What name is commonly used for the United States’ 200th-anniversary celebration held in 1976?

The 200th-anniversary celebration held in 1976 was called the United States Bicentennial.

The bicentennial commemorated the 200th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. Celebrations took place throughout the country during 1976, with parades, exhibitions, concerts, historical programs, and special cultural events.

Philadelphia hosted major ceremonies because of its central role in the founding era. The anniversary also inspired special postage stamps, coins, medals, and redesigned forms of public presentation. The festivities became one of the largest nationwide commemorations in modern United States history.

The bicentennial is the immediate predecessor to America250. The terms differ by the anniversary number: centennial means 100 years, sesquicentennial means 150, bicentennial means 200, and semiquincentennial means 250. This sequence helps explain why America250 is not called another bicentennial.