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Bicentennial Beverages: Two 1976 TV Spots Have Americans Raising Their Drinks to Yesteryear’s Patriotism

This July Fourth America 250 holiday celebration has many looking back at our country’s 200th birthday. With our nation now divided between those who love the country and those who clearly despise it, many say everyone was more united during the 1976 bicentennial. They say this is seen in patriotic TV ads released that year.

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Check out this very pro-USA Coca-Cola commercial. (WATCH)

It definitely makes one nostalgic for a time when it seemed all Americans were on the same patriotic page.

America’s bicentennial was a huge national celebration with parades, parties, and civic activities featuring a backdrop of red, white, and blue. Posters remember.

I was 6 years old during the bicentennial. The entire country was adorned in red, white, and blue. The bicentennial was the co-star of every commercial.

Bicentennial quarters were hugely popular. There were concerts, parades, and fireworks on a scale never seen before. It was truly a national celebration. A giant party from coast to coast.

Looking back is bittersweet. It was awesome on every level, but it also shows how much we've lost since then.

— Rusty Guillotine (@jncramb) July 3, 2026

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It seemed like everyone and their aunt were on their knees turning neighborhood fire hydrants into Uncle Sams and Minutemen.

Years before Bud Light, Anheuser-Busch celebrated America with its signature Budweiser Clydesdales. (WATCH)

Not until 1982. Sadly, we’d probably get a beer commercial from AB now featuring Dylan Mulvaney as Betsy Ross. It shouldn't be controversial to celebrate America as we did fifty years ago.