Born in the U.S.A.: Birth, Commemoration, and American Public Memory

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Scores of birthplace monuments and historic childhood homes dot the American landscape. These special places, many dating to the early years of the last century, have enshrined nativity alongside patriotism and valor among the key pillars of the nation’s popular historical imagination. The essays in this volume suggest that the way Americans have celebrated famous births reflects evolving expectations of citizenship as well as a willingness to edit the past when those hopes go unfulfilled. The contributors also demonstrate that the reinvention of origin myths at birthplace monuments still factors in American political culture and the search for meaning in an ever-shifting global order. Beyond asking why it is that Americans care about birthplaces and how they choose which ones to commemorate, Born in the U.S.A. offers insights from historians , curators, interpretive specialists, and others whose experience speaks directly to the challenges of managing historical sites. Each essay points to new ways of telling old stories at these mainstays of American memory. The case of the modern house museum receives special attention in a provocative concluding essay by Patricia West. In addition to West and the editor, contributors include Christine Arato, Dan Currie, Keith A. Erekson, David Glassberg, Anna Thompson Hajdik, Zachary J. Lechner, Paul Lewis, Hilary Iris Lowe, Cynthia Miller, Laura Lawfer Orr, Robert Paynter, Angela Phelps, and Paul Reber. “Born in the U.S.A. will appeal to almost anyone interested in public history. The scholarship is exceptional. The work will be valuable to students in American studies, public history, and museum studies as well as to historic site administrators and their staffs.”—Kenneth C. Turino, Historic New England SETH C. BRUGGEMAN is assistant professor of history and American studies and public history coordinator at Temple University. He is author of Here, George Washington Was Born: Memory, Material Culture, and the Public History of a National Monument. A volume in the series Public History in Historical Perspective Cover design by Sally Nichols Cover art: Details of Mark Twain’s birthplace in Florida, Missouri, ca 1910, and the 36 star American flag courtesy Library of Congress. UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS PRESS Amherst & Boston www.umass.edu/umpress ...