The Semiquincentennial

Wait'll next year when America turns 250

Tomorrow is the real No Kings Day. Next year, we will mark the 250th anniversary of the nation. Liberals have turned against patriotism, as only 36% of Democrats are extremely or very proud of the country, down from 62% in just 4 years.

50 years ago, things were different for the bicentennial. Patriotism was high and rising.

Sure, the United States had just suffered the humiliation of abandoning South Vietnam and of the resignation of Richard Nixon. The upcoming presidential election between a DC lifer and a Cheshire cat from Georgia excited few people.

We had just landed on the moon but many Americans were bored by it. The Greatest Generation which survived the Depression and won World War II was paunchy and in its 50s and 60s—a time for grandchildren and retirement planning.

But America’s patriotism rose above the politics of the day and brought people together to celebrate 200 years of progress—of taming the wilderness and turning a woodlands into farms—of turning a nowhere’s land west of the Mississippi (they called it the American Desert) into a breadbasket—of uniting two coasts with a transcontinental railroad.

We may be the only nation on Earth to be proud of its civil war because it freed the slaves. (Argue it out in the comments section, please. Your host is just as proud a Northerner as you are a Southerner—and he concedes many of your points.)

America is no longer the nation it was. Homogeneity has given way to diversity and homosexuals have gone from wanting acceptance to demanding drag queens read Gender Queer to your children. The Communist Manifesto has replaced the Bible in many quarters.

My how the media whined about celebrating the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Army. The hatred of Trump knows no boundaries or decency.

People would rather give money to Ukraine and other countries than tackle the national debt which threatens our existence.

But be of good cheer. Most people still love America and they are making plans to celebrate No. 250 in American style.

July 4, 1976

The New York Post reported:

The United States will ring in its upcoming 250th birthday—or semiquincentennial—with a massive international parade of tall sailing ships in New York Harbor on July 4, 2026, officials announced.

The event, which will be a throwback to similar ship parades in 1976 and 2000, is expected to attract more than six million visitors to the region and be a symbol of America’s preeminent place in a world.

“This will be an extraordinary display of pride and international goodwill, set against the backdrop of what is arguably the most iconic symbol of our American Ideals,” NJ Gov. Phil Murphy said in a joint press release with other leaders.

The so-called Sail4th 250 flotilla will be made up of ships representing several nations and will be the largest ever. It will also mark a major time in the Tri-State area, as it will come a day before a World Cup semifinal match on July 5th at MetLife Stadium.

It will also mark a series of semiquincentennial events that will take place from July 3 through 8.

World Cup? Oh yes, the USA will host that soccer thingy. The Fourth will feature matches in Philadelphia and Houston.

Baseball will hold its All-Star Game in Philadelphia just as it did in 1976. Randy Jones will be 76 so I don’t think he’ll start for the National League again. Looking at the 1976 box score brings back memories. Carl Yastrzemski didn’t start? Get out of here.

NPR listed some other events:

• The National Garden of American Heroes: a proposed sculpture park that aims to include 250 statues of American figures such as George Washington, Babe Ruth and Martin Luther King Jr.

• The Great American Road Trip: This partnership with the Department of Transportation encourages people to drive across the country and visit famous sites in honor of the 100th anniversary of historic Route 66.

• A time capsule: Containing items from all 50 U.S. states, five territories and the District of Columbia, it is scheduled to be buried in Philadelphia on July 4, 2026, and is meant to be dug up on the country’s 500th anniversary.

• Our American Story: an oral history project asking Americans to nominate a living person whose story will be recorded by the Library of Congress.

• A traveling tech expo: On the America250 website, America Innovates is described as a place where the country’s greatest innovations will be displayed and where future creators will be asked “what innovations they want to create that will be critical for the next 250 years.”

The White House and Prager University have created AI versions of our Founding Fathers (and a few women) for an online museum.

This should surprise no one.

Campaigning in 2023, President Trump said, “We’re going to have a big celebration. And it’s going to be a celebration like we really deserve in this country for everything we’ve gone through.”

He will deliver come hell or Judge Boasberg.

We have a great history and while we celebrate our heritage and liberty. No other nation was founded on the principles and ideal that all men are created equal. We are not a perfect people but we do our best and if you think this year’s Fourth of July is great, as they say in baseball, wait’ll next year.