The Shoemaker and the Tea Party: Memory and the American Revolution

The Shoemaker and the Tea Party: Memory and the American Revolution (1991?)
By Alfred E. Young

Synopsis: Seeks to uncover the role of "common people" in the making of the Revolution, and notes that "this contest for the memory of the Revolution [which] jogs us to think anew about the larger historical process of forgetting and remembering" (xvii). How and why are some events remembered, and how are those events infused with meaning? "What does it mean for an event to be 'lost,' then 'found' and given a new name?" (xvii). Investigates these questions by looking at the life of shoemaker George Robert Twelve Hewes, an ordinary many who was ultimately exalted to hero status (as one of the last survivors of the Tea Party). Examines the two bios of Hewes (1830s) in order to probe Hewes memory and the idea of what is remembered. Draws a bit on scientific studies of memory to discuss personal memory process and connect it with public memory process. Wants to know why the Boston Tea Party didn't come to be called this until the 1830s. Also, why was Hewes exalted? Basically, in the process of remembering, Hewes viewed himself as an equal to his higher-ups, and recalls actually throwing tea overboard with John Hancock during Tea Party, even though Hancock was probably not even there. Notes that interest in Hewes and other "common men" veterans really increased in the 1830s as veterans were being denied pensions; Revolutionary War mythology was also really taking off at that time, though the meaning of the Tea Party and of the Revolution itself was contested. "Tea Party" served both conservatives (making light of the event) and revolutionaries (mocking genteel culture). Bottom line: Public memory is affected by popular events of the time. "The Tea Party, lost, buried, and willfully forgotten in public memory, was recovered in the context of popular movements claiming the Revolution...The Teac Party became an iconic event in public memory because men like Hewes came forward with their private memories" (194).

Interesting Specifics:

Memories are constructed "in the context of...community, broader politics, and social dynamics" (xiv).

Public memory "is what a society remembers collectively" (88).

The Boston Tea Party took place on December 16, 1773, and was the most revolutionary and carnivalesque event of that decade (102). Radical Whig people donned Indian personas.

American history was not taught in schools until 1820s-30s.

"...in a time of upheaval, ordinary people make events possible" (206).

Hewes was only 5'1.

Interacts With:

Kasson (Buffalo Bill book, with its focus on interaction of personal and public memory), Monochrome Memories (Jeff's list), Lowenthal (The Past is a Foreign Country), any book that talks about memory as affected by current needs.