In 1976 I was young enough to spend an afternoon digging in the backyard making mud pies, but old enough to learn the United States was celebrating its 200th birthday.
I knew because around town someone was painting the fire hydrants in patriotic red, white, and blue designs. Some hydrants were clever folk-art versions of the stars and stripes. Others depicted minutemen, and one hydrant near my grandfather’s house was a musket-toting dalmatian ready to defend the nation or put out a house fire. It was my favorite.
As we traveled for summer vacation, we learned that other towns in many states were painting patriotic fire hydrants too. We loved to point them out while riding loose, in the way-back of the station wagon. (Yes, 50 years ago, children were not legally required to be strapped down in a car.)
Decorative fire hydrants were a close-to-home reminder of our bicentennial, and they stimulated teachable moments when a parent could explain who Betsy Ross was, or what the minutemen did, or that they did not know if dalmatians had a role in the Revolutionary War.
Bicentennial was everywhere in 1976. Everyone got into it.
In school, we memorized “Paul Revere’s Ride” by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. Our elementary school gave out red, white, and blue T-shirts with stars and stripes on the shoulder. They were printed in white with the name of our school and the slogan of the day, “The Spirit of ’76.”
Adults gave us bicentennial quarters, warning us to keep them: “That’ll be worth something someday, kid.” A compelling argument, but we soon broke down at the corner store, splurging on Everlasting Gobstoppers or Tootsie Rolls.
My brother and I rarely got pop, but we begged for 7Up because of the company’s Uncle Sam cans. Like a mullet, it was business in the front and a party on the back of the can, each printed with part of a puzzle piece. Collect all 50 states, and it was said to make a picture of Uncle Sam. We kind of knew we would never get enough pop to complete the puzzle. Especially after we discovered Jolly Good pop had a joke printed inside on the bottom of every can. We dropped 7Up for the Jolly Good laughs.
Then, on another summer trip, we peered out the back window of that station wagon and saw a two-pump, country gas station with the entire Uncle Sam puzzle set up in its window.
“Dad! Stop!”
He did. We marveled at the pyramid of cans from the front and back. This was before cell phones, of course, and it was not important enough to spend a shot of film on, but trust me, it was thrilling. 7Up came out with another series in 1979. It was a map of the United States, but by that time, a lot of moms had purchased so much 7Up that the whole country may have said, “We’re not doing that again!” or put in modern terms, “Too soon!”
From the bicentennial coloring books to the parades and the most incredible fireworks display, my understanding of this country was seeded with the trappings of the 1976 bicentennial birthday celebration.
Now we are looking toward the semiquincentennial, aka, America’s 250th birthday. I’m glad because in 1976, I was pretty sure I would not live to see the tercentennial, and it made me sad.
Our nation has been through a lot in the last 50 years. But nothing like the generations before us, who boldly fought to write or preserve the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution.
Like every country, ours was a hard-fought victory. Some squares on our unchangeable historic quilt are not pretty, but our potential for beauty is unlimited, for we are free. We need to teach children all of it.
We have reason to feel hopeful this Independence Day, since we are intentionally remembering our history again. It mattered in 1976, and it matters now.
President Donald Trump kicks off the year leading up to the 2026 semiquincentennial celebration at the Iowa State Fairgrounds on July 3, 2025.
The U.S. Semiquincentennial Commission has planned many events that invite youth and everyone else to get involved, like America Gives, an effort to boost volunteerism, and the Great American Road Trip, which highlights not only historic sites, but also modern points of interest to explore in every state.
What will today’s children remember of the semiquincentennial 50 years from now? Let’s show them why America’s liberty, in all her fragility and resilience, is worth celebrating, all year long.