Fanatics and Fire-eaters: Newspapers and the Coming of the Civil War

by Lorman A. Ratner, Dwight L. Teeter Jr.

In the troubled years leading up to the Civil War, newspapers in the North and South presented the arguments for and against slavery, debated the right to secede, and in general denounced opposing viewpoints with imagination and vigor. At the same time, new technologies like railroads and the telegraph lent the debates an immediacy that both enflamed emotions and brought the slavery issue into every home.  Lorman A. Ratner and Dwight L. Teeter Jr. look at the power of America's fast-growing media to influence perception and the course of events prior to the Civil War. Drawing on newspaper accounts from across the United States, the authors look at how the media covered—and the public reacted to—major events like the Dred Scott decision, John Brown's raid on Harper's Ferry, and the election of 1860. They find not only North-South disputes about the institution of slavery but differing visions of the republic itself—and which region was the true heir to the legacy of the American Revolution.

Genres: History, American History, Civil War, Journalism

232 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2003

Reviews

[Nick · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was expecting more from this book than it delivered. While it is a good overview of the history of the 1850s, in too many of the passages the journalistic history is secondary to the general history being presented.
The start of the book, which presented some of the history of 19th century journalism and how technology affected newspapers, was quite good. I had expected more of the same as the book progressed, but what it delivered instead were more the journalistic reactions to events, as well as a few cases in which journalists blew events out of proportion.