The American Bicentennial: A Cultural History

Searching for the Spirit of '76

With America's 250th founding anniversary upcoming, it is opportune to reflect upon the cultural impact and history of America's bicentennial celebration of 1976. The early 1970s was dominated by economic and political turmoil, and the nation looked to the bicentennial to provide an outlet for moving past difficult times by defining the American ethos through a celebration of its past. Though the celebration sought to recycle many of the nation's mythologies, both good and bad, it was successful in reinvigorating the country by reminding them of what made America exceptional. Author Lawrence Samuels explores the cultural history of the American bicentennial and helps us to ponder the very same questions of who we are as a people and a nation, as we look ahead to America at 250.