There is a Republican president in the White House, credibly accused of having authoritarian tendencies. Critics claim that he is seizing expansive executive powers, weaponizing the federal government, impounding Congressionally authorized funds, reversing the reforms of his predecessors, and challenging the rule of law. The U.S. Supreme Court is filled with Republican appointees who seem ready to overturn liberal precedents. Conflicts in the Middle East are exploding and there are major disruptions in international trade. As the United States prepares to commemorate a major anniversary of its founding, the nation debates how, what, and whether to celebrate.
The moment captured here is the early 1970s; the upcoming anniversary is the U.S. bicentennial; and the president is Richard Nixon. In this deeply conflicted period, how do the “leaders of the free world” talk about borders, immigrants, and visitors?
On July 4, 1971, President Nixon launched “The Bicentennial Era” with a televised address from the National Archives, where an original copy of the Declaration of Independence was on display. Pledging his support for “the building of an open world,” Nixon expressed his hopes for “open borders, open hearts, open minds” by 1976.
One year later, Nixon delivered a radio address that invited the world to visit the United States during the bicentennial era. “Let America be known throughout the world as the ‘land of the open door,’” the president declared. “This is the time to open our hearts and our homes and our communities to those who come to America for the first time.” “Our Bicentennial era,” he emphasized, “is a time for America to say to the nations of the world, ‘You helped to make us what we are. Come and see what wonders your countrymen have worked in this new country of ours. Come and let us say thank you.’”
Two years later, Nixon appointed John Warner, the former Navy Secretary and future Republican Senator from Virginia, to lead the American Revolution Bicentennial Administration (ARBA). After ethnic, indigenous, and racial minorities criticized ARBA for not sufficiently supporting their participation in the national celebration, the agency convened a conference that resulted in the founding of “a Bicentennial multi-ethnic and racial coalition” that would have a “direct line” to ARBA. Warner endorsed the coalition’s call for “full ethnic and racial participation in all Bicentennial planning and funding.” One participant commented, “We’re really hopeful now that all of the children have been invited to the birthday party.”