Just eight of ten generations of United States citizens have lived through what has become perhaps the longest lasting democracy in the world today.
While the United Kingdom and Switzerland have older government frameworks dating back to the 1600s, or earlier, political scientists seem to require universal suffrage and fully representative elections to be a modern democracy, which didn’t come to those two countries until the Nineteenth or Twentieth Centuries.
By any measure, 250 years is a long time and there are questions from more than a few people about whether those modern aspects of our governance will last.
Leaving those aside, this 250th Anniversary, July 4 can be a milestone for reflection and perhaps renewal.
Many have written in op-ed pages leading up to this weekend that the Bicentennial, in 1976, was a time of coming together, with none of the divisiveness we are seeing now.
Is that true?
Beginning on July 4, 1974, two years before the Bicentennial celebration, “Bicentennial Minutes,” 60-second clips with history lessons appeared between prime-time shows every night, narrated by a wide array of celebrities and officeholders.
“Charlton Heston kicked off the series, backed by a giant American flag, telling of George Washington’s worries after the Boston Tea Party.” recalls a July 2025 New York Times article. “Representative Bella Abzug, in her trademark hat and thick New York accent, related a British man-o-war attack on the city’s waterfront. Lucille Ball described ‘corn-shucking parties’ in colonial New England. In a twist on the CBS anchor Walter Cronkite’s famous sign-off, each one concluded, ‘That’s the way it was.’”
What better way to sum up these 60-second remembrances than with those words: “That’s the way it was.” No spin, no attitude, just a simple restatement of fact. Imagine if these Bicentennial Minutes were around today; they’d likely be put through the social-media spin cycle with political influencers from all sides pontificating on the false narrative these clips supposedly advanced.
That effort to bring us into the same world view aside, in 1976, civil rights, labor and anti-war groups shared their dissent, protests and alternative views surrounding the 200th-anniversary celebration.
Black leaders, including Representative Charles Rangel, argued that celebrating a corporatized, “self-congratulatory” anniversary was frivolous unless the country confronted its failures on equality. In places like Wilmington, N.C., and rural Alabama, local activists held Black Freedom Festivals to protest surviving bigotry and advocate for full equality.
“The Nation” and other progressive publications published scathing editorials. They criticized the commercialization of the event, arguing that corporate sponsors were “whitewashing” the last two centuries of history and ignoring the radical anti-colonial spirit of the American Revolution in favor of corporate and conservative ideology.
Occurring in the immediate aftermath of the Vietnam War, the Watergate scandal and stagflation, the country was anything but supportive of the government. Polls taken months prior to July 4, 1976, showed that up to 85% of Americans did not plan to participate in official government commemorations.
The 250th anniversary of the United States serves as a significant cultural and civic landmark, offering opportunities for national reflection, local community strengthening and a deeper understanding of the American story. While the milestone is marked by complex debates, several positive themes emerge from the planned commemorations and grassroots initiatives.
One of the most notable positive shifts in the 250th Anniversary is the move toward a more inclusive narrative that highlights the contributions of everyday Americans.
The commemoration incorporates diverse perspectives, such as the “1619 Project,” which seeks to place the consequences of slavery and the contributions of Black Americans at the center of the national story.
Historians are highlighting people often missing from traditional records, including women like Fannie Allen and early Black communities such as Eatonville, Fla.
The “All of U.S. 250” and “Next 250” initiatives aim to build a “Declaration of Interdependence,” creating a vision for a multiracial democracy that includes workers, immigrants and youth.
Unlike earlier national celebrations that were often top-down, the 250th anniversary has seen a significant shift toward grassroots-efforts.
In Vermont, organizations like the Vermont Arts Council and Vermont Humanities have injected nearly $142,000 into local projects. For example, the Highland Center for the Arts received funding for a project connecting historical songs of slavery and emancipation to the present.
Communities are engaging in restoration projects, historical re-enactments, and local festivals that allow residents to explore how the American story unfolds in their own backyards.
In towns like Hardwick, local groups are gathering to share “Drinks for Democracy.”
This 250th anniversary can be a catalyst for citizens to clarify and affirm what the nation stands for.
Locally, towns are evaluating whether the traditional town meeting format meets the needs of a modern era.
Whatever the outcome, the conversation is a critical part of the most representative democracy we have in a citizen legislature attending town meeting, or even voting by Australian ballot.
As a whole the country doesn’t seem quite ready to reclaim and reimagine its future, locally Vermonters seem more ready to focus on dignity, belonging and shared commitment to democratic principles.
Paul Fixx, editor
