This assignment involves an examination of attitudes about slavery and abolitionism as they are reflected in newspapers of the 1850s and 1860s. To complete this assignment you will use the Valley of the Shadow web site listed below:

http://valley.lib.virginia.edu/VoS/newspapers/topics.html

Once in the website, you’ll need to go to The War Years topic and then the subheading Abolition, Emancipation, and Reconstruction. From there, you’ll need to click on the red dots underneath both Augusta and Franklin to view the newspaper articles for each region.  You will then need to read several articles from each region in order to gather enough information to complete the assignment.  You will also need to read the About the Papers section, as it will give you pertinent background information you will need to complete the assignment.

The Readings

The newspapers you will use for this exercise are the following:

• • Staunton Spectator

• • Chambersburg Valley Spirit

• • Staunton Vindicator

• • Franklin Repository and Transcript

Instructions

For this assignment, you will write a two-page, double-spaced essay comparing, contrasting, and analyzing the way newspapers from the North and newspapers from the South reported on the issue of slavery and abolition during the Civil War. YOU ARE NOT ALLOWED TO USE ANY OTHER SOURCES BESIDES THE NEWSPAPERS ARTICLES PROVIDED IN THE WEB LINK FOR THIS ASSIGNMENT.  Please note that this is an analysis of the articles, NOT a summary of the articles you choose to read.

Answer and address each the following questions in your essay:

1.  How did each region view African Americans’ involvement in the Civil War efforts–i.e. African Americans serving in the army and contributing to the war cause?
2.  How did each region view the Lincoln administration during the Civil War and how Lincoln handled the progression of the war?
3.  How did political party affiliation affect the newspapers’ reporting? Were these objective accounts or are the articles biased towards one party’s agenda? Based on these articles, discuss the Democrats’ and Republicans’ views on slavery and abolition during the Civil War.
4.  What thoughts and opinions did the newspapers offer about the issue of slavery and the abolition of slaves becoming one of the reasons for fighting the Civil War?

Submit your essay via the Dropbox by the due date listed in the course Calendar.

Answer Preview-Abolitionism and Race Relations