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Furnishing the pictures: representations of Latin America in United States media, 1830-1890

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Date Issued:
2012
Abstract/Description:
The purpose of this research is to identify a link between nineteenth-century American imperialism in Latin America and the budding field of a profit-based media. Specific emphasis is placed on the formation and success of a profit-based circulation media industry during an era in which the wheels for an American Empire were first put into motion. This media was utilized to provide a sense of justification and rationalization for the obviously-aggressive actions of its own nation. It is my assertion, though, that the media was a passive agent in this process, reflecting representations that its audience desired in order to rationalize imperialism, rather than actively shaping public views. While both the media's place within the domestic and foreign policy of the United States since the Spanish-American War and American portrayals of Latin America have been well-documented, there has been considerably less attention given to this connection prior to 1898. Using extensive primary and secondary resources as a springboard for the creation of a theoretical framework, this thesis represents an effort to expand understanding of the connection between culture and imperialism during the early formative years of the American Empire, and the manner in which American society used the media as a tool to justify its own imperialistic actions.
Title: Furnishing the pictures: representations of Latin America in United States media, 1830-1890.
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Name(s): Kaye, Matthew Pedersen, author
Type of Resource: text
Genre: Thesis
Issuance: single unit
Date Issued: 2012
Physical Form: bound thesis
Extent: 93 pgs.
Language(s): English
eng
Abstract/Description: The purpose of this research is to identify a link between nineteenth-century American imperialism in Latin America and the budding field of a profit-based media. Specific emphasis is placed on the formation and success of a profit-based circulation media industry during an era in which the wheels for an American Empire were first put into motion. This media was utilized to provide a sense of justification and rationalization for the obviously-aggressive actions of its own nation. It is my assertion, though, that the media was a passive agent in this process, reflecting representations that its audience desired in order to rationalize imperialism, rather than actively shaping public views. While both the media's place within the domestic and foreign policy of the United States since the Spanish-American War and American portrayals of Latin America have been well-documented, there has been considerably less attention given to this connection prior to 1898. Using extensive primary and secondary resources as a springboard for the creation of a theoretical framework, this thesis represents an effort to expand understanding of the connection between culture and imperialism during the early formative years of the American Empire, and the manner in which American society used the media as a tool to justify its own imperialistic actions.
Identifier: fgcu_ETD_0445 (IID)
Note(s): Degree Awarded: Master of Arts in History
Department: College of Arts & Sciences
Subject(s): Latin America
Nationalism in the press
imperialism
Spanish-American War
Persistent Link to This Record: http://purl.flvc.org/fgcu/fd/fgcu_ETD_0445
Use and Reproduction: Creator holds copyright.
Use and Reproduction: http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/
Host Institution: FGCU