Long celebrated as a symbol of the country's origins, Plymouth Rock no longer receives much national attention. In fact, historians now generally agree that the Pilgrims' storied landing on the Rock never actually took place--the tradition having emerged more than a century after the arrival of the Mayflower. In Memory's Nation, however, John Seelye is not interested in the factual truth of the landing. He argues that what truly gives Plymouth Rock its significance is more than two centuries of oratorical, literary, and artistic celebrations of the Pilgrims' arrival. Seelye traces how different political, religious, and social groups used the image of the Rock on behalf of their own specific causes and ideologies. Drawing on a wealth of speeches, paintings, and popular illustrations, he shows how Plymouth Rock changed in meaning over the years, beginning as a symbol of freedom evoked in patriotic sermons at the start of the Revolution and eventually becoming an icon of exclusion during the 1920s. Originally published in 1998. A UNC Press Enduring Edition -- UNC Press Enduring Editions use the latest in digital technology to make available again books from our distinguished backlist that were previously out of print. These editions are published unaltered from the original, and are presented in affordable paperback formats, bringing readers both historical and cultural value.

An inquiry into how portrayals of the Pilgrims evolved from glorification to more accurate interpretations of history through performance

In Plymouth, the reader will find the elm-shaded streets, mill villages, modest shops, and rustic cottages that generations of residents and visitors have loved. Plymouth is best known as the Pilgrim landing place, but history did not stop when the dishes were cleared away from the first Thanksgiving. Plymouth's intriguing past is not altogether lost. A prosperous fishing village before the War of 1812, Plymouth developed mills and factories to line its modest brooks during the Industrial Revolution, and elegant dwellings were built to replace humble Colonial homes. Steamboats and the railway brought waves of immigrants and summer visitors, transforming the small Yankee village into a bustling town. Later, the mills closed, tourist traffic replaced the clatter of machinery, and massive housing developments transformed the town as the kaleidoscope of history turned yet again. In Plymouth, the reader will find the elm-shaded streets, mill villages, modest shops, and rustic pond-side cottages that generations of residents and visitors have loved. The reader will see vanished landmarks, such as the Samoset House and the Mayflower Inn, the Cornish and Burton schools, and the Leyden Street Casino. From the world's largest rope manufactory (Plymouth Cordage) to Uncle George's famous woolly horse, from Water Street's ancient wharves and chandleries to the storm of 1898, and from Pres. Warren G. Harding's tercentenary visit to Richard Nixon's welcome of the Mayflower II in 1957, the best of the town's visual history is gathered in Plymouth.

DigiCat Publishing presents to you this special edition of "Old Plymouth Trails" by Winthrop Packard. DigiCat Publishing considers every written word to be a legacy of humankind. Every DigiCat book has been carefully reproduced for republishing in a new modern format. The books are available in print, as well as ebooks. DigiCat hopes you will treat this work with the acknowledgment and passion it deserves as a classic of world literature.

The contributors ask critical questions about historic preservation and commemoration methods used by modern societies and their impact on the perception and identity of Native American peoples, who are generally not consulted in the commemoration process.

The origins and ever-changing story of America's favorite holiday