Re-Assessing Our Colonial Heritage: The Controversial Memorialization of Hannah Duston

Abstract:

Hannah Duston might be a footnote in our literary and colonial history, but her narrative demonstrates the power that stories have to drive people's beliefs. Those who view her monuments, when they are not defaced, come away thinking that she was a hero who triumphed over the Indians who kidnapped her and murdered her baby, but that is only part of what happened. The full story raises complicated questions that we as a nation still have not fully answered, and it pushes students to consider the ways in which time and context can alter our understanding of literary works and moments of history.