With the semiquincentennial bearing down on us (America’s 250th birthday, for those of us still working on the meaning of words with that many syllables), it’s worth taking a look back at how the country handled the last big one.
Our friends over at Commonplace Fun Facts put together a terrific piece on the 1976 Bicentennial, and it’s exactly the kind of history writing I love: full of great information and context, grounded in specifics, willing to acknowledge the absurd, and honest about what the whole spectacle was actually trying to do.
A nation that had just lived through Vietnam, Watergate, and the leisure suit needed a story to tell itself. The Bicentennial was that story: tall ships, painted fire hydrants, a wagon train going the wrong direction, and men growing beards in the name of liberty.
I’ll admit, I didn’t know most of it. The Freedom Train, the South Bend fire hydrant campaign, the time capsule large enough to hold a Chevy Vega; all new to me, and all worth knowing as we gear up for another round of national birthday merchandise.
Go read it. Then we can talk about whether 250 years is going better than 200 did.
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