The United States Bicentennial was a series of celebrations and observances during the mid-1970s that paid tribute to the historical events leading up to the creation of the United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 as an independent republic. The Bicentennial culminated on Sunday, July 4, 1976, with the 200th anniversary

Anniversary

An anniversary is a day that commemorates or celebrates a past event that occurred on the same day of the year as the initial event. For example, the first event is the initial occurrence or, if planned, the inaugural of the event. One year later would be the first anniversary of that event...

 of the adoption of the Declaration of Independence

United States Declaration of Independence

The Declaration of Independence was a statement adopted by the Continental Congress on July 4, 1776, which announced that the thirteen American colonies then at war with Great Britain regarded themselves as independent states, and no longer a part of the British Empire. John Adams put forth a...

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The plans for the Bicentennial began when Congress created the American Revolution Bicentennial Commission on July 4, 1966.