Usable History, Discarded Past: Imagining a National History across the Long Revolutionary Generation

Historians reconcile events with stories that are told (or not told) about them. How does one narrative dominate while others fade away? This dissertation investigates histories of the colonies for change over time and addresses the differences and similarities between narratives written by colonists, foreigners, revolutionaries (or loyalists), and citizens of the new Republic. It examines the creation of colonial histories across the long revolutionary generation (roughly 1730-1830) to identify the cumulative development of a national narrative.

In chaotic times, people create a particular version of the past to navigate an uncertain future. When published, this interpretation hardens into history. My project illuminates and explains current gaps between colonial and revolutionary history. The colonial histories published during this time informed and shaped an emerging historical consciousness. These formative narratives reimagined the past to serve needs of the present and to define conclusions about their place in the world. In a time of division in modern American culture, it is imperative to understand this period in American history, as it represents the origin of many competing claims to the "true" goals of the Revolution that continue to reverberate in current times.