What the 250th anniversary of our country could be for those too young to remember 1976

[senseandsensibility]

From a poster on bluesky, idahobob: "I remember as a boy in 1976 the whole neighborhood turned out, painting fire hydrants as little revolutionary war dudes and the declaration of independence came through town on a special train. It was for everyone and not a political party in sight."

I was a little girl, and I remember wearing red, white and blue to our county fair and carrying a flag around proudly. In fact, I can remember passer bys laughing at me because I was marching and saluting, but I knew it was in good fun. There wasn't a hint of partisanship. I can attest to that.

Anyone else have memories of 1976 celebrations and how they differ from today's trump organized debacle?

[Irish_Dem]

1. We were all united in pride and love of our country.

The feeling today is no way like that.

[COL Mustard]

9. We knew back then that the Country had its problems and flaws...

And for a while, we seemed like we could all work together to fix them and bring the Country to a better place. Sadly that didn't last.

I graduated from High School in 1976 and we were proud of having a "non-traditional" high school ring option with different flags instead of the school's signature oak tree. Unfortunately that didn't last either.

I hope the youngsters of today will remember this 250th anniversary of our founding, and will make things better by the 300th. There's still time.

[Irish_Dem]

10. Time will tell.

Things don't look good right now.

I was just wondering if we will have a democracy left at the 300th anniversary.

[LiberalArkie]

12. This was before Ronald Reagan

[Irish_Dem]

13. Ronald Reagan was the beginning the ugly America we know today.

[bucolic_frolic]

2. Many companies and products issued special Bicentennial Editions

From shave cream to shirts to calendars to coffee, largest companies and home town mom and pops, Bicentennial was slapped on everything. Everyone was patriotic and proud even if they were seeking a marketing edge.

[slightlv]

22. Dad bought all three of us kids the bicentennial coin collection

they were selling. I still have mine somewhere in a box of momentos I've gathered through my many years... the year was special to me in another way, tho... I gave birth to my daughter. So, that's kinda seared into my memory more so than anything else... except the gift from my Dad.

[Inkey]

3. I remember the Bicentennial Train

When it came to Pgh !
I was 16 during that summer and my
friends were just starting driving. We would
all chip in for gas to travel around town.
Drive In movies , fairs , carnivals , and
dating were on our agenda the year !!!!

[BigmanPigman]

4. I lived outside of Philly and the celebrations went on for 12 months

throughout the area. My birthday is July 3rd and it seemed like the parties were for me too (I was turning 14). Everything was red, white and blue. Since Philly has so much history there was always another "The first so and so celebration". Like the first ice cream shop, the first animal shelter, the first library, etc.

[Fiendish Thingy]

5. IIRC, it was an 18-24 month ramp up to the big celebration

Special quarters were minted, CBS had “Bicentennial Minutes” in between prime time shows, and tacky Red White and Blue merch was everywhere.

Special concerts, history programs, and other events.

[senseandsensibility]

8. I miss the emphasis on education

It would be nice to see more history and people learning about our country.

[slightlv]

23. I do remember the historical moments.

We'll not see any of those this time around, I'm afraid. Give the people information on their history, and it might just make an impact on some. That's scary terrain for the repugs.

[bottomofthehill]

6. I remember the "Tall Ships" coming to Boston on July 4th

The USS Constitution went out into the Boston Harbor to mee the Parade of ships and lead them to their berths. It was an amazing week long celebration.

The Freedom Trail in Boston opened I think, or my parents brought my sisters and I on the freedom trail walk. The celebration went on and on. There was great pride in our nation and hope for its future.

[FakeNoose]

15. Yes! My son and I were there at the Boston Harbor and we saw the Tall Ships

It was an amazing, unforgettable sight. I think it was memorable for my son who was 7 at the time, because he has always loved sailboats. He and his wife now own a small sailboat, and they're teaching their son to sail it.

[bottomofthehill]

19. I was not much older than your son

I remember being fascinated by the uniforms of the foreign sailors and amazed at tho boom each time Old Ironsides fired a welcoming salute.

[doc03]

7. I worked in steel mill at the time, we painted all the rolling mills and railroad

engines red white and blue. People had their homes decorated all summer. They even painted a huge flag on the roof top
of the main building at the mill. So far this year isn't even like a normal year. It is like the whole country is depressed.

[Raven123]

11. I think I still have a commemorative 7-up soda bottle

[wnylib]

33. I remember the commemorative quarters

and I bought a commemorative plate in white that showed the preamble of the Constitution, "We the people..." in blue pictured on a scroll.

I got married in March and we moved to Toledo for my husband's job. That's where we were on the 4th. Had a picnic on the Miami River, watched fireworks.

There was one political thing that I remember. An older guy that I worked with was convinced that the "trouble making" protesters from civil rights and women's rights movements were going to make trouble on the 4th because they were all hippie communists who hated the country. I said that they protested in support of the rights in the Constitution because they loved the country and what the Bill of Rights stands for. There would be no violence or protests. I think he was very disappointed that I was right.

I remember that throughout the year, some radio and TV stations read the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution on air.

Overall a happy year. Then in November, I cast my vote for Carter.

[Teacher of the Year]

14. You know what sucked about the bicentennial?

July 4, 1976: pretty much EVERY PERSON IN AMERICA dressed in red, white and blue something.

July 5, 1976-the rest of summer: 1/2 off all Bicentennial everything at Sears, JC Penny, K Mart and Monkey Wards.

Sept. 3, 1976: After waking up on my red, white and blue sheets my mom got for 75% off, I put on my brand new red-white-and-blue school clothes. Pants with R-W-B pockets/patches, R+W striped socks with blue tops w/ white stars. No Mork suspenders for me... I had red white and blue ones. And a red white and blue bike. Red White and Blue Evil Kineval SST cliff jumper And a red white and blue jacket. And red white and blue sneakers. And time went by I outgrew most of them, thank Goodness. But...no. My mom had thought ahead and purchased the next sizes up in pants, shirts, socks, shoes... my misery, at what I thought was at maximum, doubled when my mom boasted to my friends that some of my clothes had been 80% off.

My dad made $300,000 in 1976. I wore marked down RWB Kmart sneakers (that hurt my feet).

Stupid 1976.

[FakeNoose]

18. Rit Dye was around back in those days

You could dye things any color you wanted, but some dyes worked better than others. Also tie-dying was a thing back then too.

[BadgerMom]

16. What happened in the last 50 years?

Oh, you all know. Reagan, Iran Contra, Paul Manafort, Roger Stone, the Brooks Brothers riot, the theft of the 2000 election, 9/11, the misbegotten attack on Iraq, the 2008 financial meltdown, Obama’s election which caused racist heads to explode, Cambridge Analytica, Russia’s involvement in the 2016 election right until today. It makes my head and my heart ache. And I blame the Republicans.

[modrepub]

17. From My Hometown in SE PA

Bicentennial pictures from the Downingtown Historical Society:

https://www.downingtownhistory.org/bicentennial

I remember the parade and the wagon train that apparently was going to Valley Forge that year. They stopped and camped out in Kerr Park before heading out. You can see some of the horses watering in the Brandywine. Was 9 years old at the time. And I don't think it was as overly oppressive temperature time back in '76 as it is here today. (I see lots of folks walking around in jeans, which maybe was the norm back then). Man, those cars were huge back in the day...

I don't think I'll be that into this July 4th though.

[JMCKUSICK]

20. I came to America to live on July 4th, 1976.

I was born a US citizen abroad and spent my first 9 3/4 years in West Germany.

I don't know if a celebration of my golden anniversary is worth having.

[BeneteauBum]

21. Hard to believe it's been fifty years

I was 24 living in Tampa. The thing I remember is two hours of incredible fireworks just south of downtown. We were partying pretty hard…….

Peace ☮️

[lostnfound]

24. Was just saying this at breakfast

It was a great celebration of the US.

[RedWhiteBlueIsRacist]

25. The Bicentennial '76 concert I attended featured Aerosmith, Bob Seger, Black Oak Arkansas, Jeff Beck & Jan Hammer.

Tickets for the show were around $10-$12, Grove coliseum Winston-Salem, NC.

[GenThePerservering]

26. I remember the Bicentennial Trail

series of bike tours crossing the country following the historic coach routes.

[senseandsensibility]

37. That sounds really cool

and educational. There seems to be a complete absence of that now.

[Efilroft Sul]

27. Anybody remember owning the wonderful educational book put out by the USPS called "Stamps and Stories"?

That was a delight. Plus, John Jakes was getting his Kent Family Chronicles going, although back then it was known as "The American Bicentennial Series" or something like that.

[catbyte]

28. I was in Moscow on July 4, 1976

on a two-week trip to the USSR visiting Moscow, Leningrad (at the time) and Kyiv for a PoliSci class. I did manage to see the Tall Ships in New York Harbor when we flew back on July 6.

Celebrating the Bicentennial, lol:



This year feels more like funeral than a celebration.

[Blues Heron]

29. Pukes were on the ropes in 76, it was great. Then 50 years of puke sabotage and we are hanging on by a thread

No wonder the party spirit is lacking.

[Gore1FL]

30. You couldn't escape the celebration in 1976...

...and that's the way it was, May 30th, 50 years ago today.

[Hey Joe]

31. I marched in the huge bicentennial parade in

Philadelphia that was televised and it was a blast. Was with my high school band and many, many other bands, floats and dignitaries of the day.
For a kid not quite sixteen, it was a great experience and I will never forget the old buildings, statues and architecture of that old city!

[KitFox]

32. I was teaching in Seattle and took my class to tour the Freedom Train. There were other school groups there that day.

While waiting in line, we sang patriotic songs and the atmosphere was joyful and exciting. I remember the children loved seeing Abraham Lincoln’s stovepipe hat and the Lunar Rover and moon rocks. The train was powered by 3 steam locomotives and there were a couple of dozen cars holding the exhibits and artifacts. Instead of something meaningful and unifying, we are living through Drumpf's hideous destruction and degradation with his hideous narcissism on full display all day every day. I was encouraged to see that there will be nationwide No Kings rallies on June 14th.

[Emile]

34. That was the year we were married. July 4th

we went to Kickapoo State Park for a big celebration, and a spectacular fireworks show.

Nothing about political parties.

Trump and the republican party have politized every fucking thing, and have divided our country.

[senseandsensibility]

39. Exactly.

It's like night and day compared to then. And that's because the trump administration wants it that way. Happy Anniversary in advance! Sounds like a great memory.

[hunter]

35. I don't remember any Bicentennial politics

I was called upon that day to entertain my little brother who was a recent graduate of kindergarten. My mom was working at the radio station where the bicentennial was a very big deal with patriotic music, interviews with local celebrities, etc. This radio station was apolitical, and they had a small news department, just one full time employee, and they took unbiased journalism seriously. The station did not broadcast any politically provocative talk radio at all; no "shock jocks" or "hate radio" as those shows were later called.

My dad was taking care of his mother who was very ill. The rest of my siblings had run off with their friends to party. I didn't like parties.

I did like to play with fire and explosives. I probably did some of that with my little brother in celebration, but that wasn't unusual except that I'd be less likely to get in trouble for it that day. From there we went to check out the local museum that was hosting some festive special events with people in costume, Fourth of July food, and activities for the children.

When my little brother got bored with that we drove to the park where the big fireworks show would be and annoyed the guys who were setting it up. I can picture it from their perspective now -- this weird autistic spectrum guy and his little brother show up asking questions...

Finally as the fireworks show was about to begin the rest of my family, except for my mom who was still at the radio station, gathered together to watch the fireworks. After the show I handed my little brother off to my dad and drove away into the night alone, as I usually preferred to be.

[C Moon]

36. In 1975, I walked into my elementary classroom with a "Spirit of 76" t-shirt on. My teacher looked at and said,

"They're starting that already, huh?"
I'm guessing she wasn't a fan.

[maveric]

38. Boston. Tall ships...

The Queen actually came there. Celebrations everywhere.
Arthur Feidler and The Boston Pops did a show at the Esplanade with all the fireworks.
Very festive .