The earlier national anniversary year before America250’s 2026 observance was 1976.
The United States celebrated its bicentennial in 1976, marking 200 years since the Declaration of Independence. The nationwide observance included parades, exhibitions, educational programs, special stamps, and commemorative coins.
The 2026 America250 celebration continues the sequence from the bicentennial to the semiquincentennial. Both anniversaries are anchored to the 1776 adoption of the Declaration of Independence rather than to the ratification of the Constitution or the end of the Revolutionary War.
The 1976 celebration took place during the nation’s 200th year and generated major public interest in American history. The next comparable national milestone will be the tricentennial in 2076.