Date of Award
12-2013
Degree Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Arts (MA)
Department
History
Committee Chair(s)
Kyle T. Bulthius
Committee
Kyle T. Bulthius
Committee
Keri Holt
Committee
James E. Sanders
Abstract
Scholars often present nationalism as a cohesive social construction, modeled on Benedict Anderson's theory of imagined communities.1 The strength and popularity of Anderson's immensely useful paradigm of nationalism, however, perhaps leads to excited scholars over-extending his theory or seeing imagined communities that are little more than imaginary. The early Republic forms one such historical time period where, evidence suggests, historians have conjured nationalism where only a fractured nation existed. The various riots and rebellions during the early Republic strikingly expose a severely fractured nation. This paper will examine and critique some theoretical frameworks of nationalism and mobs in order to contextualize some prominent contemporary views on the Whiskey Rebellion. Ultimately, this paper marshals historical evidence to question the concept of nationalism in what was a fractured, and violently divided nation.
Recommended Citation
Whitaker, Kevin P., "A Nation That Wasn't: The Whiskey Rebellion and a Fractured Early Republic" (2013). All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023. 345.
https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/gradreports/345
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