Protocols of Liberty

Communication Innovation and the American Revolution

Fiction & Literature, Literary Theory & Criticism, American, Nonfiction, History, Americas, United States, Revolutionary Period (1775-1800)
Cover of the book Protocols of Liberty by William B. Warner, University of Chicago Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: William B. Warner ISBN: 9780226061405
Publisher: University of Chicago Press Publication: September 20, 2013
Imprint: University of Chicago Press Language: English
Author: William B. Warner
ISBN: 9780226061405
Publisher: University of Chicago Press
Publication: September 20, 2013
Imprint: University of Chicago Press
Language: English

The fledgling United States fought a war to achieve independence from Britain, but as John Adams said, the real revolution occurred “in the minds and hearts of the people” before the armed conflict ever began. Putting the practices of communication at the center of this intellectual revolution, Protocols of Liberty shows how American patriots—the Whigs—used new forms of communication to challenge British authority before any shots were fired at Lexington and Concord.

 

To understand the triumph of the Whigs over the Brit-friendly Tories, William B. Warner argues that it is essential to understand the communication systems that shaped pre-Revolution events in the background. He explains the shift in power by tracing the invention of a new political agency, the Committee of Correspondence; the development of a new genre for political expression, the popular declaration; and the emergence of networks for collective political action, with the Continental Congress at its center. From the establishment of town meetings to the creation of a new postal system and, finally, the Declaration of Independence, Protocols of Liberty reveals that communication innovations contributed decisively to nation-building and continued to be key tools in later American political movements, like abolition and women’s suffrage, to oppose local custom and state law.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

The fledgling United States fought a war to achieve independence from Britain, but as John Adams said, the real revolution occurred “in the minds and hearts of the people” before the armed conflict ever began. Putting the practices of communication at the center of this intellectual revolution, Protocols of Liberty shows how American patriots—the Whigs—used new forms of communication to challenge British authority before any shots were fired at Lexington and Concord.

 

To understand the triumph of the Whigs over the Brit-friendly Tories, William B. Warner argues that it is essential to understand the communication systems that shaped pre-Revolution events in the background. He explains the shift in power by tracing the invention of a new political agency, the Committee of Correspondence; the development of a new genre for political expression, the popular declaration; and the emergence of networks for collective political action, with the Continental Congress at its center. From the establishment of town meetings to the creation of a new postal system and, finally, the Declaration of Independence, Protocols of Liberty reveals that communication innovations contributed decisively to nation-building and continued to be key tools in later American political movements, like abolition and women’s suffrage, to oppose local custom and state law.

More books from University of Chicago Press

Cover of the book Rethinking Therapeutic Culture by William B. Warner
Cover of the book Unsettled Belonging by William B. Warner
Cover of the book A City for Children by William B. Warner
Cover of the book The Willow Pattern by William B. Warner
Cover of the book Anthropology by William B. Warner
Cover of the book Serengeti IV by William B. Warner
Cover of the book The Sounding of the Whale by William B. Warner
Cover of the book Fatal Isolation by William B. Warner
Cover of the book Themes out of School by William B. Warner
Cover of the book Post-Ethical Society by William B. Warner
Cover of the book Greater Ethiopia by William B. Warner
Cover of the book Tax Policy and the Economy, Volume 26 by William B. Warner
Cover of the book National Duties by William B. Warner
Cover of the book Steam-Powered Knowledge by William B. Warner
Cover of the book Patina by William B. Warner
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy