American Memorials: Forging a National Identity A Study of Selected Monuments in the U.S.

Authors

Lindsay Larson, Brigham Young University
Dr. Susan Rugh, Brigham Young University

Keywords

American memorials, monuments, public memory, Shaw Memorial, Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Oklahoma City National Memorial

College

Family, Home, and Social Sciences

Department

History

Abstract

Yale historian Robin Winks writes, “We all know history is, simultaneously, three things: what actually happened, what historians choose to record, and what the people—and people, some people, these people, those people—believe to be true about the past.”¹ The study of “what people believe to be true about the past” is an emerging concern in the field of history. Although many historians question the legitimacy of studying public memory, it has become increasingly popular because historians, sociologists, and psychologists alike recognize that it largely defines the identity of individuals. In one of the most influential works on public memory, John Bodnar defines it as “a body of beliefs and ideas about the past that help a public or society understand both its past, present, and by implication, its future.”² Memorials offer a particularly potent arena in which to study how public memory is created and consequently influences identity.

Recommended Citation

Larson, Lindsay and Rugh, Dr. Susan (2014) "American Memorials: Forging a National Identity A Study of Selected Monuments in the U.S.," Journal of Undergraduate Research: Vol. 2014: Iss. 1, Article 242.
Available at: https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/jur/vol2014/iss1/242