| date=June 26, 2015| people=John Huston (director)| publisher=National Archives and Records Administration| location=College Park, Maryland| via=[[YouTube]]| access-date=December 13, 2024}}</ref>
The 1976 film ''[[Rocky]]'' cited the Bicentennial in several scenes, mostly during [[Apollo Creed]]'s entering; [[Carl Weathers]] dressed first as [[George Washington]] and then as [[Uncle Sam]].<ref>{{cite news| title=Carl Weathers Destroyed His Iconic Rocky Hat With Some Misguided Gardening| url=https://www.msn.com/en-us/lifestyle/lifestyle-buzz/carl-weathers-destroyed-his-iconic-rocky-hat-with-some-misguided-gardening/ar-BB1hGELs| date=February 3, 2024| website=MSN| access-date=December 13, 2024}}</ref>
The oversize vehicle in the 1976 film ''[[The Big Bus]]'' had a scene in its Bicentennial Dining Room.
==Gifts for the nation== [[File:Magna Carta Replica.jpg|thumb|A [[Magna Carta]] replica in the display case]] Several nations gave gifts to the US as a token of friendship.
The United Kingdom loaned one of the four existing copies of [[Magna Carta]] for display in the [[United States Capitol]]. The Capitol displayed the document in a case designed by artist [[Louis Osman]] consisting of gold, stainless steel, rubies, pearls, sapphires, diamonds, and white enamel. This was on a base of [[pegmatite]] and Yorkshire [[sandstone]]. The document was displayed atop a gold replica from June 3, 1976, until June 13, 1977, when it was returned. The case and gold replica remain on display in the Capitol.<ref name="aoc">{{cite web| title=Magna Carta Replica and Display| url=http://www.aoc.gov/cc/art/magna_carta_replica_display.cfm| publisher=Architect of the Capitol| access-date=2011-12-01}}</ref>
Canada, through the [[National Film Board of Canada]], produced the book ''Between Friends/Entre Amis'', a photographic essay on life along the US-Canada border. Canada distributed the book to libraries across the US and presented special editions to President Ford and other officials.<ref name="monk">{{cite web| title=Lorraine Monk Books| url=http://lorrainemonk.com/books.html| website=LorraineMonk.com| access-date=2011-12-01}}</ref><ref>{{cite book| title=Between Friends/Entre Amis| publisher=National Film Board of Canada| year=1976| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lfXOMgEACAAJ&q=between+friends/entre+amis| isbn=978-0-7710-6718-1}}</ref>
The government of France and the [[Louvre]] assembled an exhibit of paintings in cooperation with the [[Detroit Institute of Arts]] and the [[Metropolitan Museum of Art]] that traveled to [[Detroit]] and New York City after being shown in Paris. The exhibit, entitled ''French Painting 1774–1830: The Age of Revolution'', included the work of 94 French artists from that period. Many of the 149 works in the exhibit had never been seen outside France and included ''[[Liberty Leading the People]]'' by [[Eugène Delacroix]], ''[[Jupiter and Thetis]]'' by [[Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres|Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres]] and a portrait of [[Maximilien Robespierre]] by [[Adélaïde Labille-Guiard]].<ref name="freep">{{cite news| title=At the Institute of Arts, A Heroic Show from France| url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/98199649/?terms=At%2Bthe%2BInstitute%2Bof%2BArts%2C%2BA%2BHeroic%2BShow%2Bfrom%2BFrance| newspaper=[[Detroit Free Press]]| page=D1| date=March 2, 1975| first=Marsha| last=Miro| url-access=subscription}}</ref>
Japan's government constructed and furnished the 513-seat Terrace Theatre of [[John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts]] in Washington. Many of the original furnishings were removed during the theater's renovation between 2015 and 2019.<ref>{{cite news| title=A Beloved Theater within the Kennedy Center Is Updated to Rave Reviews| url=https://www.retrofitmagazine.com/a-beloved-theater-within-the-kennedy-center-is-updated-to-rave-reviews/| first=Nathan M.| last=Gillette| magazine=Retrofit| date=November 4, 2019| access-date=July 22, 2022}}</ref> Fifty-three [[bonsai]] trees from the Nippon Bonsai Association were donated to the [[United States National Arboretum|US National Arboretum]].<ref>{{cite web| url=https://www.bonsai-nbf.org/museum-history/| title=Museum History| website=National Bonsai Foundation| language=en-US| access-date=2017-03-07}}</ref>
[[Juan Carlos I|King Juan Carlos I]] and [[Queen Sofía of Spain]] presented sculptures of ''[[Equestrian statue of Bernardo de Gálvez|Bernardo de Gálvez]]'', a hero of the [[American Revolutionary War]] period and later [[List of viceroys of New Spain|Viceroy of New Spain]]; and ''[[Don Quixote (Kennedy Center sculpture)|Don Quixote]]'', [[Miguel de Cervantes|Cervantes']] fictional hero, on June 3, 1976, on behalf of their nation. The Gálvez sculpture is in a park at Virginia Avenue at 21st Street NW, which has been named Galvez Park.<ref>{{cite web| title=Bernado de Galvez (Count de Galvez) 1746-1786, (sculpture)| url=https://siris-artinventories.si.edu/ipac20/ipac.jsp?&profile=all&source=~!siartinventories&uri=full=3100001~!323796~!0#focus| website=Art Inventories Catalog | publisher=[[Smithsonian American Art Museum]]| access-date=2019-10-24}}</ref> The Don Quixote sculpture was installed nearby on the grounds of The Kennedy Center. Spain's gift also included an exhibit at the [[National Gallery of Art]] of eight [[Francisco Goya|Goya]] masterpieces from the collection of {{Lang|es|[[Museo del Prado]]}}.<ref>{{cite news| title=Kennedy Unit To Get King's Gift| url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=VEEsAAAAIBAJ&pg=4641%2C1619537| date=May 9, 1976| page=B10| newspaper=[[Spartanburg Herald-Journal]]| agency=[[Associated Press]]| access-date=2019-10-24}}</ref><ref>{{cite news| title=Spain Lends 8 Goyas for Bicentennial| first=Linda| last=Charlton| date=April 22, 1976| url=https://www.nytimes.com/1976/04/22/archives/spain-lends-8-goyas-for-bicentennial-spain-lends-8-goyas-for.html| newspaper=The New York Times| page=1| access-date=2019-10-24}}</ref>
King of Norway [[Olav V of Norway|Olav V]], Prime Minister of Norway [[Odvar Nordli]], and the Norwegian government established the Vinland National Health Sports Center in [[Loretto, Minnesota]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://archive.org/details/4732102.1976.002.umich.edu/page/1950 |title=Remarks Upon Accepting Norway's Bicentennial Gift to the United States - July 2, 1976 |last=Ford |first=Gerald R. |date=July 2, 1976 |via=Internet Archive |location=Washington, D.C. |publisher=National Archives and Records Administration |pages=1950–1951}}</ref>
==Gallery== <gallery class="center" caption="Celebrating the United States Bicentennial" widths=250 heights=170> Amerigo_vespucci_1976_nyc_aufgetakelt.jpg|Italian tall ship ''[[Italian training ship Amerigo Vespucci|Amerigo Vespucci]]'' in New York Harbor during the celebration 04 Norwgian square rigger Pde of Sail 4 July 76.jpg|Norwegian rigged ship ''[[Christian Radich]]'' at [[Operation Sail]] on July 4, 1976 22 square rigger Pde of sail 4 July 76.jpg|Polish three-mast ship ''[[Dar Pomorza]]'' during the Parade of Sail on July 4, 1976 </gallery> <gallery class="center" caption="United States [[Bicentennial Series|Bicentennial Era Postage Stamps]]" widths=250 heights=170> 13-cent Declaration strip of four 1976 U.S. stamp.1.jpg|[[John Trumbull]]'s 1818 oil painting depicting the introduction of the [[Declaration of Independence (painting)|Declaration of Independence]] to the Continental Congress Spirit76-US-PostageStamp.jpg|[[Archibald Willard]] {{circa|1875}} oil painting ''The Spirit of '76'' depicting a [[Fife (instrument)|fife]] player and two drummers leading the [[Continental Army]] during the American Revolutionary War Printer and patriots 1973 U.S. stamp.1.jpg|[[Patriot (American Revolution)|Patriots]] utilizing a [[printing press]] while examining a colonial pamphlet Boston Tea Party-1973 issue-3c.jpg|1773 depiction of the Boston Tea Party showing chests of tea being dumped into Boston Harbor on a late night by the [[Sons of Liberty]] to protest the [[Tea Act]] Haym Salomon stamp.jpg|[[Haym Salomon]] was a colonial [[paymaster]] who raised money to help finance the American Revolution. 00PeterFrancisco.jpg|[[Peter Francisco]] participated in the [[Battle of Camden]], where he physically seized a 1,000-pound [[cannon]] while departing the battlefield after the British defeated the Americans 00SalemPoor.jpg|[[Salem Poor]] participated at the [[Battle of Bunker Hill]] and was credited with fatally wounding British officer [[James Abercrombie (British Army officer, born 1732)|James Abercrombie]]. Sybil Ludington stamp.jpg|[[Sybil Ludington]] is said to have ridden through the night to advise [[minutemen]] that British forces were raiding [[Danbury, Connecticut]]; these accounts, originating from the [[Ludington family]], are questioned by modern scholars.<ref name="Hunt">Hunt, Paula D. (June 2015). [http://www.mitpressjournals.org/doi/pdf/10.1162/TNEQ_a_00452 "Sybil Ludington, the Female Paul Revere: The Making of a Revolutionary War Heroine"]. ''New England Quarterly'' 88#2. pp. 187–222, quote p. 187. {{JSTOR|24718670}}.</ref><ref name=Tucker>{{cite news |title= Did the Midnight Ride of Sibyl Ludington Ever Happen? |last= Tucker |first= Abigail |date= March 2022 |access-date= July 6, 2022 |url= https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/did-midnight-ride-sibyl-ludington-ever-happen-180979557/ |work= [[Smithsonian (magazine)|Smithsonian]]}}</ref><ref name=Eschner>{{cite news |url= https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonianmag/was-there-really-teenage-female-paul-revere-180962993/ |work= [[Smithsonian (magazine)|Smithsonian]] |title= Was There Really a Teenage, Female Paul Revere? |last= Eschner |first= Sybil |date= April 26, 2017 |access-date= July 6, 2022}}</ref> Scott1479.jpg|Patriots acknowledging the spirit of independence by honoring the drummer who marched into battle, or the drum as an instrument to alert neighbors of British Redcoats SOI postrider prev.gif|Patriots acknowledging the spirit of independence by honoring the [[post riders]] who delivered mail on horseback </gallery> <gallery class="center" caption="Other Commemorative Items" widths=250 heights=170> Bicentennial_Souvenir_Buttons.jpg|Six different Bicentennial buttons designed and sent by two art teachers to President Gerald Ford Bicentennial_Billard_Balls.jpg|A box of 15 billiard balls specifically designed to commemorate the Bicentennial Bicentennial_Thermometer.jpg|Commemorative pewter Bicentennial thermometer depicts an eagle above a laurel wreath with the "1776" and "1976" written inside Betty_Ford%27s_%22First_Mama%22_purse.JPG|Betty Ford's "First Mama" purse 1976 Michigan License Plate.jpg|Special [[Vehicle registration plates of Michigan|Michigan license plate design]] issued in honor of the Bicentennial. Plates of this design were standard issue for all passenger cars registered in Michigan receiving new plates in 1976. </gallery>
==See also== * [[Bicentennial Minutes]] * [[Bicentennial Series]] * [[Bikecentennial]] * [[Spirit of '76 (sentiment)|Spirit of '76 Patriotic Sentiment]] * ''[[Spirit of 76 (pinball)|Spirit of 76]]'' pinball machine * [[Centennial Exposition]] in [[Philadelphia]] (1876) * [[Sesquicentennial Exposition]] in [[Philadelphia]] (1926) * [[United States Semiquincentennial]] (2026)
==Notes== {{Notelist}}
==References== {{Reflist}}
==Further reading== * {{cite book| last=Capozzola| first=Christopher| chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=z93tAAAAMAAJ&dq=capozzola+america+in+the+70s&pg=PA29| chapter='It Makes You Want to Believe in the Country': Celebrating the Bicentennial in the Age of Limits| editor1-first=Beth| editor1-last=Bailey| editor2-first=David| editor2-last=Farber| title=America in the 70s| pages=29–45| publisher=Univ of Kansas Press| year=2004| isbn=978-0-7006-1327-4}} * Gordon, Tammy S. ''The Spirit of 1976: Commerce, Community, and the Politics of Commemoration.'' Amherst, Massachusetts: University of Massachusetts Press, 2013. {{ISBN|9781625340429}}. * Hall, Simon. [http://eprints.whiterose.ac.uk/104412/1/AMSHall%20PBC%20Accepted%20Version.pdf {{"'}}Guerrilla Theater...in the Guise of Red, White, and Blue Bunting': The People's Bicentennial Commission and the Politics of (Un-) Americanism."] ''[[Journal of American Studies]]'' (2016): 1–23.
== External links == {{Commons category}} * [http://www.freedomtrain.org The Story of America's Freedom Trains] * {{Internet Archive film clip|id=tobacco_xbw27a00|description=Tobacco and the Bicentennial}} * {{Internet Archive film clip|id=dom-23657-200|description=200}} * {{Internet Archive short film|id=openmind_ep503|name=The American Bicentennial|description=(1976)}} * {{cite web |url=http://www.fordlibrarymuseum.gov/avproj/Bicentennial.asp |title=Celebration of the Bicentennial of the American Revolution |publisher=Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library and Museum}} * {{cite web |url=https://archive.org/details/4732102.1976.002.umich.edu/page/1963 |title=Remarks in Valley Forge, Pennsylvania |last=Ford |first=Gerald R. |date=July 4, 1976 |via=the Internet Archive |location=Washington, D.C. |publisher=National Archives and Records Service |pages=1963–1965}} * {{cite web |url=https://archive.org/details/4732102.1976.002.umich.edu/page/1966 |title=Remarks in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |last=Ford |first=Gerald R. |date=July 4, 1976 |via=the Internet Archive |location=Washington, D.C. |publisher=National Archives and Records Service |pages=1966–1971}} * {{cite book |url=https://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/000254024 |title=The Bicentennial of the United States of America: A Final Report to the People |author=American Revolution Bicentennial Administration |year=1977 |location=Washington, D.C. |via=[[HathiTrust Digital Library]] |publisher=U.S. Government Printing Office|isbn=9780960123261 }}
{{United States Declaration of Independence}} {{American Revolutionary War}} {{Authority control}}
[[Category:United States Bicentennial| ]] [[Category:1976 in the United States]] [[Category:July 1976 in the United States]] [[Category:Bicentennial anniversaries]] [[Category:Holidays related to the American Revolution]] [[Category:Presidency of Gerald Ford]] [[Category:United States Declaration of Independence anniversaries]]