New England Anew

In his last pages, Peterson justly criticizes past historians for subordinating the story of this regional heritage to the dictates of a nation-making narrative. He is not alone in seeking to restore a more autonomous early American history. Yet Peterson's construction of Boston's past as...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The New England quarterly 2020-06, Vol.93 (2), p.221-227
Main Author: Van Engen, Abram
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
American history
Cities
Cultural heritage
Historians
Peterson, Mark
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Summary:In his last pages, Peterson justly criticizes past historians for subordinating the story of this regional heritage to the dictates of a nation-making narrative. He is not alone in seeking to restore a more autonomous early American history. Yet Peterson's construction of Boston's past as tragic drama, however eloquently told, still comes across as partial and particularistic. It is unfortunate that in choosing to focus on the practice of public life beyond the city and the stories of certain individuals therein, he has so little opportunity to show how these individuals--or anyone else--expressed and sought to maintain those ideals he sees as central to Bostons founding.
ISSN:0028-4866
1937-2213
DOI:10.1162/tneq_a_00814