Ben Franklin's World BFW Revisited: The Power of the Press in the American Revolution
Jan 6, 2026
Joe Edelman, a historian focusing on 18th-century media, leads a fascinating discussion on the pivotal role of print during the American Revolution. Eric Slaughter, an English professor, delves into the pamphlet culture, exploring how their distribution and affordability fueled revolutionary ideas. Seth Cotler, a Thomas Paine specialist, reveals the background of "Common Sense" and its impact on promoting self-governance. Together, they unveil how effective communication shaped public opinion and ignited the quest for independence.
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Layered Networks Carried News Across Distances
- 18th-century colonists used layered networks: postal service, private carriers, and traveling acquaintances to send letters across long distances.
- Improvements from wartime (packet boats, better post roads) dramatically sped news and print circulation across the Atlantic and colonies.
Newspapers Were Cosmopolitan Patchworks
- Newspapers compiled global news by reprinting letter extracts and paragraphs from other papers, creating a 'mobile paragraph' culture.
- This wholesale reprinting made colonial papers surprisingly cosmopolitan despite local print shops.
Wartime Logistics Shrunk The World
- The packet boat (transatlantic mail) and military-driven postal improvements cut Atlantic news time from months to roughly six weeks.
- Better roads and more newspapers further compressed information spread within the colonies.
