The American People and the Centennial of 1876

As your program states, my topic is The American People and the Centennial. When I was asked to come here, it was to say something about the country observed the 1876 Cen tennial. I have broadened that just a bit since I can't resist grinding some of my favorite axes about that fascinating and in some ways dreadful decade, the 1870s. So let me begin by describing some of the many Centennial celebrations, then go on to some of the attitudes which people of that day had about the Centennial and what they thought it represented, and fi nally try to describe for you a bit of the context which sur rounded the Centennial observance, both in 1876 itself and in the 1870s in general. Despite the vast differences in American life as it is in 1976 and as it was in 1876, which led among other things to differences between the Centennial and Bicentennial celebra tions, there were nevertheless certain similarities. One of them was that in both cases a considerable amount of advance plan ning went on. We will probably never know for certain just how the idea of a Centennial celebration originated, and in the third and fourth quarters of the nineteenth century, there weren't the cadre of professional organizers of historic anniversaries such as have been with us since the Civil War centennial of the early 1960s, many of whom simply re-addressed their talents to the Bicentennial after the Civil War centennial wound down and who will probably round out their careers by organizing