American Popular Culture Through History – Serie

As men and women traveled west to settle America's untamed lands, and tried to strike it rich in gold, they led a simple existence, often carrying the barest necessities from one location to another. Yet they also carried with them their own popular culture, through folk songs, legends, and literature, that has often been mythologized into our present American popular culture. Through primary sources such as letters, diaries, and photographs, the author draws parallels and makes distinctions between the pioneers and cowboys of the past and those of today. Students and fans of the Old West will find this volume a rich source of history for this time period.Many images and items in today's popular culture were born in the time of westward expansion. Log cabins, cowboys such as the Marlboro Man and Woody of ^I Toy Story^R fame, and Levi's jeans, all have their roots in the Old West. Outlaws such as Wild Bill Hikock, Billy the Kid, and Jesse James, and good guys such as Davy Crockett, continue to fascinate students and western enthusiasts. Traveling entertainments, mail-order houses, and patent medicines, although no longer popular in today's society, tell us much about the nomadic existence of families during this time. With a timeline and a list of everyday products and their prices during the time period, this volume will be an invaluable resource to students and historians tracing the roots of American popular culture.

The decade of the 1910s saw the United States rise above strictly European cultural influences as the mixing of race, ethnicity, class, and gender yielded colorful fusions within American society. Historian David Blanke delves into the cornucopia of activities, trends, and events that shaped and enriched the day-to-day lives of Americans in this decade. Twelve scrupulously researched chapters bring to life all of the important aspects of popular culture in 1910s America: from Birth of a Nation to the Black Sox scandal, the Teddy Bear to Tarzan, breakfast cereal to the first brassiere. This lead title in Greenwood's forthcoming American Popular Culture Through History series shows the many facets of American society merging to form the beginnings of the United States' eclectic 20th century culture.This debut volume launches a series designed to be advanced yet accessible, informative yet fun. Students researching the history of American art, film, literature, music, and sports will be taken beyond the names and dates in their textbooks and learn about the interests, styles, and tastes of past Americans. Series volumes will also include a timeline of significant cultural events as well as a cost comparison list of commonly used items. This valuable reference resource will introduce students to things, activities, and people that enriched and defined the lives of Americans in the seminal years of 1910 to 1919. These collages of culture will enrich the research of high school or college students and help them see how Americans' lives, aspirations, dreams, even the idea of what it is to be American, have evolved in the past—and will continue to change in the future.

This book describes the important changes in American society during the 60s, from feminism and civil rights to the Cuban Missile Crisis. Individual chapters explore various aspects of popular culture, including advertising, fashion, literature, music, visual arts, and travel. Supplemental resources include a timeline of important events, an extensive bibliography for further reading, and a subject index. This book describes the important changes in American society during the 60s, from feminism and civil rights to the Cuban Missile Crisis. Individual chapters explore various aspects of popular culture, including advertising, fashion, literature, music, visual arts, and travel. Supplemental resources include a timeline of important events, an extensive bibliography for further reading, and a subject index.Iconoclasts such as Muhammad Ali, Bob Dylan, Jimi Hendrix, Joe Namath, Ralph Nader, and Andy Warhol brought color and controversy to this tumultuous decade, while cultural events such as the Stonewall March, The Graduate, and the Monterey Pop Festival provided indelible images of a bellwether time in American society. Whether it was Beatlemania, bell-bottoms, or bumper stickers, the cultural contributions of the 60s showed that the times were definitely a-changin'.

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:• The first novels for women• The first American music, a unprecedented blend of religious hymns, African tribal music, and folk songs from the Middle Ages• Ninepins and skittles, the forerunners of bowling• Architecture incorporating the classical styles of Greece and Rome.A wealth of facts, information, and interesting sidelights not available elsewhere makes this a treasure trove for students and interested readers.

Twelve narrative chapters chronicle the nation's survival during wartime and its path toward unforeseen cultural shifts in the years ahead. Included are chapter bibliographies, a timeline, a cost comparison, and a suggested reading list for students. This latest addition to Greenwood's American Popular Culture Through History series is an invaluable contribution to the study of American popular culture.The 1940s were like no other time in U.S. history. The nation went to war in both Europe and Asia; meanwhile, the American population shifted from being largely rural to predominantly urban. The greatest generation saw, and helped, America change forever. Robert Sickels captures the many ways in which the nation's popular culture grew and evolved. The 1940s saw the emergence of such phenomena as television, Levittown housing, comic-book superheroes, pre-packaged foods, Christian Dior's New Look, the original swing music, and the first Beatniks. Twelve narrative chapters chronicle the nation's survival during wartime and its path toward unforeseen cultural shifts in the years ahead.Included are chapter bibliographies, a timeline, a cost comparison, and a suggested reading list for students. This latest addition to Greenwood's American Popular Culture Through History series is an invaluable contribution to the study of American popular culture.

The Civil War tore America apart. The ensuing era of Reconstruction sewed it back together. In this vivid look at the popular culture of the era, Browne and Kreiser examine how Americans coped with the trials and tribulations of this cataclysmic period.Narrative essays examine the lives of everyday Americans—young and old, Northern and Southern, soldier and civilian—along with the major traditions and trends in every facet of the time's popular culture. Dime novels, illustrated newspapers, iceboxes, patriotic hymns and rebel rhythms, minstrel shows, and professional baseball teams were just some of the cultural phenomena that thrived during this period. Readers will benefit from the chapter bibliographies, a timeline, a cost comparison, and suggestions for further reading. This latest addition to Greenwood's ^IAmerican Popular Culture Through History^R series is an invaluable contribution to the study of American popular culture.

the so-called quiet decade of 1900-1910 was anything but quiet. Spurred by the energy and progressive attitude of President Theodore Roosevelt and millions of immigrants flooding into our cities, American life saw tremendous cultural and technological change. A healthy economy gave workers more spending money and leisure time to enjoy hobbies, travel, and pastimes, including a new and revolutionary entertainment-the movies.Providing an exciting picture of American life at the dawn of the 20th century, this volume covers:• Innovations in technology, such as the airplane and the automobile•The advent of modern architecture•The proliferation of advertising aimed at the new middle class•Fads, games, sports, and hobbies•Changes in fashion and cuisineThis book also features the burgeoning of the arts, including the school of realism and naturalism in literature, the first truly American music-jazz-and the new performing art that played to American tastes: vaudeville. A wealth of facts, information, and interesting sidelights not available elsewhere makes this a treasure trove for students and interested readers.

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. The twelve narrative chapters in this volume provide a textured look at everyday life, youth, and the many different sides of American culture during the 1930s. Additional resources include a cost comparison of common goods and services, a timeline of important events, notes arranged by chapter, an extensive bibliography for further reading, and a subject index.The dark cloud of the Depression shadowed most Americans' lives during the 1930s. Books, movies, songs, and stories of the 1930s gave Americans something to hope for by depicting a world of luxury and money. Major figures of the age included Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers, Irving Berlin, Amelia Earhart, Duke Ellington, the Marx Brothers, Margaret Mitchell, Cole Porter, Joe Louis, Babe Ruth, Shirley Temple, and Frank Lloyd Wright. Innovations in technology and travel hinted at a Utopian society just off the horizon, group sports and activities gave the unemployed masses ways to spend their days, and a powerful new demographic—the American teenager—suddenly found itself courted by advertisers and entertainers.

The last decade of the millennium was, in many ways, the most diverse and fascinating in the history of American culture. Alternative subcultures gained unprecedented exposure, manifest in such phenomena as grunge music, gansta rap, hip-hop fashion, raves, extreme sports, and the art of Robert Mapplethorpe and Andres Serrano. Twin Peaks, The X-Files, and The Phantom Menace brought science fiction to the mainstream. Bands such as Nirvana and Pearl Jam spread the Seattle rock scene across America. And even coffeehouse culture went mainstream with the proliferation of the Starbucks chain. Ethnic minorities, youth culture, and homosexual society all achieved larger roles in shaping the American identity. Meanwhile, corporate America pressed onward in its never-ending search for high ratings, giant profits, and more bang for its buck.The twelve narrative chapters in this book depict the United States as brought to you by Generation X—a culture busting out in new and unforeseen ways. The volume also includes chapter bibliographies, a timeline, cost comparisons, and lists of suggested further reading.

The American 1920s had many names: the Roaring Twenties, the Jazz Age, the Dry Decade, and the Flapper generation. Whatever the moniker, these years saw the birth of modern America. This volume shows the many colorful ways the decade altered America, its people, and its future. American Popular Culture Through History volumes include a timeline, cost comparisons, chapter bibliographies, and a subject index.Writers as diverse as Ernest Hemingway, William Faulkner, and Damon Runyon presented distinct literary visions of the world. Jazz, blues, and country music erupted onto the airwaves. The exploits of Babe Ruth and Murderers' Row helped save baseball from its scandals, while such players as Red Grange and Notre Dame's Four Horsemen brought football to national prominence. Yo-yos, crossword puzzles, and erector sets appeared, along with fads like dance marathons and flagpole sitting. Rudolph Valentino, talkies, and Clara Bow's It girl appeared on the silver screen. Prohibition indirectly led to bootlegging and speakeasies, while the growing rebelliousness of teenagers highlighted an increasing generation gap.

The Gilded Age—the time between Reconstruction and the Spanish-American War—marked the beginnings of modern America. The advertising industry became an important part of selling the American Dream. Americans dined out more than ever before, and began to take leisure activities more seriously. Women's fashion gradually grew less restrictive, and architecture experienced an American Renaissance. Twelve narrative chapters chronicle how American culture changed and grew near the end of the 20th century. Included are chapter bibliographies, a timeline, a cost comparison, and a suggested reading list for students. This latest addition to Greenwood's American Popular Culture Through History series is an invaluable contribution to the study of American popular culture.American Popular Culture Through History is the only reference series that presents a detailed, narrative discussion of U.S. popular culture. This volume is one of 17 in the series, each of which presents essays on Everyday America, The World of Youth, Advertising, Architecture, Fashion, Food, Leisure Activities, Literature, Music, Performing Arts, Travel, and Visual Arts

This volume in Greenwood's American Popular Culture through History series recreates the many ways in which a new American culture took root during the Revolutionary period. Tavern culture and pamphlet literature played integral parts in debates surrounding the Revolution. Newspapers spread information while printing the first advertisements. Courtship and marriage rituals varied greatly among the rich and poor, and among city and country folk. Public performance art was a hotly debated component of the increased schism between secular and religious concerns, though many Americans enjoyed recreations of recent military battles. Foodways were distinctly regional, yet food rationing was a universal hardship among army personnel. Randall Huff's narrative essays, as well as many extra front- and back-matter resources, help describe citizen's lives in the newly formed United States of America as the nation fought to win its independence.American Popular Culture through History is the only reference series that presents a detailed, narrative discussion of United States popular culture. This volume is one of 17 in the series, each of which presents essays on Everyday America, The World of Youth, Advertising, Architecture, Fashion, Food, Leisure Activities, Literature, Music, Performing Arts, Travel, and Visual Arts.

Have the 1950s been overly romanticized? Beneath the calm, conformist exterior, new ideas and attitudes were percolating. This was the decade of McCarthyism, Levittowns, and men in gray flannel suits, but the 1950s also saw bold architectural styles, the rise of paperback novels and the Beat writers, Cinema Scope and film noir, television variety shows, the Golden Age of the automobile, subliminal advertising, fast food, Frisbees, and silly putty. Meanwhile, teens attained a more prominent role in American culture with hot rods, rock 'n' roll, preppies and greasers, and—gasp—juvenile delinquency. At the same time, a new technological threat, the atom bomb, lurked beneath the surface of the postwar decade. This volume presents a nuanced look at a surprisingly complex time in American popular culture.

The Antebellum Era was a complex time in American culture. Young ladies had suitors call upon them, while men often settled quarrels by dueling, and mill girls worked 16-hour days to help their families make ends meet. Yet at the same time, a new America was emerging. The rapid growth of cities inspired Frederick Law Olmstead to lead the movement for public parks. Stephen Foster helped forge a catalog of American popular music; writers such as Washington Irving and Ralph Waldo Emerson raised the level of American literature; artists such as Thomas Cole and Thomas Doughty defined a new style of painting called the Hudson River School. All the while, schisms between northern and southern culture threatened to divide the nation. This volume in Greenwood's American Popular Culture Through History recounts the ways in which things old and new intersected in the decades before the Civil War.James and Dorothy Volo are one of the more prolific author teams in reference publishing today, and with this volume they make important contributions to Greenwood's successful series on America's other history.

The eighties are seen by many as a time of excess and extremes. From Boy George to Madonna, metal heads to valley girls, and workout clothes to shoulder pads, many pushed the boundaries of what was was conventional. After a decade of war, disillusionment of the government, advances in civil rights, and disco, Americans became status seekers and shopaholics and the Me generation was born. Twelve narrative chapters describe the decade of decedence and its impact on popular culture including: the AIDS epidemic, preppies, Miami Vice, the Rubik's Cube, E.T., hair bands, the advent of the personal computer, malls, Ronald Reagan, Pac-Man, Cheers, Stephen King, Michael Jackson, the shuttle Challenger explosion, Bonfire of the Vanities, music videos, Roseanne, the power suit, Less Than Zero, rap music, and The Cosby Show, among many others.Chapters on Everyday America and the World of Youth describe the important changes in American society, from Ronald Reagan's War on Drugs, to latch-key kids, to Black Monday. The following ten chapters explore the many aspects of popular culture-everything from advertising to fashion, literature to music, travel to the visual arts-that influenced Americans in the eighties. Supplemental resources include a timeline of important events, an extensive bibliography for further reading and a subject index.

Few conventions were left unchallenged in the 1970s as Americans witnessed a decade of sweeping social, cultural, economic, and political upheavals. The fresh anguish of the Vietnam War, the disillusionment of Watergate, the recession, and the oil embargo all contributed to an era of social movements, political mistrust, and not surprisingly, rich cultural diversity. It was the Me Decade, a reaction against 60s radicalism reflected in fashion, film, the arts, and music. Songs of the Ramones, the Sex Pistols, and Patti Smith brought the aggressive punk-rock music into the mainstream, introducing teenagers to rebellious punk fashions. It was also the decade of disco: Who can forget the image of John Travolta as Tony Manero in Saturday Night Fever decked out in a three-piece white leisure suit with his shirt collar open, his hand points towards the heavens as the lighted disco floor glares defiantly below him? While the turbulent decade ushered in Ms. magazine, Mood rings, Studio 54, Stephen King horror novels, and granola, it was also the decade in which over 25 million video game systems made their way into our homes, allowing Asteroids and Pac-Man games to be played out on televisions in living rooms throughout the country. Whether it was the boom of environmentalism or the bust of the Nixon administration and public life as we knew it, the era represented a profound shift in American society and culture.This compelling book chronicles the significant changes in our country during the 70s, from the women's and civil rights movements to the energy crisis. Chapters explore various aspects of popular culture, including advertising, literature, leisure activities, visual arts, and travel. Supplemental resources include a timeline of important events, cost comparisons, and an extensive bibliography for further reading.

Welcome to Pop Culture 2.0. In the 2000s, Generation eXposure, emerged from the marriage of new technology and the nation's obsession with celebrity. Social media technology, such as MySpace, YouTube, Facebook, and countless blogs, gave everyman a voice and a public persona that they could share with friends across the street or around the world. Suddenly, it was not enough to imitate Britney Spears or Paris Hilton, technology gave everyone a platform to launch their own 15 minutes of fame. The fixation on self and celebrity acted as a diversion from more serious challenges the nation faced, including President George W. Bush's War on Terror. The wars overseas sharply divided the country, after a moment of national unity after the terrorist attacks on 9/11, which took away one of the world's most recognizable buildings. The era witnessed interest rates dropping to historic lows, but later subprime became one of the most searched terms on Google as the nation teetered on recession. Big was in like never before and suddenly people nationwide could buy or build their own McMansion-a slice of the American dream. While supersized homes and fast food meals became commonplace, the electronics and transportation advances proved that good things came in increasingly smaller packages. Apple's iPod reinvented how people interacted with music, hybrids changed thoughts on fuel efficiency as a gallon of gas topped $3. Cell phones usage ballooned in our always on society, while physically shrinking to the size of a deck of cards. Yes, me-centric Pop Culture 2.0, which the pundits predicted would some day arrive, burst onto the scene and ultimately transformed the way we interact with one another and the world around us.Chapters inside the latest volume in the American Popular Culture Through History series explore various aspects of popular culture, including advertising, literature, leisure activities, music visual arts, and travel. Supplemental resources include a timeline of important events, cost comparisons, and an extensive bibliography for further reading.

The decade of the 1910s saw the United States rise above strictly European cultural influences as the mixing of race, ethnicity, class, and gender yielded colorful fusions within American society. Historian David Blanke delves into the cornucopia of activities, trends, and events that shaped and enriched the day-to-day lives of Americans in this decade. Twelve scrupulously researched chapters bring to life all of the important aspects of popular culture in 1910s America: from Birth of a Nation to the Black Sox scandal, the Teddy Bear to Tarzan, breakfast cereal to the first brassiere. This lead title in Greenwood's forthcoming American Popular Culture Through History series shows the many facets of American society merging to form the beginnings of the United States' eclectic 20th century culture.This debut volume launches a series designed to be advanced yet accessible, informative yet fun. Students researching the history of American art, film, literature, music, and sports will be taken beyond the names and dates in their textbooks and learn about the interests, styles, and tastes of past Americans. Series volumes will also include a timeline of significant cultural events as well as a cost comparison list of commonly used items. This valuable reference resource will introduce students to things, activities, and people that enriched and defined the lives of Americans in the seminal years of 1910 to 1919. These collages of culture will enrich the research of high school or college students and help them see how Americans' lives, aspirations, dreams, even the idea of what it is to be American, have evolved in the past—and will continue to change in the future.

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. The twelve narrative chapters in this volume provide a textured look at everyday life, youth, and the many different sides of American culture during the 1930s. Additional resources include a cost comparison of common goods and services, a timeline of important events, notes arranged by chapter, an extensive bibliography for further reading, and a subject index.The dark cloud of the Depression shadowed most Americans' lives during the 1930s. Books, movies, songs, and stories of the 1930s gave Americans something to hope for by depicting a world of luxury and money. Major figures of the age included Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers, Irving Berlin, Amelia Earhart, Duke Ellington, the Marx Brothers, Margaret Mitchell, Cole Porter, Joe Louis, Babe Ruth, Shirley Temple, and Frank Lloyd Wright. Innovations in technology and travel hinted at a Utopian society just off the horizon, group sports and activities gave the unemployed masses ways to spend their days, and a powerful new demographic—the American teenager—suddenly found itself courted by advertisers and entertainers.

Have the 1950s been overly romanticized? Beneath the calm, conformist exterior, new ideas and attitudes were percolating. This was the decade of McCarthyism, Levittowns, and men in gray flannel suits, but the 1950s also saw bold architectural styles, the rise of paperback novels and the Beat writers, Cinema Scope and film noir, television variety shows, the Golden Age of the automobile, subliminal advertising, fast food, Frisbees, and silly putty. Meanwhile, teens attained a more prominent role in American culture with hot rods, rock 'n' roll, preppies and greasers, and—gasp—juvenile delinquency. At the same time, a new technological threat, the atom bomb, lurked beneath the surface of the postwar decade. This volume presents a nuanced look at a surprisingly complex time in American popular culture.