The Evolution of Paper

 The Evolution of Paper 

We often take this small, seemingly meaningless object for granted. We scribble all over it, rip it, crumple it up into a ball, and practice our basketball skills by throwing it into the garbage can. Paper is the gateway to so many facets of our lives. Think about it: newspapers, receipts, contracts, letters, postcards, flyers, brochures, birthday cards… you get the idea. While technology has seemingly replaced the necessity of paper, we cannot forget our “roots”. Paper was the nails that helped to build the house. 

The history of paper can be traced back almost 2,000 years ago. According to www.paperrecycles.org, “inventors in China first crafted cloth sheets to record their drawings and writings. Before then, people communicated through pictures and symbols etched on stone, bones, cave walls, or clay tablets” (https://www.paperrecycles.org/about/the-history-of-paper). I imagine that this development was truly revolutionary and incredibly exciting. Before the development of these cloth sheets, the amount of time spent to try and communicate with others was incredibly long-people spent long hours carving and scraping drawings into rock and bone!  These cloth sheets also allowed for more citizens to learn about the messages that were being written- the sheets could be spread around more quickly. 

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So how did we all end up learning about paper? I’m getting a little ahead of myself here. During the 700s, Muslims (who invaded a Chinese paper mill) began learning and understanding the art of making paper. After they invaded Europe, they brought this skill with them, and Spain housed the first paper mill. After that, mills were popping up all across Europe (https://www.paperrecycles.org/about/the-history-of-paper). Johannes Gutenberg’s work with the printing press and Martin Luther’s act of nailing the 95 Theses permitted an explosion of ideas across Europe. While the Catholic Church was once a staple in most European households, the Protestant Reformation began a huge shift of morals, values, and beliefs in Europe. Paper became a catalyst for this shift- new ideas were passed around and adopted through the use of paper. 

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England, of course, got involved in the “paper boom”. Www.paperrecyles.com also stated that “England began making large supplies of paper in the late 15th century and supplied the colonies with paper for many years. Finally, in 1690, the first U.S. paper mill was built in Pennsylvania” (https://www.paperrecycles.org/about/the-history-of-paper). This paper mill (along with the ones that followed it) allowed colonists to begin communicating with each other. 

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Desperately trying to increase revenue coming into the country, England passed the Stamp Act in 1765, which required colonists to pay tax on “all materials printed for commercial and legal use in the colonies, from newspapers and pamphlets to playing cards and dice” (https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/stamp-act-imposed-on-american-colonies). Colonists then began writing articles of dissent on the very material that they were being taxed on, which I find incredibly ironic. 

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The Civil War also permitted for a “boom” in the paper industry. According to www.psprint.com, “The Civil War likewise contributed to the popularity of newspapers, as battlefield reporters commanded national attention with their accounts of the war. By the time the Civil War ended, newspapers had become engrained in American culture” (https://www.psprint.com/resources/history-of-the-printed-newspaper/). Uncle Tom’s Cabin obviously changed the way the country thought about slavery, and paper again was the catalyst that created this change in our society. 

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Newspapers, a medium once coveted and highly valued, began to lose their influence with the development of the radio in the 1920s. Of course, the development of television made it hard for newspapers to continue their dominance over the mass media market. People wanted to see people delivering news to them live, rather than simply reading it. Of course, newspapers still have a place in our current society, but their influence is weakening. 

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Today, I find that one of the most influential uses of paper is through posters and signs, especially for protest purposes. Through demonstrations such as the Anti-Vietnam movement, Watergate, the #MeToo movement, the BLM movement, and most recently election protests, advocates for various causes (and of course- advocates for the opposing side) have the ability to create information and art using paper. This is one of our First Amendment rights (the freedom of speech) and is incredibly essential in many ways. We must continue to advocate for these rights, and paper will continue to act as a catalyst for the changes that we so desire.

Sources:

https://www.paperrecycles.org/about/the-history-of-paper

https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/stamp-act-imposed-on-american-colonies

https://www.psprint.com/resources/history-of-the-printed-newspaper/