What America’s first board game can teach us about the aspirations of a young nation
What America’s first board game can teach us about the aspirations of a young nation
What America’s first board game can teach us about the aspirations of a young nation
December, 29, 2024
Summary
In 1822, The Travellers’ Tour Through the United States became the first known board game printed in the U.S., predating the previously believed The Mansion of Happiness. Created as an educational geography game, it used a teetotum and a map-based board to teach players about American towns and values, reflecting a sanitized national identity while omitting slavery and Indigenous realities. Its discovery in 1991 reshaped historical understanding of American games. Today, the board game industry is booming, blending entertainment with education, as seen in titles like Pandemic and Freedom: The Underground Railroad, building on early traditions of instructive play.
Reference
Sivils, M. W. (2024, December 29). What America’s first board game can teach us about the aspirations of a young nation. AlterNet. https://www.alternet.org/americas-first-board-game/