Which U.S. president presided over the 1976 United States Bicentennial?

Gerald Ford presided over the 1976 United States Bicentennial.

Ford was the 38th president of the United States and served from 1974 to 1977. The Bicentennial culminated on July 4, 1976, exactly 200 years after the Second Continental Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence. Ford attended and addressed major commemorative events during the anniversary year.

The celebrations included parades, fireworks, exhibitions, historical reenactments, and Operation Sail, an international fleet of tall ships. The American Freedom Train also toured the country with historical artifacts, visiting the 48 contiguous states during a 21-month journey.

The Bicentennial occurred during a period of political transition. Ford had become president after Richard Nixon resigned in 1974 and later lost the 1976 election to Jimmy Carter. Carter was president during the final months of the Bicentennial administration’s related activities, but Ford led the country on the anniversary date itself.