The feeling today is no way like that.

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.

Things don't look good right now.

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

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.

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.

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 !!!!

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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 ☮️

It was a great celebration of the US.

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

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

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.

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.

No wonder the party spirit is lacking.

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

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!

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.

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.