How do you celebrate a national commitment to equality, liberty, and tolerance in the middle of political upheaval, riots, and a national draft? What can we learn about the character of a city by studying how its representatives plan such a celebration?

These are the questions that drive Edward Duffy's book, Philadelphia Celebrates: Three Great Anniversaries 1876, 1926, 1976. A remarkable account of the Centennial, Sesquicentennial, and Bicentennial celebrations of the American Declaration of Independence, Philadelphia Celebrates lays bare the motivations behind the planning and execution of these celebrations. Far more than just a history, this book is, above all, a portrait of the people who made these celebrations possible: the rebels, the crooks, the advocates, and the citizens forgotten in the shadow of politicians' egos.

As his story unfolds, Duffy dives into unexpected places to unearth the relics of these celebrations, and ultimately presents his reader with a thoughtful history of Civil Rights, Women's Rights, and Religious Freedom in Philadelphia through the analysis of these "three great anniversaries." And what a timely analysis it is: with 2026 fast approaching, Philadelphia Celebrates reminds city officials that the success of a celebration depends on the support of local residents, no matter what the political climate.