---
title: "Transatlantic Print Culture — APUSH Definition & Review"
description: "Transatlantic print culture is the flow of newspapers, books, and pamphlets between Britain and its colonies. It drove Anglicization and spread Enlightenment ideas in APUSH Unit 2."
canonical: "https://fiveable.me/apush/key-terms/transatlantic-print-culture"
type: "key-term"
subject: "AP US History"
unit: "Unit 2"
---

# Transatlantic Print Culture — APUSH Definition & Review

## Definition

Transatlantic print culture was the circulation of newspapers, books, and pamphlets between Britain and its North American colonies in the 1700s, spreading Enlightenment and religious ideas and pulling the colonies culturally closer to England (Anglicization) per KC-2.2.I.B.

## What It Is

Transatlantic print culture refers to the steady flow of printed material (newspapers, pamphlets, sermons, books, almanacs) back and forth across the Atlantic between Britain and its American colonies during the 1700s. A colonist in Boston or Philadelphia could read the same essays, political arguments, and religious debates that people in London were reading, often within weeks. Print was the colonial [internet](/apush/key-terms/internet "fv-autolink"). It was how ideas actually traveled.

The CED ties this term directly to **[Anglicization](/apush/key-terms/anglicization "fv-autolink")** (KC-2.2.I.B). Reading English newspapers, English law, and English political philosophy made colonists think of themselves as English. At the same time, print carried **[Enlightenment ideas](/apush/key-terms/enlightenment-ideas "fv-autolink")** about natural rights and government, plus the evangelical message of the **First Great Awakening** (KC-2.2.I.A). So the same printing presses that made colonists more British also handed them the intellectual tools they'd later use to argue against Britain.

## Why It Matters

This term lives in **Topic 2.7, Colonial Society and Culture** ([Unit 2](/apush/unit-2 "fv-autolink"): Colonial Development, 1607-1754) and supports learning objective **[APUSH](/apush "fv-autolink") 2.7.A**, which asks you to explain how the movement of people and ideas across the Atlantic shaped American culture. The CED names transatlantic print culture explicitly as one of three forces behind Anglicization, alongside intercolonial commercial ties and Protestant evangelicalism (KC-2.2.I.B). It also feeds **APUSH 2.7.B**, because the Enlightenment political thought and anti-corruption ideology that fueled colonial resistance (KC-2.2.I.D) spread through exactly these printed channels. For the AP exam, this is a go-to piece of specific evidence whenever a prompt asks about colonial identity, cultural convergence with Britain, or the intellectual roots of resistance.

## Connections

### [Anglicization (Unit 2)](/apush/key-terms/anglicization)

[Print culture](/apush/key-terms/print-culture "fv-autolink") is one of the main engines of Anglicization. The CED lists it right next to intercolonial trade and Protestant evangelicalism as a reason the colonies grew more English over time. If an MCQ asks what drove Anglicization, transatlantic print culture is a textbook-correct answer.

### [Benjamin Franklin (Unit 2)](/apush/key-terms/benjamin-franklin)

Franklin is the walking example of this term. He was a printer who published a newspaper and Poor Richard's Almanack, and he embodied Enlightenment ideas crossing the Atlantic. If a question asks who BEST exemplifies transatlantic print culture, Franklin is your answer.

### Enlightenment ideas and colonial resistance (Units 2-3)

Here's the twist worth remembering. The same print networks that made colonists feel British also delivered Enlightenment political thought and an ideology critical of imperial corruption (KC-2.2.I.D). When resistance heats up in [Unit 3](/apush/unit-3 "fv-autolink"), pamphlets and newspapers are the tools colonists already know how to use.

### [First Great Awakening (Unit 2)](/apush/key-terms/first-great-awakening)

Revival sermons were printed, reprinted, and shipped across colonies and the ocean, which is part of why the Awakening became the first truly intercolonial movement. Print culture and evangelicalism worked together to build a shared colonial experience (KC-2.2.I.A).

## On the AP Exam

This term shows up most often in multiple-choice questions tied to Topic 2.7. Common stem patterns ask you to identify what BEST exemplifies transatlantic print culture (think Franklin's newspaper or widely circulated pamphlets), what factors contributed to Anglicization, or which aspect of colonial autonomy print culture enabled. The key skill is causation, so you need to connect print to its effects rather than just define it. No released FRQ has used the term verbatim, but it works as strong specific evidence in a SAQ or LEQ on colonial culture, the development of an American identity, or the intellectual origins of the Revolution. A continuity-and-change essay spanning 1607-1776 gets stronger when you can show print culture making colonists more British in Unit 2 and then carrying resistance arguments in Unit 3.

## transatlantic print culture vs Anglicization

These travel together in KC-2.2.I.B, but they aren't the same thing. Anglicization is the outcome, meaning the colonies gradually becoming more English in politics, law, and culture. Transatlantic print culture is one of the causes, the actual mechanism (newspapers, books, pamphlets) that carried English ideas to colonial readers. On the exam, treat print culture as evidence that explains Anglicization, not a synonym for it.

## Key Takeaways

- Transatlantic print culture was the exchange of newspapers, books, and pamphlets between Britain and its colonies, and the CED names it as a direct cause of Anglicization (KC-2.2.I.B).
- Print carried both Enlightenment political ideas and First Great Awakening evangelicalism, making it the delivery system for the era's two biggest intellectual movements (KC-2.2.I.A).
- Benjamin Franklin, a printer who published a newspaper and Poor Richard's Almanack, is the single best example of this term on the exam.
- The same print networks that made colonists feel more British later spread Enlightenment critiques of imperial corruption, feeding colonial resistance (KC-2.2.I.D).
- Use transatlantic print culture as specific evidence in essays about colonial identity, Anglicization, or the intellectual roots of the American Revolution.

## FAQs

### What is transatlantic print culture in APUSH?

It's the circulation of newspapers, books, pamphlets, and sermons between Britain and its American colonies in the 1700s. The CED (KC-2.2.I.B) lists it as one of the forces that Anglicized the colonies, alongside intercolonial trade and [Protestant evangelicalism](/apush/key-terms/protestant-evangelicalism "fv-autolink").

### Did transatlantic print culture make the colonies more British or more rebellious?

Both, and that's the point. At first it pulled colonists toward English culture, law, and identity (Anglicization), but the same presses spread Enlightenment ideas about liberty and critiques of imperial corruption that colonists later used against Britain.

### How is transatlantic print culture different from Anglicization?

Anglicization is the result, meaning the colonies becoming more English over time. Print culture is one cause of that result, the mechanism that physically moved English ideas across the ocean. The exam expects you to use print culture as evidence explaining Anglicization.

### What is the best example of transatlantic print culture?

Benjamin Franklin. He ran a printing business, published the Pennsylvania Gazette and Poor Richard's Almanack, and traded ideas with thinkers in Britain. Colonial newspapers reprinting London essays and widely circulated revival sermons also count.

### What unit is transatlantic print culture in for APUSH?

Unit 2 (Colonial Development, 1607-1754), specifically Topic 2.7, Colonial Society and Culture, under learning objective APUSH 2.7.A. Its effects carry into Unit 3 when print spreads revolutionary arguments.

## Related Study Guides

- [2.7 Colonial Society and Culture](/apush/unit-2/colonial-society-culture/study-guide/Lko98iWbbumC8ceFevkv)

## Structured Data

```json
{"@context":"https://schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"LearningResource","@id":"https://fiveable.me/apush/key-terms/transatlantic-print-culture#resource","name":"Transatlantic Print Culture — APUSH Definition & Review","url":"https://fiveable.me/apush/key-terms/transatlantic-print-culture","learningResourceType":"Concept explainer","educationalLevel":"AP® / High School","about":{"@id":"https://fiveable.me/apush/key-terms/transatlantic-print-culture#term"},"audience":{"@type":"EducationalAudience","educationalRole":"student"},"dateModified":"2026-06-11T05:27:29.897Z","isPartOf":{"@type":"Collection","name":"AP US History Key Terms","url":"https://fiveable.me/apush/key-terms"},"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Fiveable","url":"https://fiveable.me"}},{"@type":"DefinedTerm","@id":"https://fiveable.me/apush/key-terms/transatlantic-print-culture#term","name":"transatlantic print culture","description":"Transatlantic print culture was the circulation of newspapers, books, and pamphlets between Britain and its North American colonies in the 1700s, spreading Enlightenment and religious ideas and pulling the colonies culturally closer to England (Anglicization) per KC-2.2.I.B.","url":"https://fiveable.me/apush/key-terms/transatlantic-print-culture","inDefinedTermSet":{"@type":"DefinedTermSet","name":"AP US History Key Terms","url":"https://fiveable.me/apush/key-terms"}},{"@type":"FAQPage","mainEntity":[{"@type":"Question","name":"What is transatlantic print culture in APUSH?","acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"It's the circulation of newspapers, books, pamphlets, and sermons between Britain and its American colonies in the 1700s. The CED (KC-2.2.I.B) lists it as one of the forces that Anglicized the colonies, alongside intercolonial trade and [Protestant evangelicalism](/apush/key-terms/protestant-evangelicalism \"fv-autolink\")."}},{"@type":"Question","name":"Did transatlantic print culture make the colonies more British or more rebellious?","acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"Both, and that's the point. At first it pulled colonists toward English culture, law, and identity (Anglicization), but the same presses spread Enlightenment ideas about liberty and critiques of imperial corruption that colonists later used against Britain."}},{"@type":"Question","name":"How is transatlantic print culture different from Anglicization?","acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"Anglicization is the result, meaning the colonies becoming more English over time. Print culture is one cause of that result, the mechanism that physically moved English ideas across the ocean. The exam expects you to use print culture as evidence explaining Anglicization."}},{"@type":"Question","name":"What is the best example of transatlantic print culture?","acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"Benjamin Franklin. He ran a printing business, published the Pennsylvania Gazette and Poor Richard's Almanack, and traded ideas with thinkers in Britain. Colonial newspapers reprinting London essays and widely circulated revival sermons also count."}},{"@type":"Question","name":"What unit is transatlantic print culture in for APUSH?","acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"Unit 2 (Colonial Development, 1607-1754), specifically Topic 2.7, Colonial Society and Culture, under learning objective APUSH 2.7.A. Its effects carry into Unit 3 when print spreads revolutionary arguments."}}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"AP US History","item":"https://fiveable.me/apush"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Key Terms","item":"https://fiveable.me/apush/key-terms"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Unit 2","item":"https://fiveable.me/apush/unit-2"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":4,"name":"transatlantic print culture"}]}]}
```