On September 9th, 1969, eight members of Boston’s city council voted unanimously against a proposed bicentennial exposition of grandiose proportion. For more than three years, Boston’s public planners had fought to establish Expo ’76, the ambitious urban project, as a proposal for a world’s fair within America’s bicentennial year. On that day in early September, a quiet 8-0 decision was made against the Expo ’76, on the grounds that the site of the exposition itself was “unsuitable” and that the exposition’s financing scheme was not in the “best interests” of the city of Boston. Superficially, it appeared that financial misgiving or poor timing was the cause of the panel’s decision. Boston’s malaise over its proposed exposition, however, serves as a microcosm of America’s soul searching throughout its bicentennial years.

     This website was created to visualize the progression of Boston's bicentennial celebrations from 1967 to 1976. At the top of this page, you can navigate through the different aspects of the celebration: its story, people, and timeline. Click Home or the Bicentennial Icon in the top left corner to return to this page at any time. 

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