Newswise — Many Americans believe that July 4, 1776, the day that the Declaration of Independence was adopted, was glorious and celebratory, yet the history of that day tells a different story. Central Michigan University history professor Tim Hall, an authority on early American history and the American Revolution, is available to comment on the often-misunderstood history of the holiday.
A few of Hall's initial comments on the subject:
* "Most people think colonists were waiting with bated breath for independence, but in fact the Declaration of Independence took a long time to gain consensus."
* "Even after war broke out the year before, colonists could not agree on exactly what the war meant. It took at least a full year to hammer out an agreement, and the Declaration of Independence actually ended up alienating many who had supported the protests against England up to that point."
Hall can talk about the Puritans and Pilgrims, the history of Thanksgiving, American religious history and revivals, culture, nationalism and evangelicalism. Hall also is an authority on the teaching of history in elementary and secondary schools and can comment on the development and content of the National History Standards and history and social studies core curricula in Michigan. He is the author of a book called "Contested Boundaries: Itinerancy and the Transformation of the Colonial American Religious World."
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