Making Headlines: The American Revolution as Seen through the British Press

by Troy Bickham

The War for American Independence was essentially a civil war throughout the colonies: loyalists and patriots who had grown up together as countrymen found themselves fighting on opposing sides. Troy Bickham asserts that the war proved almost as divisive in the motherland, as the British wielded the almighty pen and went to battle on the pages of the press in Britain. Surpassing the breadth of previous studies on the subject, Making Headlines offers a look at the British press as a whole―including analysis of London newspapers, provincial newspapers, and monthly magazines. The free press in Britain, Bickham argues, was too widespread and too lucrative to be susceptible to significant government interference and therefore provided in-depth coverage on all aspects of the war. Private letters, official dispatches, extracts from foreign newspapers, maps, and detailed tables of fleet strengths and locations filled the pages of daily publications that provided more extensive and more rapid information than even the government could. Due to the inexpensive and easily accessible printed news, the average British citizen was often as well informed as a cabinet minister. The open editorial nature of the press also allowed someone as socially low as a blacksmith's wife, under the cloak of anonymity, to scrutinize and offer commentary on every political decision and military maneuver, all in front of a national audience. Bickham adeptly leads the reader on an exploration into the varied national debates that raged throughout Britain during the American Revolution, one of Britain's historically most unpopular wars. The British public debated how to defeat George Washington―whose perseverance and conduct was much admired in Britain―whether captured Americans should be held as prisoners of war or hung as traitors, and the morality of including American Indians in the war effort. Making Headlines also reflects the global perspective of the war held by most Britons, who saw the conflict not only as a fight for America but also as a struggle to protect their worldwide empire as America's European allies turned the conflict into a world war, threatening even the British Isles themselves. This study will appeal to those interested in early America, the American Revolution, British history, and media studies.

317 pages, Hardcover

First published October 30, 2008

About the author

Troy Bickham is professor of history at Texas A & M University.

Reviews

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this because I read and liked the author's other book on the War of 1812. I liked this just as much, if not more in some ways, but this is more of an academic read than the other book. The book looks at how the British press, which was surprisingly (at least to me) modern, covered the American war. The first couple of chapters are all about how the press functioned and sets up the argument that the press coverage was reflective of popular opinion rather than a bunch of propaganda rags run by the government. If you are not so interested in that, then skip the first section. The next chapters cover the war chronologically, then there are some chapters on themes, such as the popularity of George Washington in Britain. What I liked about this book, and the author in general, is that he does not just narrate the history, instead he explains it. And he has a bit dry humor in his explanations.

[Annette Rasmussen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Making Headlines: The American Revolution as Seen through the British Press is exactly what it says it is--which makes for a dry read for the most part though there were exciting moments. What is probably most important to know is that it is an academic book, specifically detailing which paper wrote what. It seems to be geared to the history student focused on this period pf time who would already know the members of the Parliament and who congress actually consisted of.
Color was added wit many letters to the editor included so the voices of the people could be heard also. It was always amazing to realize any news of the war across the Atlantic took months, traveling by ship to its destination.
I will say I learned a lot in reading this book, most notably, for me, that the Declaration of Independence didn't end the war but initiated it. It was also touching how the colonists were seen by the British as fellow Britons so for them it was a civil war and many were loath for the colonists to be hurt and may Britons supported the revolutionaries though everyone seemed to have preferred it all could have been settled without violence and without the expense.