Bristol Bicentennial Committee records

American Revolution Bicentennial, 1776-1976
The Fourth of July in 1976 marked the 200th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Congress established the American Revolution Bicentennial Administration (ARBA) in 1973 to help encourage and support local celebrations for the bicentennial. Official events began on April 1, 1975 with the American Freedom Train launching from Delaware to make its 21-month tour of the continental United States. The final national celebrations occurred on the Fourth of July in 1976. ARBA catalogued over 66,000 events during that time.

Lt. Col. Ruth M. Briggs
Lieutenant Colonel Ruth Mary Briggs was born on December 7, 1910 in Hopkinton, Rhode Island and died on July 2, 1985 in Bristol, Rhode Island. Briggs was the daughter of Ralph M. Briggs and Frances (Babcock) Briggs. She attended Coker College in Hartsville, South Carolina and then graduated with a Master’s in Political Science degree from Columbia University in New York, New York. Briggs graduated 4th in her class from Fort Des Moines and was immediately commissioned as a second lieutenant on August 29, 1942. Arriving in England in November 1942, Briggs was one of the first women to be sent abroad in World War II to serve in the Women’s Army Corps, as well as being the secretary to General Walter Bedell Smith during that time. After returning from the war, Briggs became the republican nominee for the United States Senate for the state of Rhode Island in 1966 and was defeated by democrat Claiborne Pell. She was survived by two brothers, Ralph Briggs of Atlanta and David Briggs of Meredith, N.H., one of whom donated the records in this collection to the State Archives after Lt. Col. Ruth M. Briggs’ death.