American Tract Society

The American Tract Society was founded in New York City in 1825 to publish and distribute short Christian works known as tracts. It grew out of earlier tract societies in New York and New England, reflecting a larger evangelical effort to spread religious reading widely and cheaply.

During the 19th century, the society became a powerhouse of mass printing and distribution. It issued huge numbers of pamphlets and books aimed at families, children, churchgoers, and general readers, and its work became closely tied to the spread of evangelical ideas, moral reform, and popular religious education in the United States.

Its long history also reflects tensions within American Protestant life, including disputes in the slavery era and changing approaches to publishing and outreach. Even so, the society remains an important name in the history of American religious publishing because it helped shape how faith-based literature reached ordinary readers on a national scale.