Spreading the News : : The American Postal System from Franklin to Morse / / Richard R. John.
In the seven decades from its establishment in 1775 to the commercialization of the electric telegraph in 1844, the American postal system spurred a communications revolution no less far-reaching than the subsequent revolutions associated with the telegraph, telephone, and computer. This book tells...
Saved in:
Superior document: | Title is part of eBook package: De Gruyter HUP eBook Package Archive 1893-1999 |
---|---|
VerfasserIn: | |
Place / Publishing House: | Cambridge, MA : : Harvard University Press, , [2022] ©1995 |
Year of Publication: | 2022 |
Language: | English |
Online Access: | |
Physical Description: | 1 online resource (383 p.) |
Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
id |
9780674039148 |
---|---|
ctrlnum |
(DE-B1597)574618 (OCoLC)1294423709 |
collection |
bib_alma |
record_format |
marc |
spelling |
John, Richard R., author. aut http://id.loc.gov/vocabulary/relators/aut Spreading the News : The American Postal System from Franklin to Morse / Richard R. John. Cambridge, MA : Harvard University Press, [2022] ©1995 1 online resource (383 p.) text txt rdacontent computer c rdamedia online resource cr rdacarrier text file PDF rda restricted access http://purl.org/coar/access_right/c_16ec online access with authorization star In the seven decades from its establishment in 1775 to the commercialization of the electric telegraph in 1844, the American postal system spurred a communications revolution no less far-reaching than the subsequent revolutions associated with the telegraph, telephone, and computer. This book tells the story of that revolution and the challenge it posed for American business, politics, and cultural life. During the early republic, the postal system was widely hailed as one of the most important institutions of the day. No other institution had the capacity to transmit such a large volume of information on a regular basis over such an enormous geographical expanse. The stagecoaches and postriders who conveyed the mail were virtually synonymous with speed. In the United States, the unimpeded transmission of information has long been hailed as a positive good. In few other countries has informational mobility been such a cherished ideal. Richard John shows how postal policy can help explain this state of affairs. He discusses its influence on the development of such information-intensive institutions as the national market, the voluntary association, and the mass party. He traces its consequences for ordinary Americans, including women, blacks, and the poor. In a broader sense, he shows how the postal system worked to create a national society out of a loose union of confederated states. This exploration of the role of the postal system in American public life provides a fresh perspective not only on an important but neglected chapter in American history, but also on the origins of some of the most distinctive features of American life today.Table of Contents: Preface Acknowledgments The Postal System as an Agent of Change The Communications Revolution Completing the Network The Imagined Community The Invasion of the Sacred The Wellspring of Democracy The Interdiction of Dissent Conclusion Abbreviations Notes Sources IndexReviews of this book: "[A] splendid new book.that gives the lie to any notion that 'government' and 'administration' were 'absent' in early America." --Theda Skocpol, Social Science History "This well-researched and elegantly written book will become a model for historians attempting to link public policy to cultural and political change.[It] will engage not only historians of the early republic, but all scholars interested in the relationship between state and society." --John Majewski, Journal of Economic History "The strength of the book is.the author's ability to untangle the thousands of social, political, economic, and cultural threads of the postal fabric and to rearrange them into a clear and compelling social history." --Roy Alden Atwood, Journal of American History "Richard R. John provides an insightful cultural history of the often-overlooked American postal system, concentrating on its preeminent status for long-distance communication between its birth in 1775 and the commercialization of the electric telegraph in 1844.John effectively draws upon government documents, newspapers, travelogues, and contemporary social and political histories to argue that the postal system causes and mirrors dramatic changes in American public life during this period.John focuses his study on the communication revolution of the past, yet his meticulous analysis of the complex motives forming the postal institution and its policies relate to such current controversies as those that surround the transmission of information in cyberspace. These contemporary disputes highlight the power of the government in shaping the communication of the people. John privileges the postal institution as the reigning communication system, yet he links it with the developing ideology of the nation, and the scope of his study ensures its value--in the disciplines of communication studies, lit Mode of access: Internet via World Wide Web. In English. Description based on online resource; title from PDF title page (publisher's Web site, viewed 24. Mai 2022) HISTORY / United States / 19th Century. bisacsh Title is part of eBook package: De Gruyter HUP eBook Package Archive 1893-1999 9783110442212 https://doi.org/10.4159/9780674039148?locatt=mode:legacy https://www.degruyter.com/isbn/9780674039148 Cover https://www.degruyter.com/document/cover/isbn/9780674039148/original |
language |
English |
format |
eBook |
author |
John, Richard R., John, Richard R., |
spellingShingle |
John, Richard R., John, Richard R., Spreading the News : The American Postal System from Franklin to Morse / |
author_facet |
John, Richard R., John, Richard R., |
author_variant |
r r j rr rrj r r j rr rrj |
author_role |
VerfasserIn VerfasserIn |
author_sort |
John, Richard R., |
title |
Spreading the News : The American Postal System from Franklin to Morse / |
title_sub |
The American Postal System from Franklin to Morse / |
title_full |
Spreading the News : The American Postal System from Franklin to Morse / Richard R. John. |
title_fullStr |
Spreading the News : The American Postal System from Franklin to Morse / Richard R. John. |
title_full_unstemmed |
Spreading the News : The American Postal System from Franklin to Morse / Richard R. John. |
title_auth |
Spreading the News : The American Postal System from Franklin to Morse / |
title_new |
Spreading the News : |
title_sort |
spreading the news : the american postal system from franklin to morse / |
publisher |
Harvard University Press, |
publishDate |
2022 |
physical |
1 online resource (383 p.) |
isbn |
9780674039148 9783110442212 |
callnumber-first |
H - Social Science |
callnumber-subject |
HE - Transportation and Communications |
callnumber-label |
HE6185 |
callnumber-sort |
HE 46185 U5 B J634 41995EB |
url |
https://doi.org/10.4159/9780674039148?locatt=mode:legacy https://www.degruyter.com/isbn/9780674039148 https://www.degruyter.com/document/cover/isbn/9780674039148/original |
illustrated |
Not Illustrated |
dewey-hundreds |
300 - Social sciences |
dewey-tens |
380 - Commerce, communications & transportation |
dewey-ones |
383 - Postal communication |
dewey-full |
383.4973 |
dewey-sort |
3383.4973 |
dewey-raw |
383.4973 |
dewey-search |
383.4973 |
doi_str_mv |
10.4159/9780674039148?locatt=mode:legacy |
oclc_num |
1294423709 |
work_keys_str_mv |
AT johnrichardr spreadingthenewstheamericanpostalsystemfromfranklintomorse |
status_str |
n |
ids_txt_mv |
(DE-B1597)574618 (OCoLC)1294423709 |
carrierType_str_mv |
cr |
hierarchy_parent_title |
Title is part of eBook package: De Gruyter HUP eBook Package Archive 1893-1999 |
is_hierarchy_title |
Spreading the News : The American Postal System from Franklin to Morse / |
container_title |
Title is part of eBook package: De Gruyter HUP eBook Package Archive 1893-1999 |
_version_ |
1806143174875283456 |
fullrecord |
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><collection xmlns="http://www.loc.gov/MARC21/slim"><record><leader>06113nam a22006255i 4500</leader><controlfield tag="001">9780674039148</controlfield><controlfield tag="003">DE-B1597</controlfield><controlfield tag="005">20220524034747.0</controlfield><controlfield tag="006">m|||||o||d||||||||</controlfield><controlfield tag="007">cr || ||||||||</controlfield><controlfield tag="008">220524t20221995mau fo d z eng d</controlfield><datafield tag="020" ind1=" " ind2=" "><subfield code="a">9780674039148</subfield></datafield><datafield tag="024" ind1="7" ind2=" "><subfield code="a">10.4159/9780674039148</subfield><subfield code="2">doi</subfield></datafield><datafield tag="035" ind1=" " ind2=" "><subfield code="a">(DE-B1597)574618</subfield></datafield><datafield tag="035" ind1=" " ind2=" "><subfield code="a">(OCoLC)1294423709</subfield></datafield><datafield tag="040" ind1=" " ind2=" "><subfield code="a">DE-B1597</subfield><subfield code="b">eng</subfield><subfield code="c">DE-B1597</subfield><subfield code="e">rda</subfield></datafield><datafield tag="041" ind1="0" ind2=" "><subfield code="a">eng</subfield></datafield><datafield tag="044" ind1=" " ind2=" "><subfield code="a">mau</subfield><subfield code="c">US-MA</subfield></datafield><datafield tag="050" ind1=" " ind2="4"><subfield code="a">HE6185.U5 ǂb J634 1995eb</subfield></datafield><datafield tag="072" ind1=" " ind2="7"><subfield code="a">HIS036040</subfield><subfield code="2">bisacsh</subfield></datafield><datafield tag="082" ind1="0" ind2="4"><subfield code="a">383.4973</subfield></datafield><datafield tag="100" ind1="1" ind2=" "><subfield code="a">John, Richard R., </subfield><subfield code="e">author.</subfield><subfield code="4">aut</subfield><subfield code="4">http://id.loc.gov/vocabulary/relators/aut</subfield></datafield><datafield tag="245" ind1="1" ind2="0"><subfield code="a">Spreading the News :</subfield><subfield code="b">The American Postal System from Franklin to Morse /</subfield><subfield code="c">Richard R. John.</subfield></datafield><datafield tag="264" ind1=" " ind2="1"><subfield code="a">Cambridge, MA : </subfield><subfield code="b">Harvard University Press, </subfield><subfield code="c">[2022]</subfield></datafield><datafield tag="264" ind1=" " ind2="4"><subfield code="c">©1995</subfield></datafield><datafield tag="300" ind1=" " ind2=" "><subfield code="a">1 online resource (383 p.)</subfield></datafield><datafield tag="336" ind1=" " ind2=" "><subfield code="a">text</subfield><subfield code="b">txt</subfield><subfield code="2">rdacontent</subfield></datafield><datafield tag="337" ind1=" " ind2=" "><subfield code="a">computer</subfield><subfield code="b">c</subfield><subfield code="2">rdamedia</subfield></datafield><datafield tag="338" ind1=" " ind2=" "><subfield code="a">online resource</subfield><subfield code="b">cr</subfield><subfield code="2">rdacarrier</subfield></datafield><datafield tag="347" ind1=" " ind2=" "><subfield code="a">text file</subfield><subfield code="b">PDF</subfield><subfield code="2">rda</subfield></datafield><datafield tag="506" ind1="0" ind2=" "><subfield code="a">restricted access</subfield><subfield code="u">http://purl.org/coar/access_right/c_16ec</subfield><subfield code="f">online access with authorization</subfield><subfield code="2">star</subfield></datafield><datafield tag="520" ind1=" " ind2=" "><subfield code="a">In the seven decades from its establishment in 1775 to the commercialization of the electric telegraph in 1844, the American postal system spurred a communications revolution no less far-reaching than the subsequent revolutions associated with the telegraph, telephone, and computer. This book tells the story of that revolution and the challenge it posed for American business, politics, and cultural life. During the early republic, the postal system was widely hailed as one of the most important institutions of the day. No other institution had the capacity to transmit such a large volume of information on a regular basis over such an enormous geographical expanse. The stagecoaches and postriders who conveyed the mail were virtually synonymous with speed. In the United States, the unimpeded transmission of information has long been hailed as a positive good. In few other countries has informational mobility been such a cherished ideal. Richard John shows how postal policy can help explain this state of affairs. He discusses its influence on the development of such information-intensive institutions as the national market, the voluntary association, and the mass party. He traces its consequences for ordinary Americans, including women, blacks, and the poor. In a broader sense, he shows how the postal system worked to create a national society out of a loose union of confederated states. This exploration of the role of the postal system in American public life provides a fresh perspective not only on an important but neglected chapter in American history, but also on the origins of some of the most distinctive features of American life today.Table of Contents: Preface Acknowledgments The Postal System as an Agent of Change The Communications Revolution Completing the Network The Imagined Community The Invasion of the Sacred The Wellspring of Democracy The Interdiction of Dissent Conclusion Abbreviations Notes Sources IndexReviews of this book: "[A] splendid new book.that gives the lie to any notion that 'government' and 'administration' were 'absent' in early America." --Theda Skocpol, Social Science History "This well-researched and elegantly written book will become a model for historians attempting to link public policy to cultural and political change.[It] will engage not only historians of the early republic, but all scholars interested in the relationship between state and society." --John Majewski, Journal of Economic History "The strength of the book is.the author's ability to untangle the thousands of social, political, economic, and cultural threads of the postal fabric and to rearrange them into a clear and compelling social history." --Roy Alden Atwood, Journal of American History "Richard R. John provides an insightful cultural history of the often-overlooked American postal system, concentrating on its preeminent status for long-distance communication between its birth in 1775 and the commercialization of the electric telegraph in 1844.John effectively draws upon government documents, newspapers, travelogues, and contemporary social and political histories to argue that the postal system causes and mirrors dramatic changes in American public life during this period.John focuses his study on the communication revolution of the past, yet his meticulous analysis of the complex motives forming the postal institution and its policies relate to such current controversies as those that surround the transmission of information in cyberspace. These contemporary disputes highlight the power of the government in shaping the communication of the people. John privileges the postal institution as the reigning communication system, yet he links it with the developing ideology of the nation, and the scope of his study ensures its value--in the disciplines of communication studies, lit</subfield></datafield><datafield tag="538" ind1=" " ind2=" "><subfield code="a">Mode of access: Internet via World Wide Web.</subfield></datafield><datafield tag="546" ind1=" " ind2=" "><subfield code="a">In English.</subfield></datafield><datafield tag="588" ind1="0" ind2=" "><subfield code="a">Description based on online resource; title from PDF title page (publisher's Web site, viewed 24. Mai 2022)</subfield></datafield><datafield tag="650" ind1=" " ind2="7"><subfield code="a">HISTORY / United States / 19th Century.</subfield><subfield code="2">bisacsh</subfield></datafield><datafield tag="773" ind1="0" ind2="8"><subfield code="i">Title is part of eBook package:</subfield><subfield code="d">De Gruyter</subfield><subfield code="t">HUP eBook Package Archive 1893-1999</subfield><subfield code="z">9783110442212</subfield></datafield><datafield tag="856" ind1="4" ind2="0"><subfield code="u">https://doi.org/10.4159/9780674039148?locatt=mode:legacy</subfield></datafield><datafield tag="856" ind1="4" ind2="0"><subfield code="u">https://www.degruyter.com/isbn/9780674039148</subfield></datafield><datafield tag="856" ind1="4" ind2="2"><subfield code="3">Cover</subfield><subfield code="u">https://www.degruyter.com/document/cover/isbn/9780674039148/original</subfield></datafield><datafield tag="912" ind1=" " ind2=" "><subfield code="a">978-3-11-044221-2 HUP eBook Package Archive 1893-1999</subfield><subfield code="c">1893</subfield><subfield code="d">1999</subfield></datafield><datafield tag="912" ind1=" " ind2=" "><subfield code="a">EBA_BACKALL</subfield></datafield><datafield tag="912" ind1=" " ind2=" "><subfield code="a">EBA_CL_HICS</subfield></datafield><datafield tag="912" ind1=" " ind2=" "><subfield code="a">EBA_EBACKALL</subfield></datafield><datafield tag="912" ind1=" " ind2=" "><subfield code="a">EBA_EBKALL</subfield></datafield><datafield tag="912" ind1=" " ind2=" "><subfield code="a">EBA_ECL_HICS</subfield></datafield><datafield tag="912" ind1=" " ind2=" "><subfield code="a">EBA_EEBKALL</subfield></datafield><datafield tag="912" ind1=" " ind2=" "><subfield code="a">EBA_ESSHALL</subfield></datafield><datafield tag="912" ind1=" " ind2=" "><subfield code="a">EBA_PPALL</subfield></datafield><datafield tag="912" ind1=" " ind2=" "><subfield code="a">EBA_SSHALL</subfield></datafield><datafield tag="912" ind1=" " ind2=" "><subfield code="a">GBV-deGruyter-alles</subfield></datafield><datafield tag="912" ind1=" " ind2=" "><subfield code="a">PDA11SSHE</subfield></datafield><datafield tag="912" ind1=" " ind2=" "><subfield code="a">PDA13ENGE</subfield></datafield><datafield tag="912" ind1=" " ind2=" "><subfield code="a">PDA17SSHEE</subfield></datafield><datafield tag="912" ind1=" " ind2=" "><subfield code="a">PDA5EBK</subfield></datafield></record></collection> |