Whither the Sestercentennial?

It was fifty-five years ago today, July 4, 1966, that the U.S. government created the American Revolution Bicentennial Commission, which was charged with planning a big national celebration that would include a big world's fair.  Neither of those things happened.  In the ten years that followed, we had to deal with more crap than in the previous nineteen decades combined - assassinations, urban insurrections, the Vietnam War, an oil crisis, Watergate, and disco.  (I make joke.)  The commission disbanded after having done nothing but recommend not to do what it had been tasked to do, and so we spent July 4, 1976 having smaller, regional celebrations that were little different from the celebrations we have every Independence Day.  Except in New York, where tall ships sailed into the harbor.   

For the sestercentennial in 2026, the government has mandated that the big 250th anniversary be commemorated with  special coins and postage stamps,  the commissioning and naming of naval vessels for the occasion, and a mix of officially and privately organized activities to be planned. for "locations of historical significance to the United States" such as Boston, Charleston, South Carolina, New York City, and Philadelphia.  No world's fair, though. 

Excuse me for being a Debbie Downer on this Independence Day 2021, but I think we should just forget it.  Because in this still-in-progress twenty-fifth decade of independence, we've experienced even greater strife in this country than in the decade leading up to the bicentennial - Trump, COVID, climate change, the killing of George Floyd, urban violence, toppled statues, the January 6 insurrection, post-Trump right-wing authoritarianism, an assault on voting rights, and Cardi B.  (I make more joke!)  I don't think any of us are in a mood to celebrate America right now, and the difficult months and years ahead suggest we won't be in a mood to celebrate the big 250 either.  Especially when we all know that, by July 2026, Donald Trump or someone like him could be in charge, we could be out of the Paris Agreement again, the Oath Keepers could be institutionalized into a paramilitary storm-trooper squad, and we might need ID not to vote but to cross state lines.  I am not suggesting that this is all inevitable.  I merely note that it is possible, and the very fact that it is doesn't bode well for the immediate future. Even in the best-case scenario for the next five years, we'll probably be spending Independence Day 2026 with frozen smiles on our faces as we pretend to be happy and patriotic even while reality prevents from having a real celebration.  

A quarter of a millennium of existence is a big deal for a country as young as ours, but this country is worn out and exasperated.  Maybe we can make the sestercentennial an anniversary really worth celebrating if we can make this country better in five years, but with people who have absolutely no interest in doing that in our midst - standing back and standing by at Trump rallies like the one in Florida last night - it's hard to remain optimistic.

Sorry.