Magazines and the Making of America: Modernization, Community, and Print Culture, 1741–1860 (Princeton Studies in Cultural Sociology)

Synopsis

From The Colonial Era To The Onset Of The Civil War, Magazines And The Making Of America Looks At How Magazines And The Individuals, Organizations, And Circumstances They Connected Ushered America Into The Modern Age. How Did A Magazine Industry Emerge In The United States, Where There Were Once Only Amateur Authors, Clumsy Technologies For Production And Distribution, And Sparse Reader Demand? What Legitimated Magazines As They Competed With Other Media, Such As Newspapers, Books And Letters? And What Role Did Magazines Play In The Integration Or Division Of American Society? From Their First Appearance In 1741, Magazines Brought Together Like-minded People, Wherever Interests They Shared. As America Became Socially Differentiated, Magazines Engaged And Empowered Diverse Communities Of Faith, Purpose, And Practice. Religious Groups Could Distinguish Themselves From Others And Demarcate Their Identities. Social-reform Movements Could Energize Activists Across The Country To Push For Change. People In Specialized Occupations Could Meet And Learn From One Another To Improve Their Practices. Magazines Built Translocal Communities - Collections Of People Were Common Interests Who Were Geographically Dispersed And Could Not Easily Meet Face To Face. By Supporting Communities That Crossed Various Axes Of Social Structure, Magazines Also Fostered Pluralistic Integration. Looking At The Important Role That Magazines Had In Mediating And Sustaining Critical Debates And Diverse Groups Of People, Magazines And The Making Of America Considers How These Print Publications Helped Construct A Distinctly American Society. -- From Dust Jacket. Chatper 1: Introduction -- Why Focus On Magazines? -- Magazines, Modernization, And Community In America -- The Modernization Of America -- Modernization And Community In America -- The Path Forward: The Outline Of This Book -- Chapter 2: The History Of American Magazines, 1741-1860 -- Magazine Origins -- Magazine Evolutions -- Variety Within And Among Magazines -- Chapter 3: The Material And Cultural Foundations Of American Magazines -- Publishing Technologies -- Distribution Infrastructure: The Post Office -- The Reading Public -- Professional Authors And Copyright Law -- Chapter 4: Launching Magazines -- Who Founded American Magazines? -- Why Were Magazines Founded? -- How Did Magazines Gain Public Support? -- Chapter 5: Religion -- The Changing Face Of American Religion -- The Interplay Between Religion And Magazines -- Chapter 6: Social Reform -- The Evolution Of Social Reform Movements -- Religion And Reform: The Moral Impulse -- Magazines And Reform -- The Press, The Pulpit, And The Antislavery Movement -- Chapter 7: The Economy -- Economic Development -- Commerce And Magazines -- Rationality And Science In America -- A New American Revolution: Agriculture Becomes Scientific -- Chapter 8: Conclusion. Heather A. Haveman. Includes Bibliographical References And Index.