
this short, insightful book is about more than just the uses and abuses of the American Revolution and Founding Fathers by the Glenn Becks of the nation: it’s a reflection on the complexity not only of historical inquiry, but also of history itself. it bounces back and forth between the revolutionary past and the contested present, with several stops in between and glimpses into the lives of Americans of various stripes and statures, some of whom I’d never encountered before.
Lepore thoughtfully and patiently reflects on what the Revolution has meant over time, even detailing the many different meanings it has had simultaneously. without passing too much judgment or caricaturing her subjects, she interviews and profiles modern Tea Partiers and tries to place their concerns–and their claims–in a proper context. she thinks about the proper approach to and application of history, making a subtle apologia for the work of academic historians.
most interesting of all his her case that the Tea Party represents more than just ahistory or anti-history; it is a historical fundamentalism on par with (and closely paralleling) religious fundamentalism. I would love to have read a much longer, more detailed work, and look forward to seeing what else the author might have to say on the matter over the next few years.
Tags: American history, American Revolution, anti-history, anti-intellectualism, book review, Boston, Founding Fathers, Glenn Beck, historiography, history, Jill Lepore, nostalgia, Tea Party















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