Finalist for the 2025 George Washington Book Prize
Americans agree that their nation’s origins lie in the Revolution, but they have never agreed on what the Revolution meant. For nearly two hundred and fifty years, politicians, political parties, social movements, and a diverse array of ordinary Americans have constantly reimagined the Revolution to fit the times and suit their own agendas.
In this sweeping take on American history, Michael D. Hattem reveals how conflicts over the meaning and legacy of the Revolution—including the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution—have influenced the most important events and tumultuous periods in the nation’s history; how African Americans, women, and other oppressed groups have shaped the popular memory of the Revolution; and how much of our contemporary memory of the Revolution is a product of the Cold War.
Hattem argues that the memory of the Revolution has provided a “shared language” that generations of Americans have used to express their political beliefs as well as their visions of the nation’s future. By exploring its unique role in American history as a national origin myth, this book shows how the meaning of the Revolution has never been fixed, how remembering the nation’s founding has often done far more to divide Americans than to unite them, and how revising the past is an important and long‑standing American political tradition.
AVAILABLE NOW in hardcover and ebook now through Yale University Press, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Bookshop, Fort Plain Museum, and other booksellers.
Liz Covart on Ben Franklin’s World, April 8, 2025.
PRAISE
“Michael Hattem has given us a brilliant and timely history of the ‘origin myth’ of the United States. As we approach the 250th anniversary of the country’s founding, amid questions about the future of our republic, this clear-eyed and cogent presentation of what the founding has meant to our history is exactly what we need.”—Annette Gordon-Reed, Pulitzer Prize–winning author of The Hemingses of Monticello: An American Family
“Describing the changing public memory of the American Revolution from the death of George Washington to the present, Hattem serves as an excellent guide to making sense of the many ways the loud, raucous, and increasingly democratic people of the United States have fought over the role of the past in justifying their various political movements, commitments, and beliefs. As Hattem shows, a free people will never entirely agree—except about the importance of our unique Founding to understand our great experiment in self-governance.”—Douglas Bradburn, president and CEO, George Washington’s Mount Vernon
“Michael Hattem’s Memory of ’76 shows that the American Revolution was infinitely more interesting than our primary-school pageants let on, that the struggles of the Revolutionary War never really ceased, and that our arguments over what the war meant have reshaped the meaning of America.”—Woody Holton, author of Liberty Is Sweet: The Hidden History of the American Revolution
“Such a smart study of the use and abuse of the memory of the American Revolution over the past two and a half centuries. Essential for understanding what’s coming in 2026 (and a lot of fun!).” – Frank Cogliano, author of Revolutionary Friendship: Washington, Jefferson, and the American Republic
“Michael D. Hattem’s insightful book … offers a compelling exploration of how Americans have turned their Revolution into a cornerstone of national identity.” – omgsgd.com
“This isn’t a history of the Revolution, but rather a history of what the Revolution has meant to Americans over time, and the clarity with which Hattem untangles these threads makes the book a crucial resource for anyone in public history. […] It challenges us to interrogate why we remember it the way we do—and whose interests those memories serve. It’s essential reading for anyone invested in public history’s role in confronting the narratives that continue to shape our present.” – Tad Stoermer, public historian
“I absolutely loved reading The Memory of ’76. This is an incredible book and particularly important as we are entering the season of these anniversaries…” – Scott Stephenson, CEO of the Museum of the American Revolution
SOCIAL MEDIA
ONLINE REVIEWS
“Dr. Hattem’s book is an outstanding read. As a secondary social studies teacher, I look forward to sharing some of the arguments in his book with my students. Many of us struggle to contextualize the fighting or “weaponization” of history for political purposes and Dr. Hattem’s book shows that there has always been a partisan angle to historical interpretation of events like the American Revolution. This is an impressive addition to the scholarship on the American Revolution and it is extremely accessible to all readers. Each section has a tight argument, interesting stories, and makes you want to jump into the next section. Very hard to put book down!” – Amazon review
“Dr. Hattem’s ambitious book provides a compelling look at how the American Revolution has been remembered and used over the years by a wide range of groups and movements. His scholarly research is top notch and his writing style is engaging and will appeal to professional historians, history buffs and general public alike. As the United States heads toward its 250th anniversary, this work provides a superb review of the multiplicity of interpretations the Revolution has been subject to over those years and into the present. A great read.” – Amazon review
“Dr. Hattem is an intentional story teller, as well as a fastidious historian who connects the dots for the rest of us. To be honest, I was afraid this book would be over my head. But I was drawn in right away by his anecdotes of Americans both applauding and longing to better their beloved country…. Bravo!” – Amazon review
“I originally began listening to the Audible version and was so hooked by the Introduction that I immediately ordered a hard copy of the book because I really wanted to absorb its content. Our history repeats itself in cycles, echos from the past – and as I read, I continually think of the cultural and political links between then and now. A very important work as we move into the final stretch of this election cycle – and beyond.” – Amazon review
“With the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution happening now, this book is perfectly timed to help museum professionals, public historians and teachers to make sense of the nation’s history of commemoration. It’ll help us all produce more meaningful and appropriate programming for the Semiquincentennial period.” – Amazon review
“A foundational must-have for every history of the American Revolution collection.” – Amazon review
“Powerful story of how we use the Revolution to support our political, religious and cultural views.” – Goodreads review
UPCOMING EVENTS
January 24, 2026: Pequot Library, Southport, CT.
January 29, 2026: American Antiquarian Society, 7pm (remote).
February 12, 2026: Tryon Palace, New Bern, NC.
February 19, 2026: CSU-Chico (remote), 8:30pm ET.
February 21, 2026: Minnesota Historical Society, St. Paul, MN.
February 25, 2026: New Haven Museum, New Haven, CT.
February 26, 2026: Tryon Palace, New Bern, NC.
March 12, 2026: Darien Library, Darien, CT.
March 17: US Court of Appeals First Circuit Judges Conference, Portland, ME. (private event)
March 19, 2026: Old Sturbridge Village (remote).
April 9, 2026: Sam Houston State University, Huntsville, TX.
May 18, 2026: Massachusetts Historical Society, Boston, MA.
PAST EVENTS
October 19, 2025: Ridgefield Library, Ridgefield, CT, 2pm.
August 12, 2025: “2025 George Washington Book Prize Finalists,” Mount Vernon. [broadcast live on C-SPAN]
June 12, 2025: Newport Historical Society, Newport, RI.
April 29th and May 6th: “Making the Declaration Relevant at 250,” webinar, CT Council for the Social Studies.
April 12, 2025: “Concord and the Popular Memory of the Revolution,” 1775: A Society on the Brink of Revolution and War, Concord Museum, Concord, MA.
April 9th: Virginia Military Institute, Lexington, VA.
April 5th: Concord Free Public Library, Concord, MA, 2pm.
March 28th: Mount Vernon Book Club, remote, 7pm.
March 21st: Keynote talk, “The Many Lives of the Declaration of Independence,” Shaping a Commemoration Rooted in Belonging, America250 CT, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT.
January 23rd: Read the Revolution Speaker Series, Museum of the American Revolution, Philadelphia, PA.
November 22nd: William V. Coombs American History Lecture, Miami University, Hamilton, OH.
November 19th: “Why We Remember the American Revolution,” Eastern Washington University History Department (via ZOOM).
November 14th: “Revolutionary Art,” Yale University Art Gallery, hosted by Yale-New Haven Teachers Institute, New Haven, CT.
October 24th: David Center Lecture, Washington’s Crossing Historical Park, Washington Crossing, PA.
October 23rd: Lunch at the Library, American Philosophical Society, Philadelphia, PA.
October 2nd at 7pm: “Ford Evening Book Talk: The Memory of ’76,” Mount Vernon, VA.
September 3rd at 6:30pm: “Author’s Talk—The Memory of ’76: The Revolution in American History,” Society of the Cincinnati, Washington, D.C.
August 15th at 7pm: Fireside Chat with Michael D. Hattem, Library Company of Philadelphia (virtual), Philadelphia, PA.
July 30th: Poor Richard’s Book Club (via ZOOM).
July 3rd: Repeating History, WCNY radio.
PODCASTS
REVIEWS
Eileen Ka-May Cheng, American Historical Review 130, no. 3 (September 2025): 1436-7.
Nicole Penn, American Political Thought 14, no. 3 (Summer 2025): 458-60.
Zachary W. Deibel, History of Education Quarterly 65, no. 1 (February 2025): 129-31.
Matthew J. Sparacio, “America’s Original Culture War,” orangeblossomordinary.com, March 27, 2025.
Tad Stoermer, “Contested Legacy: The Memory of ‘76 and the Stakes for Public History,” tadstoermer.com, December 11, 2024.
“Rediscovering the Memory of ’76,” omgsogd.com, December 19, 2024.
“‘The Memory of ’76’ Review: Reinventing the Revolution,” Wall Street Journal, August 21, 2024.
Michael D. Hattem 