I remember the Bicentennial; it was the year I graduated from high school. Gerald Ford was the president. The nation was reeling from the aftershocks of Watergate and the fall of South Vietnam. Inflation was roaring out of control. We needed something to pick us up.
For the most part, the Bicentennial was a success. I recall some objections regarding the opportunistic commercialization of the event, but I don’t remember any partisan rancor or arguments about what is now called wokeness. I remember watching “1776” on TV. And, of course, I remember the tall ships. They were a huge success.
Ford, as an unelected president, was in no position to make the Bicentennial about himself; he probably had no desire to do so, anyway. Trump, of course, is totally different. He makes everything about himself and consequently polarizes everything he touches. As a result, he ruined this year’s event for me and for millions of other Americans. There is nothing about the Semiquincentennial that I will remember ten years from now, if I’m still around then.
Oh, and here’s a sobering thought–when you add my life to those of my parents and grandparents, we have been here for slightly more than half of our nation’s existence. We’re still a very young nation, for better and for worse.