With the fiasco that is the 250th anniversary celebration of the United States, I’ve been seeing a lot of people on social media ask, “What was the Bicentennial like?” As someone who turned 15 that year, I can tell you.
The hype about the Bicentennial started before 1976. CBS ran segments called “Bicentennial Minutes” with a different celebrity or notable person talking about a historical moment or figure. The American Revolution Bicentennial logo was everywhere. In Super Bowl X, both the Steelers and Cowboys had it on their shoulders. Stores carried plenty of red, white, and blue Bicentennial-themed products, as famously mocked by Dan Aykroyd on Saturday Night Live.
Bicentennial fever hit our family too. I graduated from Sequoia Junior High School in 1976. Our class colors were, of course, red, white, and blue. Patriotic themes appeared throughout our yearbook. I was into coin collecting at the time, so Mom bought me a Bicentennial coin proof set. Special quarter, half-dollar, and dollar coins were released that year with 1776-1976 on the obverse and special patriotic designs on the reverse. Those coins are still in circulation today.
In 1976, the American Freedom Train arrived in Los Angeles. This was a rolling museum of exhibits about American history. Mom took my brother and me to see it.
On July 4, 1976, we watched the Tall Ships procession into New York Harbor. At night, it was time for the annual fireworks display at Reseda Park.
The Bicentennial spirit continued after 1976. My Eagle Scout certificate, which I earned in 1977, still had President Gerald Ford’s signature and the label, “Earned during the Bicentennial year.”
What made the Bicentennial special was it celebrated us as Americans. It wasn’t about a president or a political party. It wasn’t even particularly boastful. It was a look back at all we went through and all we accomplished. That spirit gave us a sense of national unity we had lost during Vietnam and Watergate. It was the same feeling we had on New Year’s Day 2000. We hit a unique milestone. A feat of longevity. A time we could all collectively say, “We made it!” History had turned a page, and the world was full of possibilities.
Even if things had gone differently in November 2024, I’m not sure saying we hit a quarter of a millennium has the same ring. That’s because the Bicentennial reminded us we are still a young country. As flawed as we are, we still had the potential of growth. We looked to the future with hope, instead of despair. I don’t know what it will take for us to have that feeling again. Perhaps those of you who are young may find it in our Tricentennial in 2076.
In the meantime, instead of a 250th anniversary, we should have a 50th anniversary of our Bicentennial.
