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Whose Revolution? Rethinking the Legacy of America’s First Generation

Joyce Appleby’s Inheriting the Revolution offers a compelling look at how the first post-Revolution generation embraced independence, but it leans too heavily on a celebratory narrative. By focusing on the beneficiaries—primarily white men—it reinforces the patriot myth while sidelining those excluded from the Revolution’s promises, such as Indigenous people, enslaved Black people, and women. Though richly researched, the book falls short in interrogating the inequalities that defined this era, making it a valuable but incomplete account of America’s revolutionary legacy.

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Contested Legacy: The Memory of ‘76 and the Stakes for Public History

Michael Hattem’s The Memory of '76 examines how Americans have shaped the memory of the Revolution to serve evolving political and cultural agendas. The book excels in its accessible analysis of contested narratives, highlighting exclusions that have reinforced narrow national identities. Ultimately, the book challenges public historians to confront myths and engage critically with how we remember the Revolution—and why it matters.

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Dismantling Christian Nationalism: A Bold Start, but Not the Whole Story

Andrew L. Seidel’s The Founding Myth delivers a sharp critique of Christian nationalism, dismantling its claims with clarity and precision. While Seidel excels at exposing the dangers of intertwining religion and governance, his counter-narrative oversimplifies the founders’ secularism and misses the broader systems of exclusion—like white supremacy and patriarchy—that underpin Christian nationalist myths. For public historians, the book is a valuable critique but lacks practical tools for engaging audiences with more inclusive, honest storytelling about the past. It’s a bold step forward, but the work of truly dismantling these myths is far from complete.

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Who Owns the Revolution? A Public Historian Reviews Fighting Over the Founders

Andrew Schocket’s Fighting Over the Founders is a sharp analysis of how the American Revolution is remembered and used in modern culture, particularly through sanitized heritage narratives and popular media. He highlights the book’s framework of "essentialists" and "organicists" as a useful tool for understanding these debates and commends its critique of commodified and exclusionary historical storytelling. However, Schocket occasionally softens his critique and pays less attention to the voices historically excluded from Revolutionary narratives. Ultimately, the book is an important call for public historians to challenge myths and uphold honest history in the face of political and cultural manipulation.

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