Popular Culture in American History

Jim Cullen is Chair of the high-profile Fieldston School in New York, and a book review editor for the History News Network. His published works include The Civil War Era: An Anthology of Sources (with L. Cullen-Sizer, Wiley-Blackwell, 2005), Essaying the Past: How to Read, Write and Think About History, Second Edition (Wiley-Blackwell, 2013), and Sensing the Past: Hollywood Stars and Historical Visions (2013).

"This stunning collection of essays and sources is indispensable for the study of popular culture. Jim Cullen knows more about the subject than anyone, and this second edition gives us a sweeping vision of the making and meaning of American popular culture." -- Louis P. Masur, Rutgers University "This book is the place to start if you're fascinated by the history of popular culture in America. It's an enlightening exploration into what people read, watched, joked about, listened to, danced to, and imagined in America's past." -- Bruce Dorsey, Swarthmore College "Cullen's outstanding collection helps readers understand the significance of key cultural changes, ranging from the movies to the web. Groundbreaking essays as well as insight into how historians work make this a valuable volume." -- Lizabeth Cohen, author of A Consumers' Republic: The Politics of Mass Consumption in Postwar America

• Notes on Contributors xPreface and Acknowledgments to the Second Edition xiiAcknowledgments to the First Edition xvIntroduction: The Worldwide Web of Popular Culture 11 New News 11Timeline 11Introduction 12Little Sheets of News and Varieties: The Penny Wonder in New York City by Isabelle Lehuu 13Consider the Source: 33Excerpt from “Great Astronomical Discoveries Recently Made,” from the Sun (Friday, August 28, 1835) 33Suggested Further Reading 352 The World of the Stage 37Timeline 37Introduction 38William Shakespeare in America by Lawrence Levine 39Consider the Source: 59Excerpt from Representative Men, by Ralph Waldo Emerson (1850) 60Suggested Further Reading 663 The Racy Appeal of the Minstrel 67Timeline 67Introduction 68The Blackface Lore Cycle by W. T. Lhamon, Jr. 71Consider the Source: 86Excerpts from Nineteenth-Century Minstrel Shows 86Suggested Further Reading 884 Western Values 91Timeline 91Introduction 92Women and the Language of Men by Jane Tompkins 94Consider the Source: 109First excerpt from The Virginian, by Owen Wister (1902) 110Second excerpt from The Virginian, by Owen Wister (1902) 112Suggested Further Reading 1135 Moving Images 115Timeline 115Introduction 116Nickel Madness by Robert Sklar 118Consider the Source: 133Excerpts from The Spirit of Youth, by Jane Addams (1909) 134Suggested Further Reading 1386 Waves of Selling 139Timeline 139Introduction 140Arguments over Broadcast Advertising by Susan Smulyan 142Consider the Source: 180Excerpt from “Sponsoritis,” from Radio Revue magazine (1930) 180Suggested Further Reading 1817 The Firmament of Stardom 183Timeline 183Introduction 184Fool’s Paradise: Frank Sinatra and the American Dream by Jim Cullen 186Consider the Source: 211“Why the Americans Are So Restless in the Midst of Their Prosperity,” from Volume 2 of Democracy in America, by Alexis de Tocqueville (1840) 211Suggested Further Reading 2158 Seeing Television 217Timeline 217Introduction 218Reality Bites by Susan J. Douglas 220Consider the Source: 237Excerpts from After All, by Mary Tyler Moore (1995) 237Suggested Further Reading 2399 Rapping Hip-Hop 241Timeline 241Introduction 242Just Keeping It Real by Tricia Rose 245Consider the Source: 257Excerpts from Ladies First, by Queen Latifah (1999) 257Suggested Further Reading 25910 Tangled Web 261Timeline 261Introduction 262The Emperor’s New Modem by Lee Siegel 266Consider the Source: 276Excerpt from The Art of Democracy, by Jim Cullen (2002) 276Suggested Further Reading 277Source Credits 279