Reconstruction Era: Primary Documents on Events from 1865 to 1877

As the sole purveyors of news and opinion, Reconstruction—era newspapers bent and spindled American public opinion with little regard for independent journalism and great regard for party politics. In other words, the newspapers of the Reconstruction era served political rather than social needs. The issues facing the nation were momentous, and opinions on how to deal with the problems were vigorously presented and defended. Using editorials, letters, essays, and news reports that appeared ...