The United States celebrated its bicentennial in 1976, 200 years after the Declaration of Independence.
The bicentennial was a nationwide observance of the 200th anniversary of the 1776 declaration. It included public ceremonies, exhibitions, parades, educational programs, special postage stamps, commemorative coins, and major civic events across the country.
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, played a central role because it was the meeting place of the Continental Congress and the city where the Declaration was adopted. Washington, D.C., and many state and local communities also organized large-scale celebrations.
America250 follows the same anniversary pattern but marks 250 years rather than 200. The 1976 event is therefore the most direct precedent for the 2026 semiquincentennial, although the two celebrations took place in different political and cultural eras.