New York Almanack

History, Natural History & the Arts

Am Rev Reborn Series

Peter Feinman: New York and the American Dream

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home_revolutionOver the summer, I wrote a series of posts on the American Revolution Reborn conference. Those posts included segments devoted to the American Dream and American Exceptionalism. In course of writing those posts, I had private communications with Mike Zimmerman, the initiator of the conference.

This led to him writing a post for The New York History Blog. In my opinion, part of that post derived some from immediate and current events in the American political arena, particularly the judgment in the Zimmerman/Martin murder case which seems to be in the news again. [Read more…] about Peter Feinman: New York and the American Dream

The American Revolution Reborn:
New Perspectives for the Twenty-First Century

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home_revolutionAs July 4 nears, the issues raised at the conference seem particularly appropriate for us both as Americans and New Yorkers with many historic sites related to that war.

The American Revolution Reborn: New Perspectives for the Twenty-First Century conference was held on May 30 to June 1, 2013, at the American Philosophical Society very near the Liberty Bell in Philadelphia. This free event originated by and was made possible through the generosity of Frank Fox operating through the McNeil Center for Early American Studies at the University of Pennsylvania. The McNeil Center, the Library Company of Philadelphia and the future Museum of the American Revolution hosted receptions as part of the conference. [Read more…] about The American Revolution Reborn:
New Perspectives for the Twenty-First Century

American Revolution Reborn: Part II

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home_revolutionEditor’s note: This is the second post on the American Revolution Reborn Conference. Part I on the conference organization was posted here. You can read the complete series here.

The American Revolution Reborn conference raised significant issues which require further investigation, analysis, and comment. [Read more…] about American Revolution Reborn: Part II

American Revolution Reborn: Missing New York

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home_revolutionEditor’s note: This is the third post on the American Revolution Reborn Conference. You can read the complete series here.

The conference also was important for the themes it didn’t include as was brought out in some of the questions and comments.

An area of significant omission was one with particular significance for New York State:  military history. One attendee from Boston sitting in the front row just in front of me privately expressed his keen disappointment at its absence from conference. [Read more…] about American Revolution Reborn: Missing New York

American Revolution Reborn:
Religion, Diversity, and E Pluribus Unum

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home_revolutionEditor’s note: This is the fourth post on the American Revolution Reborn Conference. You can read the complete series here.

Conference Omissions and Challenges

The conference also was important for the themes it didn’t include as was brought out in some of the questions and comments. [Read more…] about American Revolution Reborn:
Religion, Diversity, and E Pluribus Unum

American Revolution Reborn: America Renewed

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home_revolutionEditor’s note: This is the fifth and final post on the American Revolution Reborn Conference. You can read the complete series here.

Conference organizer Zuckerman asked how does one enlist loyalty voluntarily especially if people are not supportive (disaffected). He wondered about nation building and civics in such an environment. We are a story telling species. Gordon-Reed, Harvard University, said people want a narrative, that the story is what people respond to. Anishanslin, CUNY Staten Island, observed that Americans learn about the Revolution from historic sites, that monuments shape public memory. She objected to the cleansing of the story and called for the Iroquois story to be told. [Read more…] about American Revolution Reborn: America Renewed