It turns out that working and reworking American identity is as old as the creation of the republic itself. As we’ll see in this episode, the thing called “American History” is not a static set of truths to be uncovered, but a story that has had numerous versions told by individuals with their own motivations.

This and much more is uncovered in this discussion with Michael Hattem, author of "Past and Prologue: Politics and Memory in the American Revolution."

In this episode, we’ll discuss, among other things, how the American Revolution stands out from the Russian and the French; we’ll hear how colonists understood the past in relation to the present and how that understanding underwent its own transformation after the Revolution; we’ll talk about the creation of what Hattem calls an “American antiquity;” we’ll trace this and various other American efforts at cultural independence from Britain, including the creation of Columbus as the discoverer of America and the establishment of natural history museums and historical societies–all of which was the work of a network of individuals Hattem calls “cultural nationalists.”

Stick around for a conversation with a thoughtful author who helps us better understand the American Revolution, “American History,” and the interplay of the two.