The historiography of the early American navy and, more definitively, the USS Constitution's role in American consciousness revolve around the valorous acts associated with the naval
engagement between the Constitution and the HMS Guerriere during the War of 1812. The basis for this mass public appeal was presented, disseminated, and perpetuated by historians,
journalists, and popular writers. Paralleling historical and popular works, the public perception of the Constitution and the prowess of America's frigate fleet as a whole subsequently
rose to dizzying heights after the War of 1812—based on the evidence emanating from a single naval engagement that lasted just over half an hour. This work seeks to examine how the
Constitution ascended to such great military heights when all the odds were against American naval hegemony following the Revolutionary War. By comparing and contrasting naval
correspondence, captain's logs, and ship records associated with America's original frigate fleet, a better sense of the collective biographies of the six frigates will be achieved; and,
in the process, lend greater perspective to the history of the early American Navy. The methodology of this dissertation is to view the American Navy through the lens of the captains,
officers, and crew that served on the Constitution. While this study looks to add insight into naval development by comparing and contrasting each of the original six American frigates,
the USS Constitution is at the center of the investigation. This is a case study that utilizes the Constitution as a means to view and balance the successes and failures of the early
American Navy. / A Dissertation submitted to the Department of History in partial fulfillment of the Doctor of Philosophy. / Fall Semester 2015. / October 9, 2015. / American, History, Military, Navy / Includes bibliographical references. / Rafe Blaufarb, Professor Directing Dissertation; Candace Ward, University Representative; Jonathan Grant, Committee Member; Maxine Jones, Committee
Member; Nathan Stoltzfus, Committee Member.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:fsu.edu/oai:fsu.digital.flvc.org:fsu_291267 |
| Contributors | Byington, Richard Brownlow (authoraut), Blaufarb, Rafe (professor directing dissertation), Ward, Candace (university representative), Grant, Jonathan A., 1963- (committee member), Jones, Maxine Deloris (committee member), Stoltzfus, Nathan (committee member), Florida State University (degree granting institution), College of Arts and Sciences (degree granting college), Department of History (degree granting department) |
| Publisher | Florida State University |
| Source Sets | Florida State University |
| Language | English, English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Text, text |
| Format | 1 online resource (244 pages), computer, application/pdf |
| Coverage | United States |
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