A pamphleteer is a historical term used to describe someone who creates or distributes pamphlets, unbound (therefore inexpensive) booklets intended for wide circulation.
Context
Pamphlets were used to broadcast the writer's opinions: to articulate a political ideology, for example, or to encourage people to vote for a particular politician. Early modern news pamphlets also made extensive use of stock imagery to describe, highlight, or criticize various social and cultural events and issues.[1] During times of political unrest, such as the French Revolution, pamphleteers were highly active in attempting to shape public opinion. Before the advent of telecommunications, those with access to a printing press and a supply of paper often used pamphlets to widely disseminate their ideas.
Famous pamphleteers
Thomas Paine's pamphlets were influential in the history of the American Revolutionary War.[2] 17th-century Dutch naval officer Witte de With wrote papers mocking and praising his fellow officers. Poet and polemicist John Milton published pamphlets as well. Jonathan Edwards and John Calvin changed the course of Christianity with their pamphlets.
See also
References
- ↑ "Early Modern Memes: The Reuse and Recycling of Woodcuts in 17th-Century English Popular Print".
- ↑ James A. Henretta et al. (2011). America's History, Volume 1: To 1877. Macmillan. p. 165. ISBN 9780312387914.
External links
- "From Slavery to Freedom: The African-American Pamphlet Collection, 1822-1909".
- "The Foster pamphlet collection".
- James A. Oliver. "The Pamphleteers" by James A. Oliver. ISBN 978-0-9551834-4-7 (PBK) and ISBN 978-0-9551834-5-4 (HBK).