{"id":6466,"date":"2026-07-04T14:33:51","date_gmt":"2026-07-04T14:33:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/orlandorelocationreport.com\/?p=6466"},"modified":"2026-07-04T14:33:51","modified_gmt":"2026-07-04T14:33:51","slug":"commentary-as-america-turns-250-rediscover-the-spirit-of-76","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/orlandorelocationreport.com\/?p=6466","title":{"rendered":"Commentary: As America turns 250, rediscover the spirit of \u201976"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\n

According to the Pew Research Center, sentiment from polls this year can be characterized with this headline: \u201cOn the Country\u2019s 250th Anniversary, the American People Are in a Sour Mood.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more Here\u2019s what $3 million bought a real estate agent in Celebration<\/a><\/p>\n

The statistics are stark: 69% are dissatisfied \u201cwith the way things are going in the country today,\u201d and 59% \u201cthink the country\u2019s best years are behind us.\u201d<\/p>\n

It\u2019s not just Americans who are sour.<\/p>\n

Across three dozen countries Pew surveyed, \u201c(President Donald) Trump Gets Negative Reviews Internationally as Fewer Say U.S. is a Reliable Partner.\u201d Overall, stated the recent report, 57% have an unfavorable impression of this country, and the percentage expressing no confidence in its commander in chief is even higher: 76.<\/p>\n

To many, that number \u2014 76 \u2014 evokes the \u201cSpirit of \u201976,\u201d the famous phrase reflecting the American idea and ideal embodied in the Declaration of Independence, which turns 250 on July 4th. Considering the country\u2019s dour, even dire, mood, maybe it\u2019s time to rediscover that proverbial spirit. Of 1776, if possible. But for those who find the Revolution remote, another Spirit of \u201976 is worth reviving.<\/p>\n

1976.<\/p>\n

That year, America\u2019s Bicentennial, much of the country coalesced despite difficulties that eerily echo today: Watergate then, Washington\u2019s corrosive corruption now; an ill-conceived conflict in Vietnam then, Iran now; spiraling prices then and now.<\/p>\n

A half-century ago, there were real reasons for Bicentennial cynicism. But instead, as historians (and those of a certain age) recall, the country rallied around the event \u2014 and itself.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Sure, the run-up was marked (and marred) by crass commercialism. Some critics called 1976 the \u201cbuy-centennial.\u201d<\/p>\n

But bits of legitimate history entered the common conversation, too. Maybe not from products, but in primetime, especially with CBS\u2019 \u201cBicentennial Minutes,\u201d where Minutemen, Paul Revere and others were revered in relatively accurate accounts of what happened that day 200 years ago. The two-year program featured one-episode hosts spanning a spectrum of actors, activists, athletes, artists and beyond who reminded Americans of their origin story at a disorienting time.<\/p>\n

Read more A Florida mining company helped fund Trump\u2019s Freedom 250<\/a><\/p>\n

Because of network equal-time rules back then, there was one particularly famous face who didn\u2019t appear: President Gerald Ford. At least until the last episode, after he had lost the 1976 presidential election to another savvy Navy veteran, Jimmy Carter.<\/p>\n

Today, of course, it\u2019s unimaginable that the current occupant of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue wouldn\u2019t appear \u2014 often. Indeed, in stark contrast to previous presidential protocol, Trump has made Independence Day individual, promising on social media \u201cthe most spectacular TRUMP RALLY of them all\u201d on July Fourth after many musicians, sensing partisanship, pulled out of a concert. This comes after the mixed-martial-arts fights (Washington as not just a figurative, but literal cage match) held on his birthday in a capital where his glowering image hangs from ostensibly nonpartisan entities like the Department of Justice. Compare that to a half-century ago, when it was 200 tall ships from more than 50 nations in New York\u2019s Hudson River that reflected the national zeitgeist.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Independence Day is singular, but the idea is enduring. So it\u2019s fitting that Ford\u2019s finest Bicentennial, and even presidential, rhetoric came on July 5, when he continued his advocacy of America\u2019s mosaic near Monticello for a swearing-in of 106 naturalized citizens.<\/p>\n

In words that seem revolutionary today, Ford described the U.S. as \u201ca new kind of nation\u201d in which origin or blood ties were less important than \u201cthe most revolutionary idea in the world.\u201d As Smith wrote, Ford believed that \u201cunity in diversity\u201d was the country\u2019s greatest achievement over two centuries.<\/p>\n

Telling his new fellow Americans that \u201cyou came as strangers among us, and you leave here citizens, equal in fundamental rights, equal before the law, with an equal share in the promise of the future,\u201d Ford finished with these resonant words:<\/p>\n

\u201cRemember that none of us are more than caretakers of this country. Remember that the more freedom you give to others, the more you will have for yourself. Remember that without law, there can be no liberty. And remember, as well, the rich treasures you brought with you from whence you came, and let us share your pride in them. This is the way we keep our independence as exciting as the day it was declared, and the United States of America even more beautiful than Joseph\u2019s coat.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more USA at 250: What the Founding Fathers should know about 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

John Rash is a columnist for the Minnesota Star Tribune.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Bicentennial in 1976 came at a cynical time for America, but the country rallied around the event.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":6465,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[57,9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6466","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-commentary","category-opinion"],"yoast_head":"\nCommentary: As America turns 250, rediscover the spirit of \u201976 - Orlando Relocation Report<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/orlandorelocationreport.com\/?p=6466\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Commentary: As America turns 250, rediscover the spirit of \u201976 - Orlando Relocation Report\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The Bicentennial in 1976 came at a cynical time for America, but the country rallied around the event.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/orlandorelocationreport.com\/?p=6466\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Orlando Relocation Report\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-07-04T14:33:51+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/orlandorelocationreport.com\\\/?p=6466#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/orlandorelocationreport.com\\\/?p=6466\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/orlandorelocationreport.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/47d95744296542489ff5c4bd403450f8\"},\"headline\":\"Commentary: As America turns 250, rediscover the spirit of \u201976\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-07-04T14:33:51+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/orlandorelocationreport.com\\\/?p=6466\"},\"wordCount\":759,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/orlandorelocationreport.com\\\/?p=6466#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/orlandorelocationreport.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/3366ad014e7ab250da453c0e2e53beba.webp\",\"articleSection\":[\"Commentary\",\"Opinion\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/orlandorelocationreport.com\\\/?p=6466#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/orlandorelocationreport.com\\\/?p=6466\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/orlandorelocationreport.com\\\/?p=6466\",\"name\":\"Commentary: As America turns 250, rediscover the spirit of \u201976 - Orlando Relocation Report\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/orlandorelocationreport.com\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/orlandorelocationreport.com\\\/?p=6466#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/orlandorelocationreport.com\\\/?p=6466#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/orlandorelocationreport.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/3366ad014e7ab250da453c0e2e53beba.webp\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-07-04T14:33:51+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/orlandorelocationreport.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/47d95744296542489ff5c4bd403450f8\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/orlandorelocationreport.com\\\/?p=6466#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/orlandorelocationreport.com\\\/?p=6466\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/orlandorelocationreport.com\\\/?p=6466#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/orlandorelocationreport.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/3366ad014e7ab250da453c0e2e53beba.webp\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/orlandorelocationreport.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/3366ad014e7ab250da453c0e2e53beba.webp\",\"width\":1024,\"height\":660},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/orlandorelocationreport.com\\\/?p=6466#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/orlandorelocationreport.com\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Commentary: As America turns 250, rediscover the spirit of \u201976\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/orlandorelocationreport.com\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/orlandorelocationreport.com\\\/\",\"name\":\"Orlando Relocation Report\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/orlandorelocationreport.com\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/orlandorelocationreport.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/47d95744296542489ff5c4bd403450f8\",\"name\":\"admin\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"admin\"},\"sameAs\":[\"http:\\\/\\\/orlandorelocationreport.com\"],\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/orlandorelocationreport.com\\\/?author=1\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Commentary: As America turns 250, rediscover the spirit of \u201976 - Orlando Relocation Report","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/orlandorelocationreport.com\/?p=6466","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Commentary: As America turns 250, rediscover the spirit of \u201976 - Orlando Relocation Report","og_description":"The Bicentennial in 1976 came at a cynical time for America, but the country rallied around the event.","og_url":"https:\/\/orlandorelocationreport.com\/?p=6466","og_site_name":"Orlando Relocation Report","article_published_time":"2026-07-04T14:33:51+00:00","author":"admin","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"admin","Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/orlandorelocationreport.com\/?p=6466#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/orlandorelocationreport.com\/?p=6466"},"author":{"name":"admin","@id":"https:\/\/orlandorelocationreport.com\/#\/schema\/person\/47d95744296542489ff5c4bd403450f8"},"headline":"Commentary: As America turns 250, rediscover the spirit of \u201976","datePublished":"2026-07-04T14:33:51+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/orlandorelocationreport.com\/?p=6466"},"wordCount":759,"commentCount":0,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/orlandorelocationreport.com\/?p=6466#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/orlandorelocationreport.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/3366ad014e7ab250da453c0e2e53beba.webp","articleSection":["Commentary","Opinion"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/orlandorelocationreport.com\/?p=6466#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/orlandorelocationreport.com\/?p=6466","url":"https:\/\/orlandorelocationreport.com\/?p=6466","name":"Commentary: As America turns 250, rediscover the spirit of \u201976 - Orlando Relocation Report","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/orlandorelocationreport.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/orlandorelocationreport.com\/?p=6466#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/orlandorelocationreport.com\/?p=6466#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/orlandorelocationreport.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/3366ad014e7ab250da453c0e2e53beba.webp","datePublished":"2026-07-04T14:33:51+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/orlandorelocationreport.com\/#\/schema\/person\/47d95744296542489ff5c4bd403450f8"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/orlandorelocationreport.com\/?p=6466#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/orlandorelocationreport.com\/?p=6466"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/orlandorelocationreport.com\/?p=6466#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/orlandorelocationreport.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/3366ad014e7ab250da453c0e2e53beba.webp","contentUrl":"https:\/\/orlandorelocationreport.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/3366ad014e7ab250da453c0e2e53beba.webp","width":1024,"height":660},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/orlandorelocationreport.com\/?p=6466#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/orlandorelocationreport.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Commentary: As America turns 250, rediscover the spirit of \u201976"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/orlandorelocationreport.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/orlandorelocationreport.com\/","name":"Orlando Relocation Report","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/orlandorelocationreport.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/orlandorelocationreport.com\/#\/schema\/person\/47d95744296542489ff5c4bd403450f8","name":"admin","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"admin"},"sameAs":["http:\/\/orlandorelocationreport.com"],"url":"https:\/\/orlandorelocationreport.com\/?author=1"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/orlandorelocationreport.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6466","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/orlandorelocationreport.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/orlandorelocationreport.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/orlandorelocationreport.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/orlandorelocationreport.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=6466"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/orlandorelocationreport.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6466\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/orlandorelocationreport.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/6465"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/orlandorelocationreport.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=6466"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/orlandorelocationreport.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=6466"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/orlandorelocationreport.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=6466"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}