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CONSUMING LINCOLN: ABRAHAM LINCOLN’S WESTERN MANHOOD IN THE URBAN NORTHEAST, 1848-1861

Demaree, David
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=kent153288296298073

Abstract Details

2018, PHD, Kent State University, College of Arts and Sciences / Department of History.
This dissertation plumbs reactions to Lincoln beyond a strictly political lens, contending that a consumer imaginary facilitated the traction Lincoln’s western manhood gained in the urban northeast in 1848, 1860, and 1861. Borrowing from Charles Taylor’s theory of the social imaginary, a consumer imaginary highlights the pursuit of novelty in collective practices and values. The perceived divide between the bucolic West and urban East, divided by the Allegheny Mountains in popular mid-nineteenth century discourse, informed ideas of manhood. Urban northeasterners, characterized by an urbane mentality along the northern Atlantic seaboard, reveled in Lincoln’s personification of western life. Popular urban entertainment, notably P.T. Barnum’s exhibits, and advances in print culture predisposed audiences to view Lincoln’s western manhood as striking for its association with feral virility. In these urban milieus, a consumer imaginary served as the mind’s eye, a filter through which Lincoln’s western manhood was animated and consumed. This dissertation is divided into five chapters with an epilogue. Chapters one and two explore how audiences perceived Lincoln’s western manhood as amusing during his speaking tours of New England and New York City in 1848 and 1860. Lincoln’s appearance and manner of speech verified him as an authentic stump speaker—complete with eccentric body motion, jokes, and yarns. Chapter three concerns how Lincoln was portrayal by urban northeast media. Chapter four probes how spectacles and talisman associated with Lincoln fed a burgeoning appetite for the novelty of his western manhood. The final chapter centers on the perception of Lincoln’s western association as a celebrity in 1861. Consumer capitalism, flourishing cities, the proliferation of inexpensive print likenesses, and the onset of celebrity culture all set the foundation for a consumer imaginary that grew increasingly intense as the century unfolded.
Kevin Adams, Ph.D. (Advisor)
Elaine Frantz, Ph.D. (Committee Member)
Lesley Gordon, Ph.D. (Committee Member)
Sara Hume, Ph.D. (Committee Member)
278 p.
American History; American Studies; History; Mass Media
Abraham Lincoln, Consumerism, Social Imaginary, Manhood, Nineteenth Century, Antebellum Entertainment, Stump Speakers, Western Manhood, Urban Northeast

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Demaree, D. (2018). CONSUMING LINCOLN: ABRAHAM LINCOLN’S WESTERN MANHOOD IN THE URBAN NORTHEAST, 1848-1861 [Doctoral dissertation, Kent State University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=kent153288296298073

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Demaree, David. CONSUMING LINCOLN: ABRAHAM LINCOLN’S WESTERN MANHOOD IN THE URBAN NORTHEAST, 1848-1861. 2018. Kent State University, Doctoral dissertation. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=kent153288296298073.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Demaree, David. "CONSUMING LINCOLN: ABRAHAM LINCOLN’S WESTERN MANHOOD IN THE URBAN NORTHEAST, 1848-1861." Doctoral dissertation, Kent State University, 2018. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=kent153288296298073

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

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This open access ETD is published by Kent State University and OhioLINK.