In the United States in 1876, memories of the Civil War were still raw. In Australia in 1888, the six British colonies on the continent were not yet federated in a national government. In both countries, too, sheer size gave region and locality far more significance than they have today. Yet despite seemingly insuperable political, geographic, and social boundaries, many “Americans” and “Australians” organized and took part in big national centennial celebrations. Many Americans did mark, with elaborate ritual and weighty language, the hundred years since their Declaration of Independence. Many Australians celebrated in even more florid language the passing of a hundred years since the British founding of the first penal colony on the continent.

What did nationality mean to people involved in these events? How did their symbols and visions of the nation make sense to them? Organizers, participants, and critics made implicit and explicit claims about what they shared and where they stood in the world. In both countries, claims to nationhood could often transcend –if not deny — political division and international insignificance. Glorified visions of nationhood were often allowed full rein: people in each country were said to share astounding progress, incredible political freedom, and fantastic prosperity. Those who spoke for the nation claimed an honorable place in a world of nation-states. Australians were able to imagine that

And many Americans were comforted by the thought of