America's public holidays, 1865-1920

the long version

"Between the close of the Civil War and the end of World War I, Americans invented more than twenty-five holidays. Investigating a wide array of secular holidays, Ellen M. Litwicki argues that their invention and celebration provided various American groups with the opportunity to recast the story of the United States with themselves in the pivotal roles. She shows how competing commemorations reflected both the diversity of the nation's populace and the fragility of the sponsors' visions of unity.". "Although many of the public holidays created between 1865 and 1920 seem to have devolved into little more than three-day weekends, Litwicki demonstrates that their celebrations still have the potential not only to convey American ideals but also to expose tensions in American society."--BOOK JACKET.