"Huzza!": Toasting a New Nation, 1760-1815

by Timothy Symington

Overview

Raising a glass to toast someone at a wedding or birthday is a familiar and usually informal occurrence, but at one time it was a carefully orchestrated ritual. They were planned, revised, given at an event, and then printed in newspapers. Americans learned who was or was not toasted for early national celebrations: King George III, George Washington, the Fourth of July, Washington's birthday, Jefferson's election, or military victories. During the tumultuous years of partisan fighting, toasts were used to spread or attack certain ideologies. The toasts became glimpses into what Americans honored at specific moments in the years from the beginning of the American Revolution to the end of the War of 1812. This book is a history of the early American republic viewed through its many toasts, which were raised and published throughout the new nation. As one of the earliest forms of social media, they offer a unique lens to view American history and early popular opinion.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781476650562
Publisher:	McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers
Publication date:	09/29/2023
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	273
File size:	11 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Timothy Symington is a frequent contributor to the Journal of the American Revolution. He lives in Wilbraham, Massachusetts.
Timothy Symington is a frequent contributor to the Journal of the American Revolution. He lives in Wilbraham, Massachusetts.

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments
Preface
Introduction
 1. “Ridiculous Formality”
 2. “May our Mother never oppress her dutiful children,” 1763–1774
 3. “His Excellency General Washington and the Armies of America,” 1775–1783
 4. “May the Wisdom of 1775 pervade the Councils of 1787!” 1784–1788
 5. “The Rights of Man throughout the world,” 1789–1793
 6. “Hypocritical Federalism and Malignant Toryism,” 1793–1796
 7. “John Adams … the Rock and Strength of our political Salvation…,” 1797–1798
 8. The “double curse” of John Adams, 1798–1800
 9. “Thomas Jefferson, the polar star of republicanism,” 1801–1804
10. “The embargo—a deformed bantling of democracy…,” 1805–1808
11. “James Madison—‘tho last, not least’…,” 1809–1811
12. “…War.—The offspring of an adulterous intercourse…,” 1812–1815
13. “The American Fair—May every Mother give a WASHINGTON to her Country,” 1760–1815
14. Red Savages and Our National Curse, 1760–1815
Conclusion
Chapter Notes
Bibliography
Index