American Relics and the Politics of Public Memory

by Matthew Dennis

The gold epaulettes that George Washington wore into battle. A Union soldier's bloody shirt in the wake of the Civil War. A crushed wristwatch after the 9/11 attacks. The bullet-riddled door of the Pulse nightclub. Volatile and shape-shifting, relics have long played a role in memorializing the American past, acting as physical reminders of hard-won battles, mass tragedies, and political triumphs.

Surveying the expanse of U.S. history, American...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 162534712X
• ISBN13: 9781625347121
• Release Date: April 2023
• Publisher: University of Massachusetts Press
• Length: 424 Pages