America’s Bicentennial Celebration

As the Bicentennial approached, Americans focused attention on their history and traditions. Earlier symbols of freedom — like the liberty bell, the American eagle, and the American flag — became newly popular, and a revival of traditional crafts, like quilting, emerged.

The American Revolution Bicentennial Commission evaluated graphic design proposals for an official event logo. Bruce Blackburn submitted the winning design — a traditional five-pointed star wrapped in modern red, white, and blue "bunting." The symbol appeared on souvenirs, postage stamps, and flags flown at government buildings around the country.

1976 marked the 200th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. To celebrate the Bicentennial, people across the nation purchased commemorative souvenirs, like this poster, and organized innumerable events — from parades and fireworks displays to television programs and sporting events.

Communities nationwide — both big and small — organized their own Bicentennial celebrations. In large cities, especially those with historical connections to the Revolutionary War, major events marked the Bicentennial. Boston's Bicentennial organization promoted special exhibitions and walking trails, and coordinated debates, musical performances, and other cultural events to celebrate the nation’s 200th birthday.

Five-year-old Christopher Platz of Detroit, Michigan, celebrated the American Bicentennial in costume. His "colonial" ensemble — made by a family friend — included a shirt, waistcoat, and breeches, as well as a tricorne hat and ammunition bag.

Commercial products reflected the nostalgia Americans felt around the Bicentennial. Dressed in calico, the Holly Hobbie doll — introduced in 1975 — appealed to people who yearned for a seemingly simpler way of life.

Bell System offered this "stars and stripes" candlestick-style telephone — part of its "Design Line" — to customers caught up in the patriotic fervor that rose out of the Bicentennial celebration.

American railroads joined in the celebration of the United States Bicentennial in 1976. Nearly every line painted at least one locomotive or caboose in a patriotic red, white and blue livery. The Detroit, Toledo & Ironton's bicentennial locomotive, an EMD GP38-2, was given the number "1776" — a popular choice for other locomotives in the nation's "Bicentennial Fleet."