Date of Award

2015

Type

Thesis

Major

Master of Art in History

Degree Type

Master of Art in History

Department

History and Geography

First Advisor

Dr. Ilaria Scaglia

Second Advisor

Dr. Gary Sprayberry

Third Advisor

Dr. John Ellisor

Abstract

This thesis looks at the 1976 bicentennial of the American Revolution. Many towns across the United States took part in, or planned their own, celebrations to commemorate national history. Yet in many cases these town celebrations also memorialized a local and individual history. LaGrange, Georgia, was one such town. LaGrange claimed a personal tie to the bicentennial because of its asserted connection to the American Revolutionary hero Marquis de Lafayette, who related the area near Troup County to his French estate. This French connection led to a statue being placed in the LaGrange town square in 1976. By focusing on the planning, correspondence, and public events involving the bicentennial celebrations and the placement of the Lafayette statue this thesis intends to assess how a historical identity created by and perpetuated by the elite results in the concealment of local economic and racial strife. The Troup County Archives and the LaGrange College Archives contained much of the primary source materials for this research. By looking at this case study I hope to explore the larger idea of public spectacle and creation of culture and tradition within societies.

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