In this weeks reading, one thing that really jumped out at me was the prevalence of newspapers and magazines as one of the pioneering forms of literature in the New World, especially in the time period around the Revolution and the emergence of the United States.
Prior to the Revolutionary war, newspapers in the colonies were mainly separated by region, catering to those in their immediate vicinity. However, with passage of the Stamp Act in 1765, printers of newspapers were brought together in opposition to the tax, despite distance and political ideas. To me, this showed yet another example of the colonists joining together during the time of the American Revolution, further uniting them against the British.
Another thing that I found interesting about this time in American history was how much it laid the framework for our modern day newspapers. During the Revolution, newspapers united and became very focused on the political issues of the time. In much the same way, today’s papers follow political races, issues, scandals, and everything in between. Also in a similar structure to that of colonial times, our society has regional papers that have stories relevant to their local district, which also include national and global news. Our modern society boasts technological advances such as the internet and television, which eliminate the issues of distance, it is remarkable how much the Revolutionary era paved the way and helped to shape our news system.
