Television's Impact on American Politics and Civil Rights

Introduction: Television and American Life

There have been many technological advances within the past sixty years that have fundamentally influenced the way we live in the United States. Among the most influential is the invention and proliferation of the television.

Though there are other equally important advances, it is still the television that dominates the background noise of nearly every home. In fact, most homes have more televisions than they have bathrooms. It is not unusual for television to be the single most used avenue for national and international information. "From its early position as a new medium for political coverage in the 1950s, television quickly supplanted radio and eventually newspapers to become, by the early 1960s, the major source of public information about politics."

This information includes political, social, and popular issues that have helped shape the culture of America. It is through the influence of television and the media that American politics have become what they are. It is through television that the civil rights movement reached far more people than it would have otherwise, and it is through television that, to some degree, the Americanization of foreign peoples has occurred.

Though television was invented in 1927 by Philo Farnsworth (Schatzkin 2002), the proliferation of the technology did not begin to occur until the mid-1940s and early 1950s. "The introduction of television was stalled while the nation devoted its technical might to winning the Second World War, but by the late 1940s television swept the nation and the world." (Schatzkin 2002) It wasn't until the picture gained color in 1946 that the invention truly exploded as something every home needed. (Bellis 2003)

Television and American Politics

There are a few striking visual messages associated with politics that really stand out in the minds of most Americans.

From the first televised presidential debates to the near-continuous television coverage of congressional activities that exists today, television has made landmark strides toward informing the people. Though many would argue that this has all come at a price — associated with the visual image sometimes being more compelling than the political message, and also the sheer cost of national campaigns given the high expense of television advertising — it is also clear that the world of American politics would not be what it is today without the political images and information we receive from television.

Observers have long noted that television coverage of the famous 1954 MacArthur Day Parade in Chicago communicated more excitement and a greater sense of immediacy to television viewers than to those participating in the live event. The televised hearings in conjunction with Joseph McCarthy's search for communist sympathizers in the early 1950s also captured the public's attention. (Kaid 2003)

Who can argue that the major political events surrounding the assassination of John F. Kennedy did not burn images into the minds of many people — a great number of whom can remember exactly where they were when the news appeared on television and when the famous home video was broadcast repeatedly for days?

Through television, Americans have been eyewitness to state funerals and foreign wars; a presidential resignation; hearings on scandals such as Watergate, Iran-Contra, and Whitewater; triumphs of presidential diplomacy and negotiation; and innumerable other political events. (Kaid 2003)

Presidential Campaigns in the Television Age

As Kaid points out in her scholarly work "Political Process and Television" (2003), the aspect of politics most affected by television is the process of the political campaign — most specifically, the presidential political campaign.

The first presidential election to see extensive use of television was the 1952 race between Dwight D. Eisenhower and Adlai Stevenson. In that campaign, Richard M. Nixon, as Eisenhower's vice-presidential candidate, "took his case to the people" to defend himself on television against corruption charges in the famous "Checkers" speech. (Kaid 2003)

The use of practical television marketing as a campaigning tactic became one of the most important of all political-process changes effected by television:

"However, the most significant innovation related to the role of television in the 1952 campaign was undoubtedly Eisenhower's use of short spot commercials to enhance his television image…Not only did this strategy break new ground for political campaigning, but many observers have credited the spots with helping Eisenhower to craft a friendly, charming persona that contributed to his eventual electoral success." (Kaid 2003)

It is through sound bites, as they are now called, that many national campaigns are won and lost. This tactic has even become pervasive in local television markets, as commercials for candidates and issues with substantial financial backing have grown increasingly prevalent in the political process. In many ways, the changes that have occurred reflect the media-hyped image of the humanity of individual candidates. Even in its very first modern application, television gave the country a foresight into its future impact.

Stevenson made it easier for the Eisenhower campaign by refusing to participate in this type of electronic campaigning. Although Stevenson did produce television commercials for the 1956 campaign, he was never able to overcome Eisenhower's popularity. (Kaid 2003)

Since that time, the interplay of American politics has been broadcast not only all over the United States but all over the world. Many would say that the influence of the United States abroad, both politically and socially, can be directly linked to the pervasive television coverage of both the American lifestyle and American politics.

Conclusion: A Nation Transformed

In closing, it is clear that through only a few examples of fundamental moments broadcast across the country through the medium of television, this country would not look and sound as it does today.

It is doubtful that Philo Farnsworth, as a young farm boy of fourteen, could have visualized the impact his moving picture transmission would have upon the United States and the world. Yet the reality of that impact is the background news program that is probably airing in every reader's home tonight. The impact that television has had on politics, civil rights, and international Americanization is immeasurable — for good and for ill, the world will never be the same.