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Historical Antecedents to Public
Relations
Introduction to Public Relations
School of Communication Studies
James Madison University
Dr. Michael Smilowitz
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What to expect:
• A very broad overview dealing with
historical applications of public relation
techniques.
• An identification of some major
developments in the practice of public
relations.
• An awareness of how the media of a time
affects public relation practices.
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The early beginnings
• 4000 year old farm bulletin
• Julius Ceasar used his Gallic
Commentaries to encourage his soldiers.
• Genghis Kahn used “advance men” to
go ahead of his armies and frighten
folks.
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The early beginnings
• Congregatio de Propaganda Fide
(Society for the propagation of the faith)
• Town criers strode through medieval
European villages and towns shouting
public announcements.
• Martin Luther posted flyers to bring
about the reformation.
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The early beginnings
Prior to the development of the
printing press, public communication
was nearly wholly dependent upon
oral means for information and
persuasion.
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Colonial America
• Settlers were attracted through campaigns
full of overstatements and falsehoods.
• Harvard used a brochure, called New
England’s First Fruits, to solicit funds and
support.
• In 1758 King’s College (now known as
Columbia University) issued its first press
release, announcing commencement exercises.
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Colonial America
• Many, if not most, of the colonists did not
feel like fighting.
• The Boston Tea Party was a well organized
media event for focusing pubic opinion.
• Nearly every one of the few published
newspapers were on the side of the
revolutionaries.
• The Declaration of Independence is far
more than a “political” document.
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Colonial America
PR lessons learned from the revolutionary war:
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The use of symbols that are easily identifiable
and emotion arousing, such as the “Liberty Tree.”
• The use of slogans that compress complex issues
into easy-to-remember phrases, such as “Taxation
without representation is tyranny.”
• Staged events can catch public attention,
provoke discussion, and crystallize unstructured
public opinion, such as the Boston tea party.
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Colonial America
PR lessons learned from the revolutionary war:
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It is important to get your side of the story first
to public so that your interpretation of events
becomes the accepted one, such as with the Boston
Massacre.
• It is necessary to saturate the public through a
sustained campaign that is well organized and
managed by an organization such as the “Sons of
Liberty.”
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Post-Revolution
• The Federalist Papers include 85
letters sent to newspapers by
Madison, Jay and Hamilton.
• Andrew Jackson
appoints Amos Kendall
to his “kitchen cabinet”
as probably the first
press secretary.
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Post-Revolution
Kendall served Jackson as a:
• pollster
• counselor
• ghost writer
• publicist