RESEARCH QUESTION:

How has journalism impacted the course of American history?  Specifically, how did the works of Thomas Paine during the colonial era, William Lloyd Garrison and Frederick Douglass during antebellum times, and William Randolph Hearst at the turn of the 20^th century shape our nation’s history?

Since the United States’ inception, journalism has played a major role in the development of our nation.  Journalists have inflamed public opinion and inspired political action. For example, during the colonial era, Thomas Paine and Samuel Adams utilized journalism to promote the cry for independence from England. In antebellum times, abolitionist editors such as William Lloyd Garrison furthered the cause of liberty for all Americans. However, at the turn of the 20^th century, journalism showed a darker side when William Randolph Hearst initiated yellow journalism. Most historians agree that Hearst’s newspapers sensationalistic coverage of the USS Maine explosion led to the Spanish-American war.  

EbscoHost:

• Journalism AND History AND United States- 225
• Newspapers AND colonial AND United States-30
• Thomas Paine-171.
• Slavery and abolition-685.
• William Lloyd Garrison-48
• Frederick Douglass-557
• Spanish American War AND journalism-741.
• William Randolph Hearst-199.

 PLS Online Catalog:

• Journalism AND American AND History-48.
• Thomas Paine-61
• Abolition AND Slavery-34
• William Lloyd Garrison-30
• Frederick Douglass-99
• Yellow Journalism-3
• William Randolph Hearst-41

Proquest Newspapers Database

• Journalism AND history-50
• Journalism AND slavery-50
• Yellow journalism AND William Randolph Hearst-36
   

Arkin, Marc. M. “The Federalist Trope: Power and Passion in Abolitionist Rhetoric.” Journal of American History  88.1 (June  2001):75. Academic Search Elite. EbscoHost. 7 May 2002 <http://search.epnet.com/direct.asp?AN=4985495&db=afh&>

Brown, Rick. “The History Buff: An Historical Reference of Press Coverage from the 16^th to the 20^th Century.” The History Buff. 2000. Newspaper Collector’s Society of America. 7 May 2002. <http://www.historybuff.com/>

Burs, Ben. Nitty Gritty: A White Editor in Black Journalism. Jackson, Univ. Press of Mississippi, 1996.

French, Anne. “The Slaves Who Freed Our Founders.” Christian Science Monitor  93.155 (6 July 2001):11. Academic Search Elite. EbscoHost. 7 May 2002 <http://search.epnet.com/direct.asp?AN=4762658&db=f5h&>

Krauss, Clifford. “Remember Yellow Journalism.” New York Times 15 Feb. 1998: Late Edition: 4.3. <http://proquest.umi.com/pqdlink?Ver=1&Exp=06-07-2002&VAULT=1&FMT=ABS&DID=000000026269096&REQ=1&Cert=epntHaJU3TYalf6mMTXRiDgGcutcpaaJu8vR5hC7m2BgkyEgJIyFG2GoHNoF60WeOpU6Ke6q3dZyeDvAgo0cxQ-- >

Mayer, Henry. All on Fire: William Lloyd Garrison and the Abolition of Slavery. New York, St. Martins Press, 1998.

Henry Mayer is a former professor as U.C. Berkeley. He is the author of Patrick Henry: Son of Thunder, and has been a book  reviewer for the New York Times.  Jeffrey Rogers Hummel of Golden Gate University writes that All on Fire is the first book which masterfully integrates all dimensions of Garrison’s life.  Unlike previous authors, who have portrayed Garrison as an “intolerable zealot”, Mayer shows that Garrison’s inflammatory but compelling writing was indispensable to the abolitionist movement.  Hummel also praises Mayer’s careful reporting of Garrison’s life, and contradictions in his personality that influenced Garrison’s dedication to the abolition movement.

Nasau, David. Citizen Hearst; The Chief: The Life of William Randolph Hearst. New York, Houghton Mifflin, 2000.

In reviewing Nasau’s first book, Martin Ochs of the Virginia Quarterly Review compliments the detailed research done by Nasau in his 607- page bibliography. Ochs respects the author’s research, but believes that at times Nasau is too complimentary toward Hearst.  For example, Nasau downplays William Randolph Hearst’s involvement in the Spanish-American war, even though most historians agree that the sensationalistic news coverage in Hearst’s papers of the USS Maine explosion definitely influenced the United States’ decision to go to war with Spain.

“People and Events: William Lloyd Garrison.” Africans in America. 1999. WGBH Educational Foundation. 7 May 2002. http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aia/part4/4p1561.html

Streitmatter, Rodger. Mightier than the Sword: How the News Media Have Shaped American History. Boulder, Colo., Westview Press, 1997.

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last revised: 5-8-02 by Eric Brenner, Skyline College, San Bruno, CA

These materials are copyrighted, but may be used for educational purposes if you inform and credit the author and cite the source as: LSCI 106 Computerized Research. All commercial rights are reserved. Send comments or suggestions to: Eric Brenner at brenner@smccd.net