About the book
Arguing for the importance of the aural dimension of history, Mark M. Smith contends that to understand what it meant to be northern or southern, slave or free — to understand sectionalism and the attitudes toward modernity that led to the Civil War — we must consider how antebellum Americans comprehended the sounds and silences they heard.
Smith explores how northerners and southerners perceived the sounds associated with antebellum developments including the market revolution, industrialization, westward expansion, and abolitionism. In northern modernization, southern slaveholders heard the noise of the mob, the din of industrialism, and threats to what they considered their quiet, orderly way of life; in southern slavery, northern abolitionists and capitalists heard the screams of enslaved labor, the silence of oppression, and signals of premodernity that threatened their vision of the American future. Sectional consciousness was profoundly influenced by the sounds people attributed to their regions. And as sectionalism hardened into fierce antagonism, it propelled the nation toward its most earsplitting conflict, the Civil War.
Editions of Listening to Nineteenth-Century America
- Hardcover
- ISBN 9780807826577
- Paperback
- ISBN 9780807849828
- EBook
- ISBN 9781469625560
- PDF
- ISBN 9798890872470
Read an Excerpt
Arguing for the importance of the aural dimension of history, Mark M. Smith contends that to understand what it meant to be northern or southern, slave or free — to understand sectionalism and the attitudes toward modernity that led to the Civil War — we must consider how antebellum Americans comprehended the sounds and silences they heard.
Smith explores how northerners and southerners perceived the sounds associated with antebellum developments including the market revolution, industrialization, westward expansion, and abolitionism. In northern modernization, southern slaveholders heard the noise of the mob, the din of industrialism, and threats to what they considered their quiet, orderly way of life; in southern slavery, northern abolitionists and capitalists heard the screams of enslaved labor, the silence of oppression, and signals of premodernity that threatened their vision of the American future. Sectional consciousness was profoundly influenced by the sounds people attributed to their regions. And as sectionalism hardened into fierce antagonism, it propelled the nation toward its most earsplitting conflict, the Civil War.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Listening to Nineteenth-Century America about?
Arguing for the importance of the aural dimension of history, Mark M. Smith contends that to understand what it meant to be northern or southern, slave or free — to understand sectionalism and the attitudes toward modernity that led to the Civil War — we must consider how antebellum Americans comprehended the sounds and silences they heard.
Smith explores how northerners and southerners perceived the sounds associated with antebellum developments including the market revolution, industrialization, westward expansion, and abolitionism. In northern modernization, southern slaveholders heard the noise of the mob, the din of industrialism, and threats to what they considered their quiet, orderly way of life; in southern slavery, northern abolitionists and capitalists heard the screams of enslaved labor, the silence of oppression, and signals of premodernity that threatened their vision of the American future. Sectional consciousness was profoundly influenced by the sounds people attributed to their regions. And as sectionalism hardened into fierce antagonism, it propelled the nation toward its most earsplitting conflict, the Civil War.
What core themes, tropes, or subjects are explored in Listening to Nineteenth-Century America?
History and Archaeology > History > History of the Americas
Where can I read a sample of Listening to Nineteenth-Century America?
You can read an official preview of the few pages here https://www.book2look.com/book/9780807826577
How long is Listening to Nineteenth-Century America and how many pages does it have?
Listening to Nineteenth-Century America has 384 page(s)
Who is/are the Author/s of the book Listening to Nineteenth-Century America?
Mark M. Smith
What are the ISBN numbers for the physical and digital editions?
Listening to Nineteenth-Century America is available as hardcover(ISBN 9780807826577) and paperback(ISBN 9780807849828) and ebook(ISBN 9781469625560) and pdf(ISBN 9798890872470)
Where can I buy Listening to Nineteenth-Century America online or support local independent bookshops?
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Where can I buy Listening to Nineteenth-Century America?