Just when I thought I'd seen every possible angle on the Revolutionary War, Nathan Perl-Rosenthal has come up with a new approach to view the evolution of our country. He noted that every July 4 saw a multitude of town gatherings to celebrate the anniversary. Of these, the most significant were often reprinted as pamphlets, creating a fairly reliable report card on how Americans viewed the progress of our country.
In the first few decades, orators could often call out men in attendance, who had fought alongside Washington. The speakers were usually local politicians, but the podium became more diverse after 1830. In the decades leading up to the Civil War, slavery was often the commanding topic. Since the preponderance of events were held in New England, abolition was the main flavor, although gatherings in the Carolinas or Georgia took an opposite tack. Early on, the orators stressed that the revolution was still unfolding, but after the Civil War, they were more likely to conclude that the main work was finished. A fascinating look at the growth of our country.
Reviewed by Terry Ballard
June 2, 2026
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