The United States celebrated its 200th anniversary on July 4, 1976.
Known as the United States Bicentennial, the commemoration marked 200 years since the Second Continental Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence. Events took place across the country during the mid-1970s, with the main anniversary arriving on Independence Day in 1976.
The Bicentennial included parades, exhibitions, fireworks, historical reenactments, and a major fleet gathering known as Operation Sail. The United States also issued special circulating coins bearing the dual date 1776–1976, including redesigned quarters, half dollars, and dollars.
America250 follows the same anniversary framework half a century later. The prefix “bi-” refers to two hundred, while “semiquincentennial” refers to two hundred fifty. The 1976 celebration therefore serves as the most direct modern predecessor to the 2026 national observance.