This seems to revolve around Harper’s Magazine which now, like the NYT, is entrenched in Leftism, but maybe then actually offered some sound information. Is that how you see it?
I had to subscribe to the current editions to get access to the archives. Today's Harper's probably aligns well with things like New Yorker, so, definitely left-leaning. I am not so well-versed in the nuances of 1850s politics that I could say with confidence where the magazine fell on the ideological continuum of the time, but it seems like they play it pretty straight. Remember, at this time abolitionism was widely considered way radical. Maybe I should read the opening fiction/parody closely and look for hints.
Is this mostly about the events leading up to the Civil War?
That's the idea. I wanted to do a Civil War series but I realized my knowledge of that history is sadly deficient, so the 160-years-ago dodge is my way of buying time while I study up.
Freeper Rustbucket is the leading authority on all things in regards to the War Between States