Remaking America

Patriotism, memory, commemoration. These words all participate within a public arena at times, and are exploited and utilized by many different people and groups. The author John Bodnar has written Remaking America: Public Memory, Commemoration, and Patriotism in the Twentieth Century to explore this exact arena. In one of his opening sentences he describes the purpose of his book to be, “the creation of public memory in commemorative activities celebrating America’s past and the dramatic exchange of interests that are involved in such exercises…” (13) Throughout the chapters of this book, Bodnar explores the changes within public memory in America’s history. He focuses on the utilization of different groups and powers to change public memory through commemoration activities. Bodnar begins by looking at the Vietnam Veteran’s Memorial. He then moves onto discussing the changes in public memory according to the American Revolution.
Throughout his research and his writing, Bodnar exposes how vernacular memory and official memory are linked and how they are separated. He explains the differences and the way to the two affect each other. Vernacular memory is that memory which is attached at the local level. It is often attached to local events and emotions. Official memory is that which is propagated by the nation-state. Throughout this book, Bodnar directs the reader to his conclusion that often the cultural elite, the powerful, and the merchants control the public memory. He also shows how the government eventually found its way into the vernacular memory as ties weakened. The need to maintain the status quo and structure within society pushed the government into taking over commemoration and pageantry.
Within ethnic memory, Bodnar shows how the need to show patriotism often overtook the need to maintain a vernacular ethnic history. The Irish professionals within the American-Irish Historical Society are used as an example of how ethnic groups tried to show patriotism to link their ethnicities to the American Revolution. It is interesting to note that many ethnic groups used their ethnicity’s links to the American Revolution to legitimate their history and their place in the U.S.
Bodnar shows how symbols can change at times as well, such as that of George Washington and the American Revolution. Throughout this book it becomes clear the importance of the American Revolution to the U.S. and to its own understanding of public memory and commemoration. The pre-eminence of national identity over others becomes clear through his examples and use of the park service’s pageantry.
Overall, this book is effective at showing how public memory is shaped by the powerful and held onto tightly by the officials. While his writing at times is dry and methodical, he does express his point well through examples. He admits in the preface that he comes from a social history background and only came across this topic through research into political expressions of patriotism. He began by looking at the small world and found the big world in charge.