Carroll W. Pursell's Books

The Machine in America

A Social History of Technology

By: Carroll Pursell

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The Machine in America

A Social History of Technology

By: Carroll Pursell

2008 Outstanding Academic Title, Choice Magazine From the medieval farm implements used by the first colonists to the invisible links of the Internet, the history of technology in America is a history of society as well. Arguing that "the tools and processes we use are a part of our lives, not simply instruments of our purpose," historian Carroll Pursell analyzes technology's impact on the lives of women and men, on their work, politics, and social relationships—and how, in turn, people influence technological development. Pursell shows how both the idea of progress and the mechanical means to harness the forces of nature developed and changed as they were brought from the Old World to the New. He describes the ways in which American industrial and agricultural technology began to take on a distinctive shape as it adapted and extended the technical base of the industrial revolution. He discusses the innovation of an American system of manufactures and the mechanization of agriculture; new systems of mining, lumbering, and farming, which helped conquer and define the West; and the technologies that shaped the rise of cities. In the second edition of The Machine in America, Pursell brings this classic history up to date with a revised chapter on war technology and new discussions on information technology, globalization, and the environment.

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Page Count

428

Publisher

JHU Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

0801892325

ISBN 13

9780801892325

White Heat

By: Carroll W. Pursell

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White Heat

By: Carroll W. Pursell

Technology has been called the art of the twentieth century. It is the expression of everything that makes us human. Our myths and rituals, our fantasies and creativity all find expression in our technology. The ability to forge tools by the fashioning of metal in its 'white heat' state was preceded by the creation of tools in stone. This was the first indication of humanity's capacity to shape and use the raw materials available to it. It reached its peak in the industrial revolution of the nineteenth century and today its momentum can be seen in every part of our lives. It is this combination of technological creativity and human passion which Carroll Pursell pursues in White Heat. Professor Pursell explores technology not as a succession of gadgets and gizmos but as a study of how society's values are embedded in them. Written to accompany a major television series and illustrated with some surprising and fascinating photographs, his book reveals a new layer of meaning to the devices, tools and machines which have been developed throughout human history.

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Page Count

228

Publisher

Univ of California Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

0520089057

ISBN 13

9780520089051

Chemistry in America 1876–1976

Historical Indicators

By: A. Thackray,J.L. Sturchio,P.T. Carroll,R.F Bud

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Chemistry in America 1876–1976

Historical Indicators

By: A. Thackray,J.L. Sturchio,P.T. Carroll,R.F Bud

This study is an outgrowth of our interest in the history of modern chemistry. The paucity of reliable, quantitative knowledge about past science was brought home forcibly to us when we undertook a research seminar in the comparative history of modern chemistry in Britain, Germany, and the United States. That seminar, which took place at the University of Pennsylvania in the spring of 1975, was paralleled by one devoted to the work of the "Annales School". The two seminars together catalyzed the attempt to construct historical measures of change in aspects of one science, or "chem ical indicators". The present volume displays our results. Perhaps our labors may be most usefully compared with the work of those students of medieval science who devote their best efforts to the establish ment of texts. Only when acceptable texts have been constructed from fragmentary and corrupt sources can scholars move on to the more satisfying business of making history. So too in the modern period, a necessary pre liminary to the full history of any scientific profession is the establishing of reliable quantitative information in the form of statistical series. This volume does not offer history. Instead it provides certain element- indicators -- that may be useful to individuals interested in the history of American chemistry and chemical industry, and suggestive for policy.

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Page Count

582

Publisher

Springer Science & Business Media

Published Date

ISBN 10

9401511241

ISBN 13

9789401511247

Technology in Postwar America

A History

By: Carroll Pursell

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Technology in Postwar America

A History

By: Carroll Pursell

Carroll Pursell tells the story of the evolution of American technology since World War II. His fascinating and surprising history links pop culture icons with landmarks in technological innovation and shows how postwar politics left their mark on everything from television, automobiles, and genetically engineered crops to contraceptives, Tupperware, and the Veg-O-Matic. Just as America's domestic and international policies became inextricably linked during the Cold War, so did the nation's public and private technologies. The spread of the suburbs fed into demands for an interstate highway system, which itself became implicated in urban renewal projects. Fear of slipping into a postwar economic depression was offset by the creation of "a consumers' republic" in which buying and using consumer goods became the ultimate act of citizenship and a symbol of an "American Way of Life." Pursell begins with the events of World War II and the increasing belief that technological progress and the science that supported it held the key to a stronger, richer, and happier America. He looks at the effect of returning American servicemen and servicewomen and the Marshall Plan, which sought to integrate Western Europe into America's economic, business, and technological structure. He considers the accumulating "problems" associated with American technological supremacy, which, by the end of the 1960s, led to a crisis of confidence. Pursell concludes with an analysis of how consumer technologies create a cultural understanding that makes political technologies acceptable and even seem inevitable, while those same political technologies provide both form and content for the technologies found at home and at work. By understanding this history, Pursell hopes to advance a better understanding of the postwar American self.

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Page Count

315

Publisher

Columbia University Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

0231511892

ISBN 13

9780231511896

Unpublished Letters of Charles Carroll of Carrollton and of His Father, Charles Carroll of Doughoregan [Microform]

By: Charles 1702-1782 Carroll,Thomas Meagher Field

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Unpublished Letters of Charles Carroll of Carrollton and of His Father, Charles Carroll of Doughoregan [Microform]

By: Charles 1702-1782 Carroll,Thomas Meagher Field

This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact, and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore, you will see the original copyright references, library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world), and other notations in the work. This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. As a reproduction of a historical artifact, this work may contain missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.

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Page Count

284

Publisher

Wentworth Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

1363545698

ISBN 13

9781363545698

Journal of Charles Carroll of Carrollton, During His Visit to Canada, in 1776

By: Charles Carroll

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Journal of Charles Carroll of Carrollton, During His Visit to Canada, in 1776

By: Charles Carroll

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Page Count

138

Publisher

Palala Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

1378016823

ISBN 13

9781378016824

Journal of Charles Carroll of Carrollton, During His Visit to Canada, in 1776, As One of the Commissioners from Congress

With a Memoir and Notes

By: Brantz Mayer,Charles Carroll

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Journal of Charles Carroll of Carrollton, During His Visit to Canada, in 1776, As One of the Commissioners from Congress

With a Memoir and Notes

By: Brantz Mayer,Charles Carroll

This fascinating journal offers a unique perspective on one of the most tumultuous periods in American history. Carroll was a key figure in the American Revolution, and his journal provides a firsthand account of his experiences during his visit to Canada as a commissioner from Congress. This book is essential reading for anyone interested in the history of the American Revolution or the life of Charles Carroll. This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work is in the "public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.

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