Posted on 07/10/2018 6:36:18 AM PDT by Homer_J_Simpson
Free Republic University, Department of History presents U.S. History, 1855-1860: Seminar and Discussion Forum
Bleeding Kansas, Dred Scott, Lincoln-Douglas, Harper’s Ferry, the election of 1860, secession – all the events leading up to the Civil War, as seen through news reports of the time and later historical accounts
First session: November 21, 2015. Last date to add: Sometime in the future.
Reading: Self-assigned. Recommendations made and welcomed. To add this class to or drop it from your schedule notify Admissions and Records (Attn: Homer_J_Simpson) by reply or freepmail.
Abraham Lincoln: Speeches and Writings 1832-1858, edited by Don E. Fehrenbacher
They were not much different than modern Americans. They, divided like us, were oblivious to the horrors of the civil war that was about to come.
Thank you for all your posts here Homer. I don't comment often on them but I always try to read through them.
The percentage of Americans literate in 1858 was certainly lower than today. There was, perhaps, an interest in longer speeches on key issues, a longer attention span.
Stephens made a mistake in criticizing Lincoln by name and then agreeing to debates. He should have ignored him. Instead, he made Lincoln nationally famous. Would Stephens have become President? Would he have lived past 1861? We will never know.
I have to disagree, allendale. As I read through the speech my thought was how different America was then. And how different Americans were. Oh, I suppose that in all eras people are people; they have their hopes, joys, and fears. But the language wasn’t the only thing different. The attitudes were certainly different, their worldview would never have been considered “acceptable” today. I do not judge the past by the standards of the present; to do so, the past will always be condemned. But they were different people.
Iowamark, the absorption of knowledge was also much different then than it is now. Yes, fewer people were literate. And going to hear a speech was considered an event. After all, there were no Iphones, internet, televisions or even radio. It’s often cited that today, most people are visual learners (65% is the common number). My guess is that it has changed over time, and that in Lincoln’s day, the percentage of auditory learners was much higher. They received their information by the spoken word far more than by any sort of visual medium.
And yes, the attention span was much longer, and that is a result of the shift to visual learning. Most Americans of today would lose interest in Mr. Lincoln’s speech after about five minutes unless he had a power point presentation to go with it.
Senator Stephen Douglas’ speech the previous night, to which Lincoln is responding.
http://teachingamericanhistory.org/library/document/homecoming-speech-at-chicago/
Homecoming Speech at Chicago
Stephen A. Douglas
July 09, 1858
WASHINGTON, D. C., July 11th, 1858.
MY DEAR SIR:—Susan Bell left here yesterday with the child of her relative, and since leaving I have thought, perhaps, you had not the address of the gentleman in Syracuse where the child is to be taken for medical treatment, etc. His name is Dr. H. B. Wilbur. A woman living with him is a most excellent nurse and will take a deep interest in the child, which, no doubt, will under Providence be the means of its complete restoration to health. Be kind enough to inform me whether Susan is with you, and if she is give her the proper direction. Ten packages were sent to your address last evening, one of them belongs to Susan, and she had better remain with you till she gets it, as it may not have come to hand. Susan thought she would go to Harrisburg when she left here and stay over Sunday, if so, she would not get to Philadelphia till Monday or Tuesday. Please acknowledge the receipt of this, and inform me of her arrival, also when the packages came safe to hand, inform me especially if Susan's came safely.
Truly Yours,
E. L. STEVENS.
SOURCE: William Still, The Underground Railroad: A Record of Facts, Authentic Narratives, Letters &c., p. 40
The Diary of George Templeton Strong, Edited by Allan Nevins and Milton Halsey Thomas
There is a lot to be said for an old fashioned rest and recharge vacation as opposed to the tightly scheduled affairs popular today.
Abraham Lincoln: Speeches and Writings 1832-1858, edited by Don E. Fehrenbacher
See reply #12. Forgot the ping list.
James Gordon Bennett JR. (A tribute to Paul Harvey, the rest of the story)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Gordon_Bennett_Jr.
In 1861, he returned to the United States, and enlisted in the Union Navy.
He sponsored explorers including Henry Morton Stanley’s trip to Africa to find David Livingstone, and the ill-fated USS Jeannette attempt on the North Pole.
Scandal[edit]
However, he often scandalized society with his flamboyant and sometimes erratic behavior. In 1877, he left New York for Europe after an incident that ended his engagement to socialite Caroline May. According to various accounts, he arrived late and drunk to a party at the May family mansion, then urinated into a fireplace (some say grand piano) in full view of his hosts.[1][7][8][9]
Bennett’s controversial reputation has been thought to have inspired, in the United Kingdom, the phrase “Gordon Bennett” as an expression of incredulity.[1][10][11]
James Gordon Bennett SR - What history says about him
https://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/james-gordon-bennett-sr—6672.php
After receiving a classical education, Bennett went to study at a Catholic seminary in Aberdeen, Scotland, at the age of 15. Initially, he wanted to become a pastor and studied at the seminary for four years but later migrated to America in 1819.
In its early days, the newspaper’s office was in a derelict basement with Bennett serving as its publisher, reporter, as well as advertising and circulation manager. In the next 37 years, Bennett transformed the Herald into the largest circulating newspaper in the world through his dedication and novelty. (NOTE 37 YEARS!!!!)
Another major factor behind the success of Bennett’s newspaper was that it was politically independent, completely unattached to any political faction. Therefore, he never hesitated in publishing editorials which targeted many political figures and as a result, also suffered severe beatings by his enemies. (ANYTHING COMPARABLE TODAY?)
Between 1861 and 1865, during the American Civil War, the New York Herald had the largest circulation and gained widespread prominence in the newspaper world. With a technological edge and innovative techniques to acquire information, James Gordon Bennett was successful in procuring stories from the battlefield ahead of the dispatches that were sent to the War Department. (ANOTHER SOURCE INDICATED IT WAS THE ONLY NEWSPAPER LINCOLN READ)
James Gordon Bennett Sr - from the article.
“It is said that he was remarked, during is stay in Boston, for his studious habits and his love of reading.”
“No man thought it wrong to cheat a newspaper………….Mr Bennet broke up this ruiness system, he refused to sell papers or to advertise save for cash.”
“No man ever possessed a higher degree of moral courage than James Gordon Bennett. He has proved a hundred times in this career that, as he said himself, he was not afraid of man, devil, or newspaper……………..”
HOW GOOD GIRLS ARE REWARD IN FRANCE
Read the whole article.
“A young French farmers is prouder of being able to say that his wife was a rossiere than of winning a rich dowry with her.”
COFFEE HEALTHFUL (advertisement)
“To obtain Coffee with is delicious aroma, it should be boiled in a vessel which shall keep in all the steam, every particle of it; and then the longer the better it is , even if for two hours”
Nice story.
the phrase “gordon bennett” Maybe we should start using it againg....................
https://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/gordon-bennett.html
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.