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

Troy Bickham's book describes the British response to the American Revolution through an analysis of British periodicals. His conclusion is that Britons were not surprised by the war and viewed the conflict as a civil war that turned global with the involvement of France and Spain. As a result of this globalization, Bickham argues, Britons gained a greater sense of empire through their understanding of the interconnectivity of the North American colonies to British interests in the Caribbean, the Mediterranean, and the Pacific. Throughout, the British displayed a modicum of respect for Americans, even revering the virtues of George Washington.

Making Headlines is a timely work that fits well within the trends of researching the English and Irish sides of the American Revolution as well as trans-Atlantic historiography. Bickham approaches both paradigms through the cultural mentalities of everyday periodical readers in England. His thesis therefore rests on an appreciation of the intellectual currents that weave the London blacksmith together with dignitaries such as Edmund Burke. Bickham's frequent references to Burke illustrate that ideas expressed in Parliament were just as salient in the coffee-houses where people read periodicals. In this sense, Bickham gets at a pervasive mentality of the Britons, though perhaps he could have made this book stronger by entering into a conversation with the recent historiography on the periodical press and popular patriotism in North America. Bickham's subtle argument about the transmission of culture would be more dazzling if the reader were aware of this transmission being an international phenomenon of the Atlantic. In addition, scholars of early America would appreciate Bickham in conversation with the likes of Bernard Bailyn, whom he cites in the endnotes. As it is, the historiographic slant is heavier on English history than American or trans-Atlantic.

The book is brilliantly organized into three sections. The first, "The British Press in the Era of the American Revolution," offers a study of print culture. In his first two chapters, Bickham focuses on the social history of the press's production, distribution, and reception and explains how the diffusion and diversity of periodicals allowed for a free press. That free press provided a condition for lively exchange amongst readers, offering varying opinions and illustrating social consensus. These first two chapters are important for setting up Bickham's argument. Had the press been controlled by the state, much of the data in this book would not have existed. This setup also aids the reader in understanding why countervailing opinions appeared in print.

Section 2, "From Insurrection to World War," tells a narrative of the changes in public perception regarding the war. Chapter 3 discusses the British discourse regarding independence and civil war with the colonies in 1774 and 1775. The public's resolve was that war would come, but it would be an internal war. When the United States declared independence, Britons were not surprised, nor were they convinced. From 1776 to 1778, Britons read with anticipation of British forces occupying ports and making advances to suppress the insurrection. Chapter 4 chronicles the highs and lows Britons experienced as war dragged on. Internal strife in Parliament and the military hierarchy frustrated the public, who were further exasperated by economic strains. At the dawn of the battle of Saratoga, Bickham claims that the British public was willing to accept the loss of North America if peace could come. Saratoga altered the timbre of the war and public perception. When France and Spain came to the aid of the United States, Britons began to perceive of the war as a global conflict between empires. Anxious about losses in the Caribbean, the Mediterranean, and Asia, the public renewed its interests in winning a war that preserved the British Empire. In the end, as Bickham argues, Britain may have lost the battle for North America, but she won the global war. Britons took delight in maintaining the moral uprightness of Britain...