First Taste of Freedom

Robert Turpin

ISBN 10: 0815635915 / ISBN 13: 9780815635918

Published by Eurospan Jun 2018, 2018

About this Item

Neuware - 'First Taste of Freedom' is a work of American cultural history focused on the bicycle market in the United States. A primary goal of the research was also to understand how the bicycle can be seen so differently in the US as opposed to other countries'.

Seller Inventory # 9780815635918

Bibliographic Details

• Title: First Taste of Freedom
• Publisher: Eurospan Jun 2018
• Publication Date: 2018
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0815635915
• ISBN 13: 9780815635918
• Binding: Taschenbuch
• Condition: Neu
• Dimensions: 231W x 176H x 19D millimeters 231 millimeters width by 176 millimeters height by 19 millimeters depth
• Weight: 432 grams

About this title

Synopsis

The bicycle has long been a part of American culture but few would describe it as an essential element of American identity in the same way that it is fundamental to European and Asian cultures. Instead, American culture has had a more turbulent relationship with the bicycle. First introduced in the United States in the 1830s, the bicycle reached its height of popularity in the 1890s as it evolved to become a popular form of locomotion for adults. Two decades later, ridership in the United States collapsed. As automobile consumption grew, bicycles were seen as backward and unbecoming—particularly for the white middle class.
Turpin chronicles the story of how the bicycle’s image changed dramatically, shedding light on how American consumer patterns are shaped over time. Turpin identifies the creation and development of childhood consumerism as a key factor in the bicycle’s evolution. In an attempt to resurrect dwindling sales, sports marketers reimagined the bicycle as a child’s toy. By the 1950s, it had been firmly established as a symbol of boyhood adolescence, further accelerating the declining number of adult consumers.
Tracing the ways in which cycling suffered such a loss in popularity among adults is fundamental to understanding why the United States would be considered a "car" culture from the 1950s to today. As a lens for viewing American history, the story of the bicycle deepens our understanding of our national culture and the forces that influence it.

About the Author

Robert J. Turpin is assistant professor of history at Lees-McRae College in North Carolina.