SOURCE: Tebbel, John. “How the General Magazines Began” and “Periodicals as a Political Platform.” In The American Magazine: A Compact History, pp. 47-65. New York: Hawthorn Books, 1969.

In the following excerpt, Tebbel recounts the rise of the general magazine between 1825 and 1850 and the importance of new periodicals as forums for political debate during this period.

How the General Magazines Began

The year 1825 was a turning point in both Europe and America. Abroad there was a rising wave of revolutionary movement in many countries, and a strong tide of reform was running. Change was the order of the day. It was also the primary fact of life in America as well, where the House of Representatives' denial of the Presidency to Andrew Jackson after he had won both the popular vote and the electoral vote, although by insufficient margins, paved the way for the coalition of South and West...