Negative Space: Fourth of July
- A Bicentennial Meal for the Sestercentennial
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Four community cookbooks celebrating the bicentennial. As we approach our sestercentennial in 2026, what makes a meal from 1976?
- A Centennial Meal for the Sestercentennial
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How did Americans in 1876 celebrate the centennial culinarily? Some of their recipes are surprisingly modern, and some are unique flavors worthy of resurrecting.
- Commemorate Patriot Day with Betsy Ross
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The Declaration of Independence overlaid on the Betsy Ross flag.
- Let mortal tongues awake
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Samuel Francis Smith’s America—more commonly known as “My Country, ’Tis of Thee”— is short, direct, and a wonderful hymn to God as the soul of liberty. It’s a perfect hymn for the Fourth of July. It’s also very easy to play using the piano script from 42 Astounding Scripts.
- Our lot is cast in this happy land…
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Samuel B. Young’s August 16, 1819, Oration to commemorate the 1777 Battle of Bennington.
- The Star-Spangled Banner in MIDI
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What could be more appropriate for the fireworks of the Fourth of July than a song about bombs bursting in air, illuminating a great flag rippling defiantly to a hostile world?
- A Vicennial Meal for the Sestercentennial
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In 1776 we were too busy to write commemorative cookbooks. But in 1796 “Amelia Simmons, American Orphan” published the first known American cookbook. It’s a celebration of American foods, American values, and American economies.
More Information
- Favorite Fourths, 2025
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“…this year's edition includes a brand new episode of The Hundred Years Ago Show with a snapshot of the national holiday a century ago, including a Fourth of July tragedy and some contrasting vignettes of US immigration at the start of a forty-year moratorium.”
- The Southern Living Holiday Cookbook• (hardcover)
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Almond silk pie; Glazed donuts; Ginger cookies; Popovers. One of my favorites.
- Make a Joyful Noise
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“A lot of people have said we’re approaching the 250th anniversary in a very muted way. And they’re not wrong. Though to an extent it’s not fair to compare it to the centennial, because it’s a half-centennial, it’s still a noteworthy occasion for the Republic and we definitely should celebrate it. And I won’t lie…”
- All Immigrants Are Born on the Fourth of July
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“A personal take on American exceptionalism.”
