UC Riverside

Articles from American periodicals about the Hispanic west in North America published between 1800 and 1850 exemplified the changes that the government of the United States and its people experienced. These articles reveal the nation's transition from a republican form of government to an emerging American empire. Utilizing periodicals, this study reveals the cultural and political transitions of the United States in the early national period. Yet, rather than examine ideas about news and ideas that circulated in articles about the United States, my study analyzes Anglo American news, ideas, and developments in Mexico and greater New Spain. By doing so, conceptions about the country, with respect to its representation in periodicals, can be viewed in broader terms; here, they can be viewed in terms of empire building.