Includes bibliographical references (p. 285-325) and index.
Contents
Identity, history, and the American calendar -- Political fireworks : American Independence Day, 1776-2000 -- Haven in a heartless calendar : America's Thanksgiving, 1621-2000 -- Reinventing America : Columbus Day and centenary celebrations of his voyage of "discovery," 1792-1992 -- Washington, Lincoln, and the unheroic Presidents' Day -- St. Monday : Memorial Day, Labor Day, and the celebration of leisure -- Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday : inventing an American tradition -- The future of the past.
