Coney Island: the name still resonates with a sense of racy Brooklyn excitement, the echo of beach-front popular entertainment before World War I. "Amusing the Million" examines the historical context in which Coney Island made its reputation as an amusement park and shows how America's changing social and economic conditions formed the basis of a new mass culture. Exploring it afresh in this way, John Kasson shows Coney Island no longer as the object of nostalgia but as a harbinger of modernity--and the many photographs, lithographs, engravings, and other reproductions with which he amplifies his text support this lively thesis.
A remarkable new work from one of our premier historians In his exciting new book, John F. Kasson examines the signs of crisis in American life a century ago, signs that new forces of modernity were affecting men's sense of who and what they really were. When the Prussian-born Eugene Sandow, an international vaudeville star and bodybuilder, toured the United States in the 1890s, Florenz Ziegfeld cannily presented him as the "Perfect Man," representing both an ancient ideal of manhood and a modern commodity extolling self-development and self-fulfillment. Then, when Edgar Rice Burroughs's Tarzan swung down a vine into the public eye in 1912, the fantasy of a perfect white Anglo-Saxon male was taken further, escaping the confines of civilization but reasserting its values, beating his chest and bellowing his triumph to the world. With Harry Houdini, the dream of escape was literally embodied in spectacular performances in which he triumphed over every kind of threat to masculine integrity -- bondage, imprisonment, insanity, and death. Kasson's liberally illustrated and persuasively argued study analyzes the themes linking these figures and places them in their rich historical and cultural context. Concern with the white male body -- with exhibiting it and with the perils to it --reached a climax in World War I, he suggests, and continues with us today.
A major theme in American history has been the desire to achieve a genuinely republican way of life that values liberty, order, and virtue. This work shows us how new technologies affected this drive for a republican civilization - a question as vital now as ever.
Examines nineteenth century etiquette books to determine what manners were like during the period, and looks at their connection with class, ideology, and behavior.
A major theme in American history has been the desire to achieve a genuinely republican way of life that values liberty, order, and virtue. This work shows us how new technologies affected this drive for a republican civilization - a question as vital now as ever.
Coney Island: the name still resonates with a sense of racy Brooklyn excitement, the echo of beach-front popular entertainment before World War I. Amusing the Million examines the historical context in which Coney Island made its reputation as an amusement park and shows how America's changing social and economic conditions formed the basis of a new mass culture. Exploring it afresh in this way, John Kasson shows Coney Island no longer as the object of nostalgia but as a harbinger of modernity--and the many photographs, lithographs, engravings, and other reproductions with which he amplifies his text support this lively thesis.
In his compelling reinterpretation of American history, The Public and Its Possibilities, John Fairfieldargues that our unrealized civic aspirations provide the essential counterpoint to an excessive focus on private interests. Inspired by the revolutionary generation, nineteenth-century Americans struggled to build an economy and a culture to complement their republican institutions. But over the course of the twentieth century, a corporate economy and consumer culture undercut civic values, conflating consumer and citizen. Fairfield places the city at the center of American experience, describing how a resilient demand for an urban participatory democracy has bumped up against the fog of war, the allure of the marketplace, and persistent prejudices of race, class, and gender. In chronicling and synthesizing centuries of U.S. history—including the struggles of the antislavery, labor, women’s rights movements—Fairfield explores the ebb and flow of civic participation, activism, and democracy. He revisits what the public has done for civic activism, and the possibility of taking a greater role. In this age where there has been a move towards greater participation in America's public life from its citizens, Fairfield’s book—written in an accessible, jargon-free style and addressed to general readers—is especially topical.
Examines nineteenth century etiquette books to determine what manners were like during the period, and looks at their connection with class, ideology, and behavior.
A remarkable new work from one of our premier historians In his exciting new book, John F. Kasson examines the signs of crisis in American life a century ago, signs that new forces of modernity were affecting men's sense of who and what they really were. When the Prussian-born Eugene Sandow, an international vaudeville star and bodybuilder, toured the United States in the 1890s, Florenz Ziegfeld cannily presented him as the "Perfect Man," representing both an ancient ideal of manhood and a modern commodity extolling self-development and self-fulfillment. Then, when Edgar Rice Burroughs's Tarzan swung down a vine into the public eye in 1912, the fantasy of a perfect white Anglo-Saxon male was taken further, escaping the confines of civilization but reasserting its values, beating his chest and bellowing his triumph to the world. With Harry Houdini, the dream of escape was literally embodied in spectacular performances in which he triumphed over every kind of threat to masculine integrity -- bondage, imprisonment, insanity, and death. Kasson's liberally illustrated and persuasively argued study analyzes the themes linking these figures and places them in their rich historical and cultural context. Concern with the white male body -- with exhibiting it and with the perils to it --reached a climax in World War I, he suggests, and continues with us today.
Coney Island: the name still resonates with a sense of racy Brooklyn excitement, the echo of beach-front popular entertainment before World War I. Amusing the Million examines the historical context in which Coney Island made its reputation as an amusement park and shows how America's changing social and economic conditions formed the basis of a new mass culture. Exploring it afresh in this way, John Kasson shows Coney Island no longer as the object of nostalgia but as a harbinger of modernity--and the many photographs, lithographs, engravings, and other reproductions with which he amplifies his text support this lively thesis.
[An] elucidating cultural history of Hollywood’s most popular child star…a must-read." —Bill Desowitz, USA Today For four consecutive years she was the world’s box-office champion. With her image appearing in periodicals and advertisements roughly twenty times daily, she rivaled FDR and Edward VIII as the most photographed person in the world. Her portrait brightened the homes of countless admirers, among them J. Edgar Hoover, Andy Warhol, and Anne Frank. Distinguished cultural historian John F. Kasson shows how, amid the deprivation and despair of the Great Depression, Shirley Temple radiated optimism and plucky good cheer that lifted the spirits of millions and shaped their collective character for generations to come.
Seeks to discover why so many "good" people engage in activities that many, including themselves, consider "bad", finding a coalition of economic and social interest in which the singleminded quest for profit is allied to the values of the Victorian saloon underworld and bohemian rebelliousness.
The origins of the new conservatism -- The nation at war, 1940-1942 -- The Senate in revolt, 1943-1944 -- The new conservatism, 1945-1946 -- The new conservatism and partisan politics: the 80th Congress -- The new conservatism and the fair deal -- The new conservatism in an era of consensus -- The two conservatisms.
Through the use of stories--of the nation and its people--and with emphasis on the fact that American history has never been the preserve of any particular region, this book weaves together the complex interaction of social, political and historical forces that have shaped the United States and from which " the American people" have evolved. It integrates traditional turning points and watershed events with the stories of the country's many diverse communities. This volume covers: Reconstruction, 1863- 1877; Conquest and Survival in the Trans-Mississippi West, 1860-1900; The Incorporation of America, 1865-1900; Commonwealth and Empire, 1870-1900; Urban America and the Progressive Era, 1900-1917; World War I, 1914-1920; The Twenties, 1920-1929; The Great Depression and the New Deal, 1929-1940; World War II, 1941-1945; The Cold War, 1945-1952; America at Mid-century, 1952-1963; The Civil Rights Movement, 1945-1966; War at Home, War Abroad, 1965-1974; The Overextended Society, 1974-1980; The Conservative Ascendancy, since 1980. For Americans with a passion for history and their country.
Created by an experienced AP instructor and longtime grader of the actual test, this superior reference offers everything students need to score high--and earn advance college credit. Includes three full-length exams with explanatory answers, a chronological review of American history from 1607 to the present, in-depth coverage of all essay questions, and more. Line drawings.
John Fair and David Chapman tell the story of how filmmakers use and manipulate the appearance and performances of muscular men and women to enhance the appeal of their productions. The authors show how this practice, deeply rooted in western epistemological traditions, evolved from the art of photography through magic lantern and stage shows into the motion picture industry, arguing that the sight of muscles in action induced a higher degree of viewer entertainment. From Eugen Sandow to Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, muscular actors appear capable of performing the miraculous, and with the aid of stuntmen and filming contrivances, they do. By such means, muscles are used to perfect the art of illusion, inherent in movie-making from its earliest days.
The number-one book in the AP U.S. History market! Created by an experienced AP instructor and longtime grader of the actual test, this superior reference features four full-length practice exams, with answers, year-by-year review of U.S. history from 1607 to the present, in-depth coverage of all essay question types, and an article-by-article review of the U.S. Constitution and major Supreme Court cases.
Contending Voices examines the lives of two individuals who took opposing positions on important issues in American history. Chapters contain four main parts: a short biographical essay setting up the lives of the two people and introducing the conflict of the chapter; a set of 4-5 related primary sources, in the individuals' own voices; a Questions to Consider section; and an annotated bibliography. Highlights of this brand new text include: - Dramatic vignette opens each chapter's essay - setting the tone for the opposition between the central figures and the positions they each took - Biographical essays introduce the lives of the subjects, as well as the chapter's most important themes - A running glossary of important historical terms, events, and people appears in every chapter - Primary sources in every chapter allow students to trace the developments in and conflicts between the central figures' views - Concise, annotated bibliography at the end of each chapter
Drawing on extensive written records of the thought of John Adams and Adam Smith, the father of modern capitalism, Dr. John E. Hill argues that these two great men advocated a balanced, values-based, and just political economy.
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