The Botched Bicentennial

Planners of Philadelphia’s Bicentennial celebration in 1976 hoped to showcase the growth and ambitions of the city while also commemorating the two-hundredth anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. The big celebrations drew millions of Americans to the city in the summer of ’76. It also provoked conflict and ultimately failed to fulfill the dreams of the city and its planners. So, today we’re going to take a disappointing trip to the 1976 Bicentennial Celebration.