What term described the United States' 150th anniversary celebration in 1926?

The term for the United States' 150th anniversary celebration in 1926 was sesquicentennial.

“Sesquicentennial” means a 150th anniversary. The United States observed this milestone in 1926, half a century after the 1876 centennial and 50 years before the 1976 bicentennial.

Philadelphia hosted the Sesquicentennial Exposition, a large international exhibition intended to commemorate American independence. The event included exhibits, architecture, transportation displays, and cultural programming, although it did not achieve the same lasting reputation as the 1876 Centennial Exposition.

The term is often confused with “semiquincentennial,” which means 250 years. The distinction is numerical: sesquicentennial refers to 150, while semiquincentennial refers to 250. America250 therefore celebrates a semiquincentennial, not a sesquicentennial.