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Sealed with Blood War, Sacrifice, and Memory in Revolutionary
America Sarah J. Purcell "A valuable contribution to our
understanding of the relationship between the American revolution
and national identity in the early republic."--"Journal of the
Early Republic" "Thoughtful and engaging. . . . Purcell's book
effectively demonstrates the transformation in the political
language and discourse surrounding wartime military
sacrifice."--"American Historical Review" "This book examines what
Sarah J. Purcell calls the military memory of the War of American
Independence in American life. . . . She convincingly contends that
the experience of war from 1775 to 1783 and the selective memory of
that experience figure largely in Americans' understanding of the
nation they created. . . . A sophisticated exploration of the
diverse uses to which dramatic war experiences could be
put."--"Military History" "Not only a significant contribution to
the field; it is also a good read."--"North Carolina Historical
Review" "A substantial contribution to the scholarship in early
republic cultural and political history, and in many ways an
exemplary study of public memory because of its wide vision, its
attentiveness to context, and its careful delineation of change
over time."--David Waldstreicher, author of "In the Midst of
Perpetual Fetes: The Making of American Nationalism, 1776-1820" The
first martyr to the cause of American liberty was Major General
Joseph Warren, a well-known political orator, physician, and
president of the Provincial Congress of Massachusetts. Shot in the
face at close range at Bunker Hill, Warren was at once transformed
into a national hero, with his story appearing throughout the
colonies in newspapers, songs, pamphlets, sermons, and even theater
productions. His death, though shockingly violent, was not unlike
tens of thousands of others, but his sacrifice came to mean
something much more significant to the American public. "Sealed
with Blood" reveals how public memories and commemorations of
Revolutionary War heroes, such as those for Warren, helped
Americans form a common bond and create a new national identity.
Drawing from extensive research on civic celebrations and
commemorative literature in the half-century that followed the War
for Independence, Sarah Purcell shows how people invoked memories
of their participation in and sacrifices during the war when they
wanted to shore up their political interests, make money, argue for
racial equality, solidify their class status, or protect their
personal reputations. Images were also used, especially those of
martyred officers, as examples of glory and sacrifice for the sake
of American political principles. By the midnineteenth century,
African Americans, women, and especially poor white veterans used
memories of the Revolutionary War to articulate their own, more
inclusive visions of the American nation and to try to enhance
their social and political status. Black slaves made explicit the
connection between military service and claims to freedom from
bondage. Between 1775 and 1825, the very idea of the American
nation itself was also democratized, as the role of "the people" in
keeping the sacred memory of the Revolutionary War broadened. Sarah
J. Purcell teaches history at Grinnell College. Early American
Studies 2002 288 pages 6 x 9 15 illus. ISBN 978-0-8122-3660-6 Cloth
$49.95s 32.50 ISBN 978-0-8122-2109-1 Paper $24.95s 16.50 World
Rights American History Short copy: "An exemplary study of public
memory because of its wide vision, its attentiveness to context,
and its careful delineation of change over time."--David
Waldstreicher, author of "In the Midst of Perpetual Fetes: The
Making of American Nationalism, 1776-1820"
This illuminating book examines how the public funerals of major
figures from the Civil War era shaped public memories of the war
and allowed a diverse set of people to contribute to changing
American national identities. These funerals featured lengthy
processions that sometimes crossed multiple state lines, burial
ceremonies open to the public, and other cultural productions of
commemoration such as oration and song. As Sarah J. Purcell
reveals, Americans' participation in these funeral rites led to
contemplation and contestation over the political and social
meanings of the war and the roles played by the honored dead.
Public mourning for military heroes, reformers, and politicians
distilled political and social anxieties as the country coped with
the aftermath of mass death and casualties. Purcell shows how
large-scale funerals for figures such as Henry Clay and Thomas J.
"Stonewall" Jackson set patterns for mourning culture and Civil War
commemoration; after 1865, public funerals for figures such as
Robert E. Lee, Charles Sumner, Frederick Douglass, and Winnie Davis
elaborated on these patterns and fostered public debate about the
meanings of the war, Reconstruction, race, and gender.
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