Upstart Americans establish international credentials through the “Style of Power” at the U.Va. Library

The young United States faced the challenge of establishing itself in the international arena as a player with staying power after the 1783 defeat of the British in the Revolutionary War. To accomplish this, Americans did what they had always done: They bought goods and borrowed ideas from the Europeans, including the ones they had just beaten in a war. A new exhibit at the University of Virginia Library shows that although Americans had defeated Great Britain, they did not completely break away from the mother country. In establishing their new nation, America relied heavily on old-World European traditions.

“The Style of Power: Building a New Nation” is currently on display in the main exhibit gallery of the Mary and David Harrison Institute for American History, Literature and Culture and the Albert and Shirley Small Special Collections Library. Exhibit hours are generally Monday through Saturday, 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. Check library times at http://www.lib.virginia.edu/hours/. Admission is free.