Defining vision

About this book

More than any other aspect of American life, the history of television reveals the story of the reorientation of culture and the shift in American values that occurred after World War II ... It is the premise of this book that in the second half of the twentieth century, TV has been a reflection of the national character and the primary means by which Americans have defined themselves and each other ... The snapshots of programming presented in [the book] have been selected to illustrate a fifty-year panorama of television ... The chapters ... each about a different facet of American life, explore representative evidence that confirms the significance of television as a historical force.-Prologue.