![]() | First Taste of Freedom: A Cultural History of Bicycle Marketing in the United States Subjects: Cycling -- United States -- History; Cycling -- Economic aspects -- United States -- History; Bicycle industry -- United States -- History; The bicycle has long been a part of American culture but few would describe it as an essential element of American identity in the same way that it is fundamental to European and Asian cultures. Instead, American culture has had a more turbulent relationship with the bicycle. First introduced in the United States in the 1830s, the bicycle reached its height of popularity in the 1890s as it evolved to become a popular form of locomotion for adults. Two decades later, ridership in the United States collapsed. As automobile consumption grew, bicycles were seen as backward and unbecoming--particularly for the white middle class. Robert J. Turpin is assistant professor of history at Lees-McRae College in North Carolina. |
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