From a healing bicentennial to a polarized era, can democracy endure?

The piece revisits 1976, when Ford declared that the ‘long national nightmare’ was over as the US celebrated its 200th anniversary, a moment framed by bipartisan renewal after Watergate. It contrasts that mood with today’s climate under Trump, described as circus-like and threatening to democratic norms, and explores how Nixon’s attempts to control the bicentennial echo current debates over national narrative and power. The article notes the participatory, local-grounded celebrations of 1976 versus today’s centralized, top-down commemorations, suggesting that while past anniversaries have mirrored upheaval, the present era faces unique challenges to democratic institutions and civil discourse.