Memories of the American Revolution have been a powerful element in American nationalism from the beginning of the country. Even while the Revolution was taking place, Americans hoped they were participating in a series of events that would long be remembered and commemorated by their fellow countrymen and -women, and this helped them cast the Revolution and the Revolutionary War in glorious terms. Afterwards, Americans remembered the Revolution by reading books, buying artwork, marching in parades, and passing on oral traditions. Many of the important themes and patterns in this remembrance were set from the start, and although some of the meanings assigned to the Revolutionary past have shifted over the decades, some remain almost unchanged into the twenty-first century.

Revolutionary Memory in the Early Republic

Almost as soon as Revolutionary events occurred, Americans concerned themselves...