United States Semiquincentennial

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Semiquincentennial 

 

United States Semiquincentennial
Excerpt of the This is America250 campaign
Date(s)	2026
Location(s)	United States of America
Previous event	Bicentennial (1976)
Activity	250th Anniversary of the Declaration of Independence
Organised by	United States Semiquincentennial Commission
Website	america250.org

The United States Semiquincentennial, also called Sestercentennial or Quarter Millennial, will be the 250th anniversary of the 1776 United States Declaration of Independence (formally "The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united states of America"). Festivities will be scheduled to mark various events leading up to the anniversary on July 4, 2026.

Background

The Declaration of Independence was signed in Independence Hall in Philadelphia in 1776.

The Second Continental Congress voted for the independence of the United Colonies by passing the Lee Resolution on July 2, 1776 in Philadelphia. The Declaration of Independence, mainly written by the Committee of Five, was proclaimed on July 4, the date on which the anniversary of independence is observed.

There were no major government-sponsored semicentennial (50th anniversary) observances in 1826. John Adams and Thomas Jefferson, members of the Committee of Five, both died on July 4, 1826. In 1876, the United States organized nationwide centennial observances centered around the Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia. In 1926, a Sesquicentennial Exposition was held in Philadelphia, and in 1976, Bicentennial observances were held throughout the country.

2026 will mark the United States' semiquincentennial, or 250th anniversary.

Activities and observances

Federal legislation directs that semiquincentennial events receive special focus in the cities of Boston, Philadelphia, Charleston, and New York (pictured, clockwise from top left).

The United States Semiquincentennial Commission Act of 2016 directs the United States Government to issue commemorative coins and postage stamps, and commission appropriately named naval vessels, in advance of the semiquincentennial. In addition, specific activities—both officially organized and independently created—are being planned. The legislation specifically directs the organization of events “in locations of historical significance to the United States" going on to list Boston, Charleston, New York City, and Philadelphia as "leading cities."

The Circulating Collectible Coin Redesign Act of 2020 allows the United States Mint to redesign any coins in 2026. It calls for a series of five designs for the quarter, including one depicting women's contributions to independence.

Leading cities

Boston

In 2016, Revolution 250, a non-profit group organized to plan commemorative events in Boston surrounding the semiquincentennial, was established. According to the organization, it is a consortium of fifty-six groups, including the Society of the Cincinnati, the National Park Service, the Boston Tea Party Museum, the New England Historic Genealogical Society, the Suffolk University history department, the Boston Downtown Business Improvement District, The Bostonian Society, and others.

For the 250th Evacuation Day celebrations, commemorating the evacuation of British forces from the city of Boston following the siege of Boston, early in the American Revolutionary War, on March 17, 2026, the NPS will carry out a $25 million overhaul of the Dorchester Heights Monument. The planned renovations, which will take approximately 18 months to complete, will include work on "taking apart and reassembling the top floors, placing granite slabs to mark where the 1776 fortifications sat, bringing the retaining walls, drainage and lighting up to date and giving the info panels a face lift."

In honor of Washington's troops' final leg of the trip to secretly haul cannons from Fort Hill to the Fortification of Dorchester Heights, artist Michael Dowling seeks 100,000 Bostonians, a seventh of the city population, to write "a short story of belonging" on any piece of cloth, which will then be tied in a 4-mile (6.4 km) long rope, the same length as the covert journey.

Part of the 2026 FIFA World Cup will be held at the Gillette Stadium in between June and July, co-hosting the championship with 15 other venues between Canada, the United States and Mexico, including the "leading cities" of Philadelphia and New York City, at the Lincoln Financial Field and MetLife Stadium, respectively.

Philadelphia

In 2017, the Daughters of the American Revolution announced a grant of $380,000 to the city of Philadelphia to plant 76 semiquincentennial commemorative trees at Independence National Historical Park. The actual planting of the trees will occur over the course of several years leading up to the semiquincentennial. In 2018, at the state-level, the Pennsylvania Commission for the United States Semiquincentennial Commission (A250PA) was formed.

The commission has announced it is preparing a time capsule for burial in Philadelphia on July 4, 2026, which will be scheduled for unearthing on July 4, 2276, the 500th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.

In 2016, city planners announced "Vision 2026", a plan to redevelop Old City in preparation for the semiquincentennial.

The 96th Major League Baseball All-Star Game will be held at Philadelphia's Citizens Bank Park in mid-July after the semiquincentennial, bookending the 47th All-Star Game held at Philadelphia's Veterans Stadium in 1976 during the bicentennial. Part of the 2026 FIFA World Cup will be held at the Lincoln Financial Field in between June and July, co-hosting the championship with 15 other venues between Canada, the United States and Mexico, including the "leading cities" of Boston and New York City, at the Gillette Stadium and MetLife Stadium, respectively.

Louisville

The Sons of the American Revolution (SAR) from its national society headquarters in Louisville, Kentucky announced plans to develop a SAR Education Center and Museum to be opened prior to the 250th Anniversary, which will house galleries and exhibits will highlight the patriot ancestors and tell the story of the American Revolution.

New York City

Sergio Villavicencio, Vice-President of the Alexander Hamilton Awareness Society, is currently serving as the New York City Semiquincentennial Committee Chair. The Orange County Semiquincentennial Commission was created in 2019, while, in June 2021, the New York State 250th Commemoration Act was enacted, creating a state-wide commission in charge of Semiquincentennial celebrations at the state-level. Part of the 2026 FIFA World Cup will be held at the MetLife Stadium in between June and July, co-hosting the championship with 15 other venues between Canada, the United States and Mexico, including the "leading cities" of Philadelphia and Boston, at the Lincoln Financial Field and Gillette Stadium, respectively.

Pittsburgh

In 2019, the city of Pittsburgh organized the "Pittsburgh's United States 250 Celebration", featuring a Freedom train with Black and Gold colors, musical celebrations with the Pittsburgh Orchestra, and a major firework display at Fort Pitt in the city's downtown area, with an all day live parade through all city neighborhoods.

Charleston

Charleston, SC, chosen due to its past as one of the "locations that witnessed the assertion of American liberty", with the establishment of the South Carolina American Revolution Sestercentennial Commission in 2018, have begun planning battle reenactments and anniversary festivities. These parallel the 2020 celebrations of the College of Charleston's 250th anniversary, as well as the 350th anniversary of the city of Charleston, which was called Charles Town during the Revolutionary War.

Planning

Members of the United States Semiquincentennial Commission present then-Vice President Mike Pence with a copy of a Congressionally-required report on January 15, 2020, at the Vice President's Ceremonial Office in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building. From left to right: David L. Cohen, Senator Pat Toomey, Rosa Gumataotao Rios, Frank Giordano, executive director of the commission, Vice President Mike Pence, Chairman Daniel DiLella, Lynn Forney Young, Cathy Gillespie, Congressman Robert Aderholt, and James L. Swanson

In 2011, the non-profit organization USA250 was established in Philadelphia to lobby for federal government support of the United States semiquincentennial and establish Philadelphia as the host city for events surrounding the semiquincentennial observances. In 2014, the Philadelphia City Council ordered a public hearing of the Committee on Parks, Recreation and Cultural Affairs to investigate "the impact and feasibility of Philadelphia" hosting the United States Semiquincentennial in 2026, among other events. The United States Semiquincentennial Commission was subsequently established by Pub. L. 114–196 (text) (PDF), 130 Stat. 685, enacted July 22, 2016 ("United States Semiquincentennial Commission Act of July 2016"), signed by then-President of the United States, Barack Obama. The act was amended by Pub. L. 116–282 (text) (PDF), 130 Stat. 685, enacted December 31, 2020, to allow the Commission to accept Congressional funding, to add a Justice of the Supreme Court to the Commission, and to make additional technical changes.

On November 15, 2017, the United States Department of the Interior issued a request for proposals seeking a non-profit corporation to act as secretariat to the commission and lead nationwide organization of observances. The American Battlefield Trust was named the commission's non-profit partner to serve as Administrative Secretariat, tasked with preparing reports for Congress and helping raise funds for the anniversary observances. The Trust "has distinguished itself in fundraising and managing high-profile commemorative events, and that expertise will be invaluable to the U.S.A. 250th Commemoration planning efforts," said then-Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke.

Daniel DiLella, CEO and President of Equus, a leading private equity real estate fund, was appointed Chairperson of the Semiquincentennial Commission in April 2018, leading a 32-member body composed of members of Congress, private citizens and federal officials.

The Commission was tasked with developing a report with recommendations to the President and to Congress within the first two years of formation. The Commission will observe and commemorate not only the Revolution, but also the full history of the U.S. leading up to the 250th Anniversary. Official meetings will be held at Independence Hall in Philadelphia.

In May 2018, DiLella named Frank Giordano as the commission's executive director. Giordano, who heads Atlantic Trailer Leasing in Philadelphia, led the rejuvenation of the formerly struggling Philly Pops orchestra and was part of the rejuvenation of the prestigious Union League of Philadelphia.

Pennsylvania became the first state to formally begin planning for the anniversary in June 2018 when the commonwealth established the Pennsylvania Semiquincentennial Commission. Four months later, on October 17, Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf named Fresh Grocer supermarket magnate and philanthropist Patrick Burns to chair the state commission.

In August 2018, the State of New Jersey launched its effort when New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy signed a measure that called on the New Jersey Historical Commission to create a program focused on the 250th anniversary of the independence of the United States as well as the creation of the state's first Constitution. The law appropriated $500,000 to fund the historical commission's planning for the 250th anniversary festivities.

On November 16, 2018, the 33 members of the United States Semiquincentennial were sworn in at Independence Hall in Philadelphia and convened their first organizing meeting to begin eight years of planning and organizing for the 250th national birthday celebration. Dilella estimated that the group would meet three or four times a year. The new commission consisted of 16 private citizens, including chairman DiLella; eight members of Congress and nine federal officials. The day before the meeting, the Daughters of the American Revolution, in partnership with the commission, held a tree-planting ceremony to introduce its Pathway of the Patriots along the Schuylkill River Trail. Project organizers expect to plant 250 new trees along the trail from the city to Valley Forge.

After being named the non-profit partner in October 2018, the American Battlefield Trust provided financial and staff support to get the Commission operational as well as initial legal support. It convened more than 50 Commission meetings and provided strategic advice for the governance and structure of the Commission, including the establishment of leadership roles and governance committees. The Trust also created the America 250 Foundation and provided initial recommendations for staffing and structure. It helped the Commission develop relationships with key stakeholders and federal agencies, worked to help secure corporate support for the Commission, provided temporary Commission administrative offices and worked with Congress to secure federal appropriations, providing more than 4,200 work hours in these efforts.

In July 2021, the America250 Foundation made public its website as well as its marketing campaign, which initially consisted of advertisements in more than 4,559 locations in the four "leading cities," as well as a public service announcement aired on Comcast NBCUniversal networks that summer. Advertisements were displayed "[from] Times Square and the Lincoln Tunnel in New York to the Walt Whitman Bridge in Philadelphia," with original content also being published on the campaign's social media accounts.

On August 2, 2021, on the 245th anniversary of the starting of the Signing of the United States Declaration of Independence, members of the Semiquincentennial Commission and other federal agencies met at the Thomas Jefferson Building Great Hall of the Library of Congress to sign a memorandum of understanding to further collaborate and coordinate on semiquincentennial activities.

In July 2022, President Joe Biden designated former Treasurer of the United States Rosie Rios as Chair of the U.S. Semiquincentennial Commission. Rios, who replaced Dan DiLella, was first appointed to the Commission on January 11, 2018. DiLella will continue to serve as a commissioner. On Oct. 3, 2022, Rios announced that CEO Joe Daniels had resigned. Daniels, who came from the 9/11 Memorial Museum in New York City, had served as America 250 CEO for one year.

First Continental Congress

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Continental_Congress 

 

First Continental Congress
Type
Type	Unicameral
History
Established	September 5, 1774
Disbanded	October 26, 1774
Preceded by	Stamp Act Congress
Succeeded by	Second Continental Congress
Leadership
President	Peyton Randolph   (through October 22, 1774) Henry Middleton
Secretary	Charles Thomson
Seats	56 from 12 of the 13 colonies
Meeting place
Carpenters' Hall, Philadelphia

The First Continental Congress was a meeting of delegates from 12 of the 13 British colonies that became the United States. It met from September 5 to October 26, 1774, at Carpenters' Hall in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, after the British Navy instituted a blockade of Boston Harbor and the Parliament of Great Britain passed the punitive Intolerable Acts in response to the December 1773 Boston Tea Party. During the opening weeks of the Congress, the delegates conducted a spirited discussion about how the colonies could collectively respond to the British government's coercive actions, and they worked to make a common cause.

As a prelude to its decisions, the Congress's first action was the adoption of the Suffolk Resolves, a measure drawn up by several counties in Massachusetts that included a declaration of grievances, called for a trade boycott of British goods, and urged each colony to set up and train its own militia. A less radical plan was then proposed to create a Union of Great Britain and the Colonies, but the delegates tabled the measure and later struck it from the record of their proceedings. They then agreed on a Declaration and Resolves that included the Continental Association, a proposal for an embargo on British trade. They also drew up a Petition to the King pleading for redress of their grievances and repeal of the Intolerable Acts. That appeal had no effect, so the colonies convened the Second Continental Congress the following May, shortly after the battles of Lexington and Concord, to organize the defense of the colonies at the outset of the Revolutionary War.

Convention

The Congress met from September 5 to October 26, 1774, in Carpenters' Hall in Philadelphia; delegates from 12 British colonies participated. They were elected by the people of the various colonies, the colonial legislature, or by the Committee of Correspondence of a colony. Loyalist sentiments outweighed Patriot views in Georgia, and that colony did not join the cause until the following year.

Peyton Randolph was elected as president of the Congress on the opening day, and he served through October 22 when ill health forced him to retire, and Henry Middleton was elected in his place for the balance of the session. Charles Thomson, leader of the Philadelphia Committee of Correspondence, was selected as the congressional secretary. The rules adopted by the delegates were designed to guard the equality of participants and to promote free-flowing debate.

As the deliberations progressed, it became clear that those in attendance were not of one mind concerning why they were there. Conservatives such as Joseph Galloway, John Dickinson, John Jay, and Edward Rutledge believed their task to be forging policies to pressure Parliament to rescind its unreasonable acts. Their ultimate goal was to develop a reasonable solution to the difficulties and bring about reconciliation between the Colonies and Great Britain. Others such as Patrick Henry, Roger Sherman, Samuel Adams, and John Adams believed their task to be developing a decisive statement of the rights and liberties of the Colonies. Their ultimate goal was to end what they felt to be the abuses of parliamentary authority and to retain their rights, which had been guaranteed under Colonial charters and the English constitution.

Roger Sherman denied the legislative authority of Parliament, and Patrick Henry believed that the Congress needed to develop a completely new system of government, independent from Great Britain, for the existing Colonial governments were already dissolved. In contrast to these ideas, Joseph Galloway put forward a "Plan of Union" which suggested that an American legislative body should be formed with some authority, whose consent would be required for imperial measures.

Declaration and Resolves

In the end, the voices of compromise carried the day. Rather than calling for independence, the First Continental Congress passed and signed the Continental Association in its Declaration and Resolves, which called for a boycott of British goods to take effect in December 1774. After Congress signed on October 20, 1774 embracing non exportation they also planned nonimportation of slaves beginning December 1, which would have abolished the slave trade in the United States of America 33 years before it actually ended.

Accomplishments

The primary accomplishment of the First Continental Congress was a compact among the colonies to boycott British goods beginning on December 1, 1774, unless parliament should rescind the Intolerable Acts. While delegates convened in the First Continental Congress, fifty-one women in Edenton, North Carolina formed their own association (now referred to as the Edenton Tea Party) in response to the Intolerable Acts that focused on producing goods for the colonies. Additionally, Great Britain's colonies in the West Indies were threatened with a boycott unless they agreed to non-importation of British goods. Imports from Britain dropped by 97 percent in 1775, compared with the previous year. Committees of observation and inspection were to be formed in each Colony to ensure compliance with the boycott. It was further agreed that if the Intolerable Acts were not repealed, the colonies would also cease exports to Britain after September 10, 1775.

The Houses of Assembly of each participating colony approved the proceedings of the Congress, with the exception of New York. The boycott was successfully implemented, but its potential for altering British colonial policy was cut off by the outbreak of hostilities in April 1775.

Congress also voted to meet again the following year if their grievances were not addressed satisfactorily. Anticipating that there would be cause to convene a second congress, delegates resolved to send letters of invitation to those colonies that had not joined them in Philadelphia, including: Quebec, Saint John's Island, Nova Scotia, Georgia, East Florida, and West Florida. Of these, only Georgia would ultimately send delegates to the next Congress.

List of delegates

Colony	Name
New Hampshire	Nathaniel Folsom; John Sullivan
Massachusetts Bay	John Adams; Samuel Adams; Thomas Cushing; Robert Treat Paine
Rhode Island	Stephen Hopkins; Samuel Ward
Connecticut	Silas Deane; Eliphalet Dyer; Roger Sherman
New York	John Alsop; Simon Boerum; James Duane; William Floyd; John Haring; John Jay; Philip Livingston; Isaac Low; Henry Wisner
New Jersey	Stephen Crane; John De Hart; James Kinsey; William Livingston; Richard Smith
Pennsylvania	Edward Biddle; John Dickinson; Joseph Galloway; Charles Humphreys; Thomas Mifflin; John Morton; Samuel Rhoads; George Ross
Delaware	Thomas McKean; George Read; Caesar Rodney
Maryland	Samuel Chase; Robert Goldsborough; Thomas Johnson; William Paca; Matthew Tilghman
Virginia	Richard Bland; Benjamin Harrison; Patrick Henry; Richard Henry Lee; Edmund Pendleton; Peyton Randolph; George Washington
North Carolina	Richard Caswell; Joseph Hewes; William Hooper
South Carolina	Christopher Gadsden; Thomas Lynch Jr.; Henry Middleton; Edward Rutledge; John Rutledge
Source:

Gallery

Embossed copy of the Petition to the King	Broadside copy of the Continental Association

200th anniversary of the First Continental Congress commemorated on two 10-cent U.S. postage stamps of the 1971–1983 Bicentennial Series

 

United States Bicentennial

• 
  
• 
  

• 
  
• 
  

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Bicentennial 

 

United States Bicentennial
Date(s)	April 1, 1975 – July 4, 1976
Location(s)	United States of America
Previous event	Sesquicentennial (1926)
Next event	Semiquincentennial (2026)
Activity	200th anniversary of the adoption of the Declaration of Independence
Organised by	American Revolution Bicentennial Commission (1966–73) American Revolution Bicentennial Administration (1973–76)

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 of America as an independent republic. It was a central event in the memory of the American Revolution. The Bicentennial culminated on Sunday, July 4, 1976, with the 200th anniversary of the adoption of the Declaration of Independence by the Founding Father delegates of the Second Continental Congress.

Background

The nation had always commemorated the Founding as a gesture of patriotism and sometimes as an argument in political battles. Historian Jonathan Crider points out that in the 1850s, editors and orators both North and South claimed their region was the true custodian of the legacy of 1776, as they used the Revolution symbolically in their rhetoric.

The plans for the Bicentennial began when Congress created the American Revolution Bicentennial Commission on July 4, 1966. Initially, the Bicentennial celebration was planned as a single city exposition (titled Expo '76) that would be staged in either Philadelphia or Boston. After 6½ years of tumultuous debate, the Commission recommended that there should not be a single event, and Congress dissolved it on December 11, 1973, and created the American Revolution Bicentennial Administration (ARBA), which was charged with encouraging and coordinating locally sponsored events. David Ryan, a professor at University College Cork, notes that the Bicentennial was celebrated only a year after the withdrawal from Vietnam in 1975 and that the 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.

Ceremonial coinage

Main article: United States Bicentennial coinage

• 

  Reverse of the Bicentennial quarter, minted 1975–1976.

• 

  Reverse of the Bicentennial Kennedy half dollar, minted 1975–1976.

• 

  Reverse of the Bicentennial dollar (Type 1), minted 1975–1976.

• 

  Reverse of the Bicentennial dollar (Type 2), minted 1975–1976.

Logo

NASA's Vehicle Assembly Building in 1977

Bruce N. Blackburn, co-designer of the modernized NASA insignia, designed the logo. 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 U.S. 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 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 40th anniversary celebrations.

1975 events

The American Freedom Train when stopping in the Naval Air Station in Miramar, California on January 15, 1976.

The official Bicentennial events began April 1, 1975, when the American Freedom Train launched in Wilmington, Delaware to start its 21-month, 25,388-mile (40,858 km) tour of the 48 contiguous states.

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. 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.

On December 31, 1975, the eve of the Bicentennial Year, President Ford recorded a statement to address the American people by means of radio and television broadcasts. Presidential Proclamation 4411 was signed as an affirmation to the Founding Fathers of the United States principles of dignity, equality, government by representation, and liberty.

1976 events

Festivities included elaborate fireworks in the skies above major American cities. President Ford presided over the display in Washington, D.C. which was televised nationally. A large international fleet of tall-masted sailing ships gathered first in New York City on Independence Day and then in Boston about one week later. These nautical parades were named Operation Sail (Op Sail) and witnessed by several million observers. The gathering was the second of six such Op Sail events to date (1964, 1976, 1986, 1992, 2000, and 2012). The vessels docked and allowed the general public to tour the ships in both cities, while their crews were entertained on shore at various ethnic celebrations and parties.

New York

In addition to the presence of the 'tall ships', navies of many nations sent warships to New York harbor for an 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 to review the international fleet and receive salutes from each visiting ship, ending with a salute from the British guided missile destroyer HMS London. The review ended just above Liberty Island around 10:30 am.

Boston

Several people threw packages labeled "Gulf Oil" and "Exxon" into Boston Harbor in symbolic opposition to corporate power, in the style of the Boston Tea party.

Washington, D.C.

Johnny Cash was the Grand Marshall of the U.S. Bicentennial parade.

First Lady Betty Ford, with President Ford, Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip in the President's Dining Room in conjunction with a 1976 state visit during the U.S. Bicentennial.

The event was attended by Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip. The Royal couple made a state visit to the United States, toured the country and attended other Bicentennial functions with President and Mrs. Ford. Their visit aboard the Royal Yacht Britannia included stops in Philadelphia, Washington, D.C., Virginia, New York, Connecticut, and Massachusetts.

In Washington, D.C., the Smithsonian Institution opened a long-term exhibition in its Arts and Industries Building replicating the look and feel of the 1876 Centennial Exposition. Many of the Smithsonian's artifacts dated from the 1876 World's Fair in Philadelphia which commemorated the 100th anniversary of the independence of the United States. The Bicentennial 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. The Smithsonian also opened the new home of the National Air and Space Museum on July 1, 1976.

Philadelphia

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."

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, 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, Pacific 21, a bicentennial exhibition and conference center, and Knott's Berry Farm bicentennial celebration.

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 irate era of the Civil Rights Movement, the Vietnam War and the Watergate constitutional crisis of 1974 had finally come to an end.

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 the landing was delayed to July 20, the anniversary of the Apollo 11 lunar landing. On the anniversary of the signing of the Constitution, NASA held the rollout ceremony of the first Space Shuttle (which NASA had planned to name Constitution but was, instead, named "Enterprise" in honor of its fictional namesake on the television series Star Trek).

Douglas DC-8 of Overseas National Airways in U.S. Bicentennial special livery.

Many commercial products appeared in red, white, and blue packages in an attempt to tie them to the Bicentennial. Liberty, a brand of Spanish olives, sold their product in glass jars replicating the Liberty Bell during that time. Products were only permitted to display the trademarked Bicentennial logo by paying a license fee to ARBA.

Many national railroads and 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, later U.S. Senator from Virginia, served as ARBA director.

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 overall theme of the entertainment of Super Bowl X, held 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 initiated bids to host both the 1976 Summer and Winter Olympic Games in celebration of the Bicentennial. Los Angeles bid for the 1976 Olympics but lost to Montreal. Denver was awarded the 1976 Olympic Winter Games in 1970, but 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 1964 host. 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 would host the 1980 Winter Olympics, Los Angeles would eventually be awarded the 1984 summer games, and Salt Lake City would also eventually be awarded the 2002 Winter Olympics.

President 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 1976 National Hockey League All-Star Game, the 1976 NCAA Final Four, and the 1976 Major League Baseball All-Star Game at which President Ford threw out the first pitch. The 1976 Pro Bowl was an exception and was played in New Orleans, likely due to weather concerns.

George Washington was posthumously appointed to the grade of General of the Armies of the United States by the congressional joint resolution Public Law 94-479 passed January 19, 1976, with an effective appointment date of July 4, 1976. This restored Washington's position as the highest-ranking military officer in U.S. history.

The Bicentennial Wagon Train Pilgrimage began a journey from Blaine, Washington on June 8, 1975 concluding at Valley Forge, Pennsylvania on July 4, 1976. The wagon train pilgrimage traced the original covered wagon trade and transportation routes across the United States encompassing the Bozeman Trail, California Trail, Gila Trail, Great Wagon Road, Mormon Trail, Natchez Trace Trail, Old Post Road, Old Spanish Trail, Oregon Trail, Santa Fe Trail, and Wilderness Road.

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 The Today Show and Good Morning America, and received commemorations from President Ford, New Jersey Governor Brendan Byrne, and a host of other notables.

The Bicentennial on screen

Television

Related network television programs aired July 3–4, 1976

• The Great American Celebration, 12-hour syndicated entertainment program hosted by Ed McMahon and airing the night of July 3
• The Inventing of America (NBC), two-hour BBC co-production reviewing 200 years of American technological innovations and their impact on the world, co-hosted by James Burke and Raymond Burr
• In Celebration of US (CBS), 16-hour coverage hosted by Walter Cronkite
• The Glorious Fourth (NBC), 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
• 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 US Department of State
• Days of Liberty (WABC-TV—New York), animated holiday special
• Goodbye America (PBS), mock "newscast" re-enacting a 1776 debate in the House of Commons concerning the future of the American colonies

The 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 approaching the Bicentennial, Schoolhouse Rock!, a series of educational cartoon shorts running on ABC between programs on Saturday mornings, created a sub-series called "History Rock", although 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 series on Saturday mornings called The U.S. of Archie; 16 episodes were made and were shown in reruns until September 1976.

Films

For the Bicentennial celebration, Hollywood filmmaker John Huston directed a short movie—Independence (1976)—for the U.S. National Park Service which continues to screen at Independence National Historical Park in Philadelphia.

The 1976 film Rocky cited the Bicentennial in several scenes, mostly during Apollo Creed's entering; Carl Weathers dressed first as George Washington then as Uncle Sam.

The oversized vehicle in The Big Bus had a scene in its Bicentennial Dining Room.

Gifts

A number of nations gave gifts to the US as a token of friendship. Among them were:

Magna Carta Replica and display case

The United Kingdom loaned one of the four existing copies of Magna Carta for display in the US Capitol. The document was displayed 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.

Canada through the National Film Board of Canada produced the book Between Friends/Entre Amis which was a photographic essay of life along the US-Canada border. The book was given to libraries across the US and special editions were presented to President Gerald Ford and other officials.

The government of France and Musée du 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 and a portrait of Maximilien Robespierre by Adélaïde Labille-Guiard.

Japan's government constructed and furnished the 513-seat Terrace Theatre of Kennedy Center in Washington. Many of the original furnishings were removed when the theater was renovated between 2015 and 2019. Fifty-three bonsai trees from the Nippon Bonsai Association were donated to the U. S. National Arboretum.

King Juan Carlos I and Queen Sofía of Spain presented sculptures of Bernardo de Gálvez, a hero of the American Revolutionary War period and later Viceroy of New Spain; and Don Quixote, 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. 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 Goya masterpieces from the collection of Museo del Prado.

King of Norway Olav V, Prime Minister of Norway Odvar Nordli, and Norwegian Government established the Vinland National Health Sports Center in Loretto, Minnesota.