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 Samuel 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.

Lawrence R. Samuel is a Miami-and New York City-based cultural historian. He holds a PhD in American studies and an MA in

English from the University of Minnesota and an MBA in marketing from the University of Georgia and was a Smithsonian Institution Fellow. His previous books include Tudor City: Manhattan’s Historic Residential Enclave (2019); Dead on Arrival in Manhattan: Stories of Unnatural Demise from the Past Century (2021); and Making Long Island: A History of Growth and the American Dream (2023).