By Josh Ulick and Dave Cole
"USA250: The Story of the World's Greatest Economy" is a yearlong WSJ series examining America's first 250 years. Read more about it from Editor in Chief Emma Tucker.
In 1976, when America's last big birthday rolled around, the country wasn't in an obvious mood to celebrate. The Vietnam War and Watergate were fresh in people's memories. Cities like New York were caught in urban doom loops, and stagflation weighed down the economy.
The bicentennial celebrations offered a break from this national malaise.
For children of the 1970s, it was mostly a chance to celebrate. Kids decorated their bikes with stars and stripes, marched in local parades and painted local fire hydrants red, white and blue--faded examples of which could be seen well into the '80s. The bicentennial quarter, minted for the occasion, still occasionally turns up in pocket change.
Looking back at photos from the era, with their feathered hair and cutoff jeans, is more than an exercise in nostalgia. If the spirit of 1976 reminds us of anything, it's that even in uncertain times, the country can throw a good party.
New York City celebrated the bicentennial with fireworks, a parade and a gathering of tall ships.
Communities across the country took part in a nationwide bell ringing ceremony on July 4.
More than 200 sailing ships entered the New York Harbor as part of Operation Sail.
DIY outfits were on display in parades across the country.
The Bicentennial Wagon Train made a yearlong journey across the U.S., tracing old covered-wagon trails and arriving in Valley Forge, Pa., on July 4.
Fire hydrants in the nation's capital were painted to resemble American patriots, as part of the "Paint-A-Plug for America" project.
Bicentennial flags flew throughout the summer across America, including at the Minnesota State Fair.