The Meaning of the American Bicentennial

Authors

Hans R. Guggisberg

Keywords

American Bicentennial, historical research

Abstract

People who deal professionally with historical research , historical writing or the teaching of history, tend somewhat to look down their noses at anniversaries which commemorate historical events or personalities. Why is it, they ask, that the general public suddenly seems to take an interest in history when the latter takes the shape of a roundnumbered date, while otherwise in our world so exclusively concerned with the present and the future, none but the professional historians still believe that we can learn from the past? It would not be easy to answer that question and I shall not attempt to do so here. But I would like to seize the occasion to point out that one can also judge the worth and the function of such commemorations in a different way. Even the professional historian must certainly admit that these events have their place and that it is better to remember historical facts on round-numbered dates than to forget them altogether. In addition, anniversaries not only intensify the general interest in history, they serve also as impulses for research; quite often they improve or create the material basis and the chances for scientific work.

Recommended Citation

Guggisberg, Hans R. (1976) "The Meaning of the American Bicentennial," Swiss American Historical Society Newsletter: Vol. 12: Iss. 2, Article 4.
Available at: https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/sahs_newsletter/vol12/iss2/4