All the facts : a history of information in the United States since 1870

657 Pages·2016·14.715 MB·English

by  Cortada, James W

All the Facts

All the Facts
A History of Information
in the United States since 1870
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James W. Cortada
1
1
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Cortada, James W.
Title: All the facts : a history of information in the United States since 1870 / James W. Cortada.
Description: New York, NY : Oxford University Press, [2016] |
Includes bibliographical references and index.
Identifiers: LCCN 2015034919 | ISBN 978–0–19–046067–9 (hardback)
Subjects: LCSH: Information resources—United States—History. | Information services—
United States—History. | United States—Civilization. | BISAC: HISTORY / United States / General.
| HISTORY / Modern / General. | BUSINESS & ECONOMICS / Economic History.
Classification: LCC ZA3072.U6 C67 2016 | DDC 020.973—dc23 LC record available at
http://lccn.loc.gov/2015034919
1 3 5 7 9 8 6 4 2
Printed by Sheridan, USA
For my grandchildren, who are demonstrating the continued
evolution of Americans using information

CONTENTS
List of Illustrations xi
Preface xv
Introducing American Information 1
What Information Is and How It Relates to Knowledge and Skills 1
Types of Information 5
Uses and Users of Information in American Life 10
Facilitators and Restrainers in the Use of Information 11
Where Information Came From 21
Key Themes of This Book 22
Book Plan for Exploring Information’s History 26
1. A Short Biography of American Information, 1870–1945 28
Evolution of American Information 29
Limits of Information: Restrainers in the Diffusion of Information 35
Role of New Technologies in Fostering Use of Information 39
Continuance of Older Forms of Information 44
Conclusions 46
2. Roots of Early Uses of Information: The Birth of an Infrastructure,
1600s–1870 48
A Legacy of Literacy and Reading 53
Patterns of Education and Establishment of Local Libraries 63
Development of Other Informational Networks 71
Role of the Federal Government in Creating, Diffusing, and Regulating
Flows of Information 76
Who Could Afford Information and the Influence of Cities 80
The Birth of Information Privacy Issues 86
Conclusions on the Roots of Information in America 89
3. Big Business and Small Farms Rely on Information, 1870–1941 92
How Businesses Changed and Problems Management Needed to Fix 94
Types of Information Created and Used in Business 98
( vii )
( viii ) Contents
Science and Technology Support Uses of Information 106
Buying, Selling, and Sharing Information in the World of Businesses 109
The Remarkable Role of Information in Farming 117
Conclusions on the Use of Information in the Private Sector 128
4. Big Government and Small Universities Take On Big Information,
1870–1941 132
How Information Affected Presidential Activities in the
1920s–1930s 134
Growth of the Federal Government, 1870–1941 136
Overview of Federal Information Gathering 138
Role of Three Federal Agencies 146
When Information Went to War: World War I and Military Run-up
to World War II 159
America’s Use of Public Opinion Surveys 167
Did Information Cause Changes or Just Inform Actions? 171
How Higher Education Grew and Changed, 1870–1941 172
Academic Research and Invention and Use of New Information 179
Conclusions on the Role of Information in the Public Sector
and in Higher Education 186
5. How Citizens Became Dependent on Information, 1870–1945 189
Home: Epicenter of Private Life Information 191
Children’s Information Ecosystems 203
The War against Germs 205
The Informed Vacation 212
Religion and the Shaping of America’s Information 218
Community Service Clubs: Components of Local Information
Ecosystems 222
“Play Ball!”: America’s National Sport by the Numbers 227
The Special Circumstance of World War II 230
Conclusions on How Private Citizens Used Information 233
6. From Pearl Harbor to 9/11: Government and Education in a World
of Computers, 1941–2001 236
How the Public Sector Was Different after World War II 238
Warriors Armed with Information 243
From “Cops and Robbers” to Cybercrime 254
Taxation Becomes Complicated and Well Informed 261
How the Rest of Government Became Information Rich 265
Higher Education: The World’s Greatest Supplier of Information 268
Contents ( ix )
How Schools Used Information, but Teachers Hardly
Used Computers 273
Conclusions 279
7. Informing the Business of America, 1945–1998 281
Expansion of the Economy and Business in America 282
Changing Nature of Management, Organizations, and Work 287
Growing Uses of Information 293
Characteristics of Information Ecosystems 303
New Science, New Industries, and New Information 305
Selling and Buying of Information 315
Keeping Score on Information and Its Users 318
Conclusions 324
8. Information and the Modern Knowledge Worker, 1945–1998 326
Where Have All the Information Workers Gone? 328
How Blue-Collar Workers Became Knowledge Workers 331
Professionals and Their Work with Information 344
Causality and Action: The Power of Place in Informing Workers
and Professions 362
Conclusions 365
9. Uses of Information in Everyday Life, 1945–1995 368
Growth in the Use of Information Tools 371
Taking Care of the House and Raising Children 385
Sports, Hobbies, and Vacationing 395
Interacting with the Rest of America: Church, Community,
and Government 401
Information Found in Public Spaces 407
Privacy as an Information Issue in Modern Times 410
How Effective Were Americans in Using Information? 412
10. The Internet and Modern Uses of Information 415
A Short History of the Internet 417
How Americans Used the Internet to Find Information 426
How Businesses and Government Used the Internet 440
The Status of Twenty-First-Century Information 447
Conclusions 451
11. How Americans Used Information to Shape Their Society 455
The Role of Information in America 458
The Personality of Information 461