Book chapter
The Revolution and the Early Republic
The Oxford Handbook of American Jewish History
24 Feb 2026
Abstract
This chapter focuses on Jews’ quest for acceptance during the revolutionary and early national periods, and their participation in efforts to define a national identity. Most Jews faced a dilemma during the revolutionary war, but they ultimately sided with the Americans. In hopes of full inclusion, they engaged in a decades-long discourse about the legacy of the revolution. They invoked their contributions and demonstrated their embrace of revolutionary ideology in the religious, economic, and cultural realms. A democratic spirit infused the Jewish population as it grew and expanded geographically. Along with non-Jewish peers, prosperous acculturated Jews invested in internal improvement projects and cultural and philanthropic institutions. Their economic endeavors and cultural activities enabled them to perform American-ness.
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Details
- Title
- The Revolution and the Early Republic
- Creators
- Toni Pitock - Drexel University
- Contributors
- Shari Rabin (Editor) - Oberlin CollegeMichael R Cohen (Editor) - Tulane University
- Publication Details
- The Oxford Handbook of American Jewish History
- Series
- Oxford Handbooks
- Publisher
- Oxford University Press
- Resource Type
- Book chapter
- Language
- English
- Academic Unit
- History
- Scopus ID
- 2-s2.0-105029991258
- Other Identifier
- 991022146958004721