Sold American: consumption and citizenship, 1890 - 1945

At the turn of the twentieth century, an emerging consumer culture in the US promoted constant spending to meet material needs and develop social identity and self-cultivation. In 'Sold American', Charles McGovern examines the key players active in shaping this cultural evolution: advertisers and consumer advocates. He argues that even though these two professional groups invented radically different models for proper spending, both groups propagated mass consumption as a specifically American social practice and an important element of nationality and citizenship

At the turn of the twentieth century, a consumer culture in the United States promoted constant spending to meet material needs and develop social identity and self-cultivation. This work examines the key players active in shaping this cultural evolution: advertisers and consumer advocates