One of the sections for today’s reading that intrigued me and got me thinking was the part about the Stamp Act of 1765. The act required that a tax be put on broadsides, pamphlets, books, newspapers and legal documents. The tax was a huge threat to many newspapers and made it impossible for them to start on new projects. The opposition of the Stamp Act brought together the printers of the 26 newspapers from the colonies. The growing power of the press resulted in the repeal of the tax in 1766. Even back then with their limited transportation systems, the written word was able to circulate quickly throughout the colonies and changes were able to occur. Now there are hundreds of ways that information can circulate through the media and the press. There are still physical newspapers but now we can go online to the Star-Telegram.com and search for any article or piece of news. There are other resources out there like Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, Blogger, etc. where we can find important information on current events. Someone can send you a text and in a matter of seconds you will have that information at your fingertips. Other than written media, there is visual media where you can get information about what is going on in the world. The television and YouTube are our two main sources of visual media. When the Twin Towers were crashed into that information was on the news and circulating through the internet immediately after. That event united America in this modern age just like the printers from the newspapers were united in the colonial era and it was all due to the rapid pace at which importation events and information can circulate through media.
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