Bicentennial Minneapolis and Saint Paul
I just couldn’t resist reposting this great bicentennial post card I found over on the Postcardy Blog. The official Bicentennial events began on April 1, 1975, when the American Freedom Train launched in Wilmington, Delaware to start its 21-month, 25,388-mile tour of the 48 contiguous states. The only Twin Cities connection I can find to the big celebration is Seth Huntington’s image of Independence Hall that was selected for the half dollar. Huntington was an art student who had originally created his design for a class assignment. At 22 years of age, he became the youngest person ever to design a US coin and the head artist at Brown and Bigelow. Bicentennial coins first entered circulation on July 7, 1975. The half dollar was released in conjunction with ceremonies in Minneapolis. The quarter followed in September and the dollar in October.
This psychedelic cartoon was produced by the U.S. Government with taxpayer dollars in 1976 to mark two hundred years of independence. It is both patriotic and trippy at the same time, and tells you a great deal about the aesthetics of the 1970′s.
