Forefathers' Day Orations, 1769-1865: An Introduction and Checklist.

The first comprehensive checklist of Forefathers' Day orations documents the cultural significance of Plymouth anniversary festivities during the time of their highest visibility in revolutionary, early national, and antebellum America. It includes hitherto uncatalogued items and identities speeches previously not recognized as Forefathers' Day addresses. The recovery of orations given at celebrations outside of New England may support reconsiderations of Forefathers' Day as a site of national American memory between the Revolution and the Civil War.