Includes bibliographical references (pages 291-367) and index.

"What images shape Americans' perceptions of their past? How do particular versions of history become the public history? And how have these views changed over time? David Glassberg explores these important questions by examining the pageantry craze of the early twentieth century, a time when thousands of Americans joined in civic celebrations by acting out dramatic episodes from their towns' history. His analysis contributes a new perspective to the debate about the allegedly declining interest of Americans in their own history. At its peak, between 1910 and 1917, pageantry blended elements of the historical oration and the carnival parade and served as a vehicle for local boosterism, patriotic moralizing, and popular entertainment. Many of its promoters, immersed in the world of progressive reform movements, also viewed pageantry as a dramatic public ritual that could bring about social and political transformation. Yet by the 1930s, the historical pageant had become primarily a professionally produced drama depicting a past frozen in time for tourists rather than the reenactment of a larger sweep of town history by and for its residents. Richly illustrated, this study will contribute to the debate about the allegedly declining interest of Americans in their own history"--Back cover.

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