Looking Back at America’s Milestone Birthdays
For obvious reasons, the 4th of July is one of the most beloved holidays at the National Archives. Don’t get us wrong, it’s a big deal for us every year (psst: please join us this Friday in-person on the steps of the Archives, or through our virtual livestream.)
But this year’s July 4th also starts the year-long countdown to America’s semiquincentennial on July 4, 2026—our nation’s 250th birthday!
Like many places around D.C. and the country, commemorating the Declaration of Independence will bring exciting celebrations throughout the entire year, culminating on July 4, 2026. The clock starts now with 368 days to go. In the meantime, we’re diving into milestone celebrations of independence and big birthday bashes from our nation’s 50th, 100th, and 200th anniversaries.
Celebrations of Years Past
Of course, the 1976 bicentennial was not the first major celebration of the Declaration of Independence. A commission was put together in 1826 to commemorate the Declaration’s 50th anniversary, headed by General Roger Chew Weightman, the mayor of the City of Washington. Weightman invited any living signers of the Declaration, including John Adams and Thomas Jefferson, to attend. Both gentlemen replied that their health was too poor for them to travel, and in an odd confluence of events, they passed away within hours of each other that July 4.
The celebration on July 4 continued with a dinner and party. A memorial service to both Adams and Jefferson was then observed in Washington on July 8, 1826. While much more subdued compared to subsequent celebrations, 1826 set the precedent for milestone celebrations of the Declaration.
July 4, 1876 marked the next watershed occasion: the centennial. A much larger national commission was appointed, in part because the celebration overlapped with America’s very first World's Fair. Philadelphia was selected as the site for the major exposition pieces.
The combination of the Declaration celebration and World’s Fair attracted more than eight million Americans over the course of four months. One pavilion, Machinery Hall, garnered attention with its showcase of new inventions, including Alexander Graham Bell’s first telephone and Thomas Alva Edison’s automatic telegraph.
Most spectacularly, President Ulysses S. Grant approved sending the original Declaration of Independence to Philadelphia for display. Visitors were immediately struck by how degraded the document appeared to be. The stark reactions resulted in the creation of a joint commission of the heads of the Smithsonian, the Library of Congress, and the Interior Department to conserve the document for future generations. This ultimately led to the establishment of the National Archives.
One Hundred Years Later
Substantive planning for the bicentennial began in 1966 with the passage of a Congressional resolution establishing the American Revolution Bicentennial Commission. Initial discussions centered around the notion of one large event on July 4th in a single host city, likely Philadelphia.
After several years of deliberation, this idea, and the commission were scrapped in favor of an American Revolution Bicentennial Administration, also created via Congressional resolution in 1973.
The administration immediately got to work planning a multiyear, nationwide calendar of celebrations. One of its first priorities was developing the logo, which was designed by Bruce N. Blackburn, who was also responsible for the memorable NASA “worm” logo. The star (seen below) became the ubiquitous icon of all bicentennial activities.
Off the Rails
Arguably the most memorable symbol of the bicentennial was the American Freedom Train.
The 26-car train consisted of nearly a dozen display cars that carried iconic treasures and artifacts from throughout American history, some from the National Archives like the original Louisiana Purchase Treaty. The train's tour across all 48 contiguous states kicked off April 1975 in Delaware and ended in Miami in December 1976. Millions of Americans visited the exhibition, while millions more certainly saw it cruise through their towns and cities over the course of its 25,000-mile trip.
Havin' a Ball for the Bicentennial
The bicentennial featured countless events across the country, many captured in records from the Gerald Ford Presidential Library, since President Ford was in office during the bicentennial year. Take a look, and maybe you’ll get some inspiration for your own celebration in 2026. In the meantime, learn about some of the exciting things planned over the course of the next year to celebrate America’s 250th at the National Archives Foundation.
