DISCOVERING SERGEANT YORK: FINDING AND PROMOTING AN AMERICAN HERO

Abstract

The actions of Sergeant Alvin C. York during World War I, which earned him America’s highest military award for valor, the Medal of Honor, have been studied and celebrated since journalist George Pattullo published an article written about York in the April 26, 1919, issue of the Saturday Evening Post. When Pattullo’s story was printed, York became an instant national hero, celebrated throughout the United States and becoming a heroic figure representing the U.S. doughboy and the American fighting spirit. He was memorialized in books, comics, paintings, a Hollywood film, monuments, sculptures, and even his own action figure. Roads, bridges, and governmental buildings were named after him, and his home is now a Tennessee State Historic Park.

This dissertation explains why York’s story and image resonated more with the American public than other U.S. World War I veterans or heroes. It also examines the reasons York became so popular with the public. First, I examine what it means to be a hero in early twentieth-century America. Next, I study the people and events that propelled York into the public spotlight and the role they took in crafting a heroic, myth-like version of him. Lastly, I try to explain what was different about York’s story and how it captured the imagination of the U.S. public. This dissertation argues that public needed to have a heroic figure who personified traditional American values and represented how his fellow citizens idyllically viewed themselves. They found that in Sergeant Alvin York.