Leave no doubt that the automobile remains the central symbol of theĪmerican genius, for good or ill. We have included, fictive and poetic as well as essayistic, should Then blended into the environment it created.

How the auto has altered the topography and folkways of America, Which artists no less than citizens have made use of cars and examines It includes the reminiscences of those whose lives haveīeen touched by the auto and its makers appraises the manner in 'Scholarly' and 'popular,' the mix of writing is happy and Range of voices and themes would not have to be narrower than it is, The volume and quality of manuscripts finally compelled us toĬombine the Fall 1980 and Winter 1981 issues, so that the awesome Gratified by the initial response, we decided toĮxpand our issue a third beyond the size of MQR's first special,Įnlarged issue on 'The Moon Landing and Its Aftermath' (Springġ979). Submissions sparkled, while others needed polishing, and othersĭefied polishing. Enclosed is the pailful IĪm contributing to the deluge.' Like cars themselves, many of the SinceĮvery poet in America probably has a couple of 'car poems' I marvelĪt your courage in issuing an announcement. 'The Automobile and American Culture is a great theme. Writer of verse perhaps expressed the view of many contributors:

Nonfiction, a dozen memoirs, and scores of graphic works.

It didmore than 450 poems, 86 short stories, 41 essay-length works of Our special issue to attract a small mountain of material. The auto's influence on American culture, and to peer a few kilometersĪware of Americans' high level of auto consciousness, we expected Worthwhile and timely for a Michigan publication in 1980 to analyze Giant shadow for at least the next two decades. Industry are in a state of transition, and that the halcyon days forīoth lie behind, not ahead. But it is also widely believed that motoring and the The vast majority of Americans willĬontinue to move about in cars, and the industry will survive, almostĮveryone agrees. Today American motorists and the auto industry face the mostĬritical years they have known. Us have traded motor vehicles for mopeds, much less bicycles. In large numbers, and strain our pocketbooks. That vehicles disturb tranquility, pollute the environment, kill us off Profoundly affecting manners and morals forever. Naysayers were swept aside, or joined the automotive parade, andĬars chugged, then raced ahead, changing the face of America and With the horse, and many more complained that it raised too muchĭust, ran over too many chickens, made deafening noises, producedįoul odors, and further separated the classes from the masses. Many turn-of-the-century citizens compared it unfavorably It is still a new fact in the American consciousness,Ĭertainly, since its inception the auto has generated love-hateįeelings. Until recently, perhaps because the car has been around only one But theĬultural impact of this single invention has attracted much less attention World's, leading business activity since the early 1920s. Michigan, that the auto industry has been the nation's, indeed the The journalists' opinions merely corroborated what AmericansĪlready knew-that the automobile has had an extraordinarily potent Of television, aviation, and the electrification of the nation. School segregation, and such technological advances as the development The Louisiana Purchase, the 1954 Supreme Court decision outlawing Rated tenth, comfortably ahead of the Vietnam War, the New Deal, 'Henry Ford, his Model T, and the rise of the automobile' was They gave first ranking to the Revolution, followedīy the drafting of the Constitution, the Civil War, and World War Journalists to name the most important developments in U.S. Issue title: The Automobile and American CultureFall 1980, pp. 434-435ĭuring America's bicentennial, the Associated Press asked leading

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