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American Revolution

Scholars in the Public Mind: American Revolution Reborn

August 20, 2013
by Peter Feinman

Thanks are due to Mike Zuckerman for his response to my series on the American Revolution Reborn conference which he organized. I appreciate his having read an unsolicited essay from a stranger whom he just met, for our extended email exchange, and for his contributing a post to New York History on this topic.

If I may, I would like to respond to his comments by separating them into two types: those that addressed the conference itself and those that refer to the more general question of America’s identity. Continue reading “Scholars in the Public Mind: American Revolution Reborn” →

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

July 27, 2013
by Peter Feinman

As 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. Continue reading “The American Revolution Reborn:New Perspectives for the Twenty-First Century” →

American Revolution Reborn: Part II

July 15, 2013
by Peter Feinman

Editor’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. Continue reading “American Revolution Reborn: Part II” →

American Revolution Reborn: Missing New York

July 10, 2013
by Peter Feinman

Editor’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. Continue reading “American Revolution Reborn: Missing New York” →

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

July 4, 2013
by Peter Feinman

Editor’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. Continue reading “American Revolution Reborn:Religion, Diversity, and E Pluribus Unum” →

American Revolution Reborn: America Renewed

July 1, 2013
by Peter Feinman

Editor’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. Continue reading “American Revolution Reborn: America Renewed” →

The Immigrant Thomas Cole and NY State Tourism

February 28, 2013
by Peter Feinman

Thomas Cole (1801-1848) , English immigrant, is regarded as a father of the Hudson River School, the first national art expression of the American identity in the post-War of 1812 period. It was a time when we no longer had to look over our shoulder at what England was doing and could begin to think of ourselves as having a manifest destiny. Cole also was very much part of the birth of tourism which occurred in the Hudson Valley and points north and west. Continue reading “The Immigrant Thomas Cole and NY State Tourism” →

Saratoga and the Eurozone Crisis

July 9, 2012
by Peter Feinman

Everyone has heard of the ongoing troubles in Greece and the Eurozone but nobody has realized the importance of Saratoga to understanding this crisis until now.

Let me explain. It seems that Greece lied in its application to join the Eurozone. Then as might be expected it failed to perform adequately and was only able to cover up its shortcomings as a third world country trying to pass as a first world country for so long. After the Greek elections when a new government took office, the truth was revealed and all hell broke loose. Continue reading “Saratoga and the Eurozone Crisis” →