The New Nation, 1783-1816: (American Popular Culture Through History) (repost)
Anita Vickers "The New Nation, 1783-1816: (American Popular Culture Through History)"
Greenwood Press | 2002-06 | ISBN: 0313312648 | 264 pages | PDF | 2 MB
Greenwood Press | 2002-06 | ISBN: 0313312648 | 264 pages | PDF | 2 MB
Most historical studies bury us in wars and politics, paying scant attention to the everyday effects of pop culture. Welcome to America's other history: the arts, activities, common items, and popular opinions that profoundly impacted our national way of life. At the birth of the nation, when America's statesmen were laying the foundations of a new government, citizens were forging a popular culture to call their own. Patriotic symbols like the eagle and the profile of George Washington symbolized the virtues of the young nation. People from all classes–farmers, merchants, and the educated wealthy–turned away from European culture and began to recognize America's own prodigies. Homes, furnitures, fashions, and pastimes sprang from the new climate and topography. The styles, hobbies, and entertainments would evolve into the uniquely American popular culture we recognize today. Early American artists such as Benjamin West, John Singleton Copley, and Charles Wilson Peale emerged along with original contributions to culture, including: