Michael D. Hattem is a historian of the American Revolution and popular memory. He is the author of The Memory of ’76: The Revolution in American History (2024) and Past and Prologue: Politics and Memory in the American Revolution (2020). He has worked as a consultant on historical documentaries, including appearing in Discovery Networks’ “American Revolution.” His work has been featured and mentioned in The New York Times, TIME magazine, The Smithsonian Magazine, the Washington Post, as well as many other mainstream media publications and outlets. He has also served as a historical consultant to multiple museums, curated historical exhibitions, authenticated and written catalogue essays for historical document auctions. He is currently the Associate Director of the Yale-New Haven Teachers Institute.

SPEECH TOPICS:

Remembering the American Revolution: The story of the American Revolution is our national “origin myth.” For nearly 250 years, Americans have developed an unusually deep emotional connection to their founding and to the founders responsible for creating the republic. As a result, the Revolution has had a prominent place in American politics and culture throughout our history. In this talk, Dr. Hattem discusses how and why Americans have such a unique attachment to their Revolution and its importance in American history as the nation’s “origin myth.”

How the Declaration of Independence Has Shaped American History: The importance of the Declaration goes far beyond just declaring independence from Britain in 1776. In the 250 years since, it has served as an important symbol in American politics and a touchstone for many of the nation’s most important social movements, from abolitionists and the suffragists in the nineteenth century to the civil rights movement in the twentieth century. In this talk, Dr. Hattem discusses the long and surprising history of how the Declaration has been remembered and interpreted throughout American history. 

The American Revolution and the Silver Screen: Many memorable and highly regarded movies have been made about the most momentous events in American history: the Civil War, World Wars I and II, the Cold War, and the Vietnam War. But the same cannot be said about the American Revolution. Why has the Revolution—the nation’s founding moment—never been the subject of a classic film. In this talk, Dr. Hattem discusses the history of attempts to translate the Revolution to the silver screen, beginning in the silent film era all the way through to more recent films like The Patriot. 

Who Gets to be a “Founder”?: The men we revere today as “the founding fathers” are not necessarily the same men who were thought of as founding fathers in the years immediately after the Revolution. In fact, the term “founding fathers” was only coined in 1916 by Warren G. Harding. Men like Dr. Joseph Warren, Paul Revere, and Crispus Attucks have at different times been thought of as “founders” and at other times have been forgotten. Even the reputations of the most popular founders like Washington, Adams, Jefferson, and Hamilton have changed over time. And, of course, in the last few decades, it has become common to talk about women as founders or “revolutionary mothers.” In this talk, Dr. Hattem examines why these changes have occurred and explores the question: Who gets to be remembered as a founder? 

What Did the Bicentennial Mean? Travel back in time to… 1976! When we think of the Bicentennial, many are apt to remember parades, 1776 flags, and tricorn hats. But the Bicentennial actually occurred during one of the most tumultuous and consequential periods in American history. Watergate, the oil crisis, Nixon’s resignation, the withdrawal of Vietnam… even the release of the Zapruder film. Underneath the red, white, and blue veneer of the Bicentennial simmered surprising and entertaining stories of politics, corruption, and commercialism run amok as the nation tried to celebrate its birth while facing an uncertain future.