War stories and the meaning of the American Revolution

这个项目旨在了解记忆和战争在国家形成中的作用，特别是在美国的建立过程中。美国独立战争定义了美国这个国家。人们对这场战争的普遍看法是，爱国的公民团结起来，反抗英国暴政的枷锁，建立民主制度。然而，这也是一场旷日持久的、分裂的、血腥的独立战争，许多同时代的人称之为内战。这个项目将研究在共和国早期被忽视的普通美国人的回忆录。了解参与者如何理解这场冲突，可以展示战争、记忆和历史如何创造国家，如何维持和丰富民主国家的公民身份。

This project aims to understand the role of memory and war in nation-making, particularly in the founding of the United States. The American Revolution defined the American nation. The common view of it is dominated by images of patriotic citizens rising up together against the yoke of British tyranny to establish a democracy. However, it was also a protracted, divisive and bloody War for Independence and many contemporaries called it a civil war. This project will examine the neglected memoirs of ordinary Americans in the early republic. Understanding how participants made sense of this conflict can show how war, memory and history create nations and sustain and enrich citizenship in democracies.