Boston and the American Bicentennial of 1975-1976

"Fife and Drum Group at the Bicentennial Open House" Watertown Arsenal, Watertown, Massachusetts. Watertown is in the greater Boston area. Photographs Related to the Watertown Arsenal, National Archives.

Americans celebrated the US Bicentennial in 1975 and 1976 with enormous enthusiasm, patriotism, and meaning. A federal agency that helped coordinate tens of thousands of Bicentennial events reported that "over 90% of the nation's population was affected by or included in" Bicentennial programs.[1] Here in Boston, residents expected the country's "Cradle of Liberty" to host many Bicentennial events.

Hard Times – The Backdrop to the Bicentennial

Leading up to and during the official Bicentennial years, the country faced political, economic, and social turbulence. Many of these issues surfaced in Boston.

In the 1970s, the Vietnam War still raged, with protestors holding demonstrations at historic sites such as Bunker Hill and Boston Common. Boston's busing crisis (1974 to 1976) and the effort to desegregate schools led to public debate and protests, with activists on both sides of the issue making connections to the American Revolution.

Economically, the US faced a period of high unemployment and inflation during the 1970s. Boston suffered from a decreasing population and waning of manufacturing jobs, with an unemployment rate of 12.5% in 1975.[2]

And in 1974, the year prior to the kick-off of official Bicentennial events in Boston, the country saw its first presidential resignation. Following months of scandal and investigations over the Watergate Affair, Vice President Gerald Ford succeeded President Richard Nixon.

These events likely impacted how Americans commemorated the country's 200th birthday. Some brought the anniversary into debates over current issues. Others participated in the Bicentennial either in a search for nostalgia or a way to find renewed hope in U.S. democracy. As one Massachusetts participant said:

This has rejuvenated my faith in America. After Vietnam and Watergate, people were afraid to wave the flag. Maybe with the Bicentennial, people can come out of their shell and say, 'We've made some mistakes, but let's go on from here.'[3]

Financial Support for the 200th

Massachusetts received about $130,000 (about $800,000 in today’s money) from the American Revolution Bicentennial Administration (ARBA) for commemorative events. Established by US Congress in 1974, ARBA helped organize Bicentennial events across states, as well as distributed funds for events.[4] The Commonwealth spent another $3.9 million (about $17 million today) in state funds for Bicentennial events.[5]

The City of Boston also devoted resources for the commemoration. City officials formed the Boston 200 Corporation to fund and manage Bicentennial programs, spending about $260,000 ($1.4 million today).[6] In addition to planning events, the Boston 200 Corporation published a 300-page guidebook (The Official Bicentennial Guidebook), which offered an exhaustive look at Boston's history and the sites and events of general interest.

Other organizations, businesses, and private donors also provided financial support to commemorative events, both in Boston and across the country.[7] Newsweek, a weekly magazine, estimated that public and private agencies spent about $500 million ($2.8 billion today) on Bicentennial commemorations nationwide.[8]

Boston Happenings

Boston served as the home to several commemorative events, special exhibits, and famous visitors throughout the Bicentennial.

The Freedom Train

In the early morning of April 20, 1975, the "American Freedom Train" rode into Boston. Three large, steam-powered train engines pulled this 25-car train with over 500 treasures of Americana on display. Artifacts included George Washington's copy of the Constitution, the original Louisiana Purchase, Judy Garland's dress and ruby slippers from The Wizard of Oz, Joe Frazier's boxing trunks, Martin Luther King Jr.'s pulpit and robes, and even a rock from the moon. The Freedom Train welcomed close to 100,000 visitors in Boston over the course of seven days. For the next two years, it traveled across 48 states and saw more than 7 million Americans.[9]

"The Freedom Train passes through Naval Air Station, Miramar, California." Combined Military Service Digital Photographic Files, National Archives.

Knox's "Noble Train of Artillery"

In winter 1975-1976, towns in New York and Massachusetts planned the re-enactment of the famed Noble Train of Artillery, or Knox Expedition. This trek brought 59 cannon from Fort Ticonderoga (New York) to Boston. The colonists installed these cannon on Dorchester Heights in March 1776, which ultimately led to the end of British occupation of Boston. With funding from the Commonwealth, about 40 volunteers reenacted this journey along Knox's original route. As one newspaper described:

Two hundred years later, in what may be the Bicentennial’s most strenuous re-enactment, the 300-mile journey is being replayed along two-lane highways from Ticonderoga to Boston, through 65 towns and cities.[10]
This Noble Train arrived in Boston in time for Evacuation Day commemorative festivities in Dorchester on March 17.

Special Exhibits

With Boston's numerous historic sites related to the American Revolution, one newspaper noted, "The City is the Exhibit."[11] In addition to these landmarks, local organizations and institutions across Boston hosted special exhibits for the Bicentennial. These experiences attracted tens of thousands of attendees—both locals and visitors alike.

Often, institutions took their own slant on the Bicentennial. One exhibit at Harvard focused on education, while another delved into the division of Cambridge between Loyalists and Patriots. The Museum of Science celebrated ideas of progress, calling their exhibit, "200 Years of Yankee Ingenuity." Among the several exhibits at the Boston Public Library, one featured the contributions of Greater Boston writers on the country's literary landscape.

"A Costly Victory An Immortal Defeat... See 'Whites of Their Eyes' Exhibit at the Bunker Hill Pavilion. Adjacent to the U.S.S. CONSTITUTION. Charlestown, Mass. Created by WHITE OAK DESGIN, Inc. Raytheon Historical Foundation Corporation." Page from the "Boston: The Official Bicentennial Guidebook." City of Boston Archives.

Businesses under the Boston 200 Corporation also sponsored numerous exhibits and experiences across the city. At Boston City Hall, Boston 200 worked with the Museum of African American History to install an exhibit titled "Black Presence in the American Revolution." Quincy Market hosted an exhibit on the events leading to the War for American Independence called, "The Revolution: Where it all Began 1760-1775." The multimedia showcase "Where's Boston?," in the Prudential Center, "[celebrated] Boston as a living and livable city...the variety of its peoples and lifestyles, the special character of its neighborhoods, the sense of community..."[12]

Perhaps the longest running Bicentennial exhibit, "The Whites of their Eyes" was a multimedia show about the Battle of Bunker Hill. The Raytheon Company funded this exhibit and the Bunker Hill Pavilion in Charlestown, built especially for the show. The show had multiple soundtracks and screens displaying a series of images, accompanied by life-size robotic manikins in colonial attire. This exhibit remained operational for years following the Bicentennial.

VIPs Visit Boston

The Boston area, with its unique role in the American Revolution, attracted high-profile national and international visitors throughout the Bicentennial.

"President Gerald R. Ford and Reverend Robert Golledge Light the Third Lantern to Mark America's Third Century During the Bicentennial Ceremony of the Hanging of Paul Revere's Two Lanterns at Old North Church in Boston, Massachusetts" April 18, 1975. Gerald R. Ford White House Photographs, National Archives.

On April 18, 1975, US President Gerald Ford commemorated the 200th anniversary of Paul Revere's ride at Old North Church. President Ford helped light two lanterns for the church's famed steeple and lit a third lantern that he brought to the event. This third lamp symbolized his hope for a successful third century for the American nation. The Old North Church still displays the third lantern presented by Ford.

The next day, on April 19, 1975, President Ford travelled to Lexington and Concord. Here, he and 150,000 attendees commemorated the Bicentennial of the "shot heard round the world," and the start of the American Revolution.

The following year, Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom travelled to Boston in honor of the Bicentennial. On July 11, 1976, the Queen visited the Old State House, Faneuil Hall, and USS Constitution to much fanfare. At the Old State House, she gave a speech commemorating the occasion:

If Paul Revere, Samuel Adams and other patriots could have known that one day a British monarch would stand beneath the balcony of the Old State House, from which the Declaration of Independence was first read to the people of Boston and be greeted by the mayor and others in such kind and generous works, well – I think they would have been extremely surprised.

But perhaps they would have been pleased. Pleased to know that eventually we came together again as free peoples and friends and defended together the very ideals for which the American Revolution was fought.[13]

Preserving the History

The Bicentennial prompted efforts to preserve the sites and stories of the country's diverse history.

William Cooper Nell House on Smith Court in Beacon Hill. NPS Photo/M. Bozio

Formed in 1970, the Afro-American Bicentennial Corporation (ABC) worked with the US Department of the Interior (DOI) to establish over 60 national historic landmarks related to African Americans. The house at 3 Smith Court, home of Boston activist and historian William Cooper Nell, was one of these landmarks. Also, around the Bicentennial, the Boston-based Equal Rights League dedicated a plaque to Crispus Attucks, the "Black Hero of the American Revolution."[14]

In 1974, the National Park Service took a significant step in preserving Boston's revolutionary history by establishing Boston National Historical Park. Partnering with the city and private organizations along the Freedom Trail, the park aimed to preserve the historic sites in Boston related to the American Revolution. In 1976, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts transferred ownership of the Bunker Hill Monument to NPS for inclusion in Boston National Historical Park.

Keepsakes

To remember the Bicentennial, the public sought to find tokens to mark this special occasion.

The US Mint produced and circulated over 500 million commemorative coins –special quarter, half-dollar, and dollar coins. It also produced collectable, non-circulating coins.

The US Postal Service (USPS) issued 113 commemorative postage stamps honoring the US Bicentennial over a six-year period (1971-1983).[15] Boston events featured prominently in these stamps, honoring: the Boston Massacre, the two lanterns at the steeple of Old North Church, and the Battle of Bunker Hill. Salem Poor, an African American militiaman who fought at the Battle of Bunker Hill, also received recognition in a stamp collection of revolutionary heroes.[16]

Calling for "A More Perfect Union"

Protestors and advocates alike used the Bicentennial and the historic landscape of Boston to call attention to current issues.

Despite the successes of the Civil Rights era, racial tension in Boston continued through the busing crisis. At times, the debate over forced busing intersected with Bicentennial events. One of the most prominent moments occurred at a Boston Massacre reenactment in March 1775, when antibusing protestors had a mock funeral for "Liberty."

Active social movements at the time often harnessed the fervor of the founding era for their own causes. In 1975 and 1976, Boston women chose the historic Faneuil Hall for rallies in favor of the Equal Rights Amendment, calling for a further expansion of constitutional rights to treat women equally. During the American Indian Movement, Indigenous communities and tribes advocated for the recognition and right to sovereignty. Will Basque (Micmac), president of the Boston Indian Council, pointed to the hypocrisy of the country and its founders who made promises to tribes. He questioned:

Had we joined the other side, things might be a lot different today. When they (the Continental Army) needed military help, they got it. Later, when we needed help, they didn't know us.[17]
For some groups, the Bicentennial did not mark a moment of celebration, but it rather pointed to the unfinished status of a country still trying to fulfill its founding ideals.

The struggle for life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness is never truly won. Each generation of Americans, indeed of all humanity, must strive to achieve these aspirations anew. Liberty is a living flame to be fed, not dead ashes to be revered, even in a Bicentennial Year.

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