Editing Bicentennial 1976 (section)

== The Celebration ==

The Bicentennial celebration officially ran throughout 1976, with major events concentrated around July 4. Independence National Historical Park, the collection of historic sites around Independence Hall, served as the ceremonial center. A new pavilion housing the Liberty Bell—relocated from Independence Hall to accommodate larger crowds—became a focal point. The Declaration House (Graff House), reconstructed on its original site, opened as a historic attraction. Congress Hall, Old City Hall, and other sites received visitors exploring the places where American independence was declared and early government established.<ref name="nash">{{cite book |last=Nash |first=Gary B. |title=First City: Philadelphia and the Forging of Historical Memory |year=2002 |publisher=University of Pennsylvania Press |location=Philadelphia}}</ref>

July 4, 1976, brought elaborate celebrations. Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain visited Philadelphia, presenting a Bicentennial Bell to the city—a symbolic gift from the nation against which Americans had declared independence two centuries earlier. President Gerald Ford addressed crowds at Independence Hall. Tall ships from around the world sailed up the Delaware River in a majestic parade. Fireworks illuminated the city. For that day at least, Philadelphia reclaimed its place as America's birthplace, drawing national and international attention to the sites where the nation had been founded.<ref name="weigley"/>