This paper examines the Hashemite ruling family's nation-building efforts by focusing on the development of educational systems in Jordan. After briefly looking at the Ottoman Empire's reforms during a period of modernization and development in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, the paper focuses on the development of Jordan's national identity under Hashemite rule. The paper discusses general state- and nation-building efforts under Abdullah I and Hussein. It continues by narrowing its focus and evaluating Abdullah II's nation-building initiatives, especially those related to education, throughout the course of the last fourteen years. I use the theoretical frameworks of Dale Eickelman and Amaney Jamal as a lens through which to analyze Hashemite nation-building initiatives and better understand how the Hashemite rulers, especially Abdullah II, have manipulated Arab, Islamic, and Jordanian affiliations in order to establish their authority and promote the political legitimacy of the Hashemites as the ruling family of Jordan. Abdullah II's nation-building initiatives are still being implemented, so as of now a definitive conclusion about the motivations and efficacy of his changes cannot be reached. I argue that, at this point in time, his reforms may not have effectively maintained his own political legitimacy as King, but they have succeeded in maintaining the political legitimacy of the Hashemite family as a whole in the eyes of the Jordanian people.