American Revolution in Popular Culture

Catchy dialogue, lovable characters, and unforgettable music have shaped popular understanding of the complexities of American independence. Indeed, college-aged Americans are likely to know their American Revolution primarily through Liberty’s Kids, American Girl dolls, and such musicals as Hamilton and 1776. How do these popular culture representations of the American past work to guide the present and future possibilities of American society? To shape the consciousness of Generation Z? To turn history into commodity, or to mobilize it in the service of radically divergent political agendas? As national attention turns to the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, this class explores the American Revolution’s multiple lives in popular culture since the Bicentennial. Students will read scholarship on the Revolution itself, as well as works on the politics of culture in modern America.