Abstract
This thesis is a comparative examination of the centennial celebrations of the American and French Revolutions. It studies the International Expositions held in these countries in 1876 and1889 respectively. This thesis attempts to answer the question of what purpose did these expositions have in their respective countries, and how successful each exposition was in meeting these purposes. In general it is argued that the American centennial exposition failed because its purpose changed to become more extreme and exclusionary. The French centennial exposition succeeded because its purpose changed to become more moderate and inclusive. The research for this thesis was done in the City Archives of Philadelphia and using various published primary sources.