Author Archives: SUMPTER

Johnson vs. Grant

Posted on February 11, 2018 by SUMPTER

In August 1877 President Andrew Johnson suspended Secretary of War Edwin M. Stanton and named General Ulysses S. Grant Secretary of War ad interim. The president’s actions complied with the Tenure of Office Act enacted the previous March. When the … Continue reading →

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unfunded mandate

Posted on January 27, 2018 by SUMPTER

In November 1867 the state of Georgia conducted an election to choose delegates for a convention that would rewrite the state constitution. The convention convened in early December 1867 in Atlanta; one of the first issues it faced was the … Continue reading →

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to sculpt the truth

Posted on January 20, 2018 by SUMPTER

A big monument controversy raged a hundred years ago. People objected to a new statue memorializing the Civil War era that they found very offensive. So far I haven’t read about any calls for its dismantling or removal, but some … Continue reading →

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Old King Coal

Posted on January 14, 2018 by SUMPTER

January 1918 was very cold in most of the northeastern United States, and apparently many people burned coal to keep themselves warm. Unfortunately coal was in short supply that winter. In its January 20, 1918 “Graphic” section the New York … Continue reading →

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The Fourteen Commandments

Posted on January 8, 2018 by SUMPTER

On January 8, 1918 United States President Woodrow Wilson delivered a war speech to Congress in which he laid out fourteen policies that he believed should guide any peace process. The Fourteen Points is said to be an example of … Continue reading →

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coal comfort

Posted on January 6, 2018 by SUMPTER

From the New York Tribune (Image 2) on January 13, 1918: Later on at Image 10 the editors tried the power of suggestion to warm things up: the relative heat in Tampa Bay, more moderate temps in Atlantic City, and … Continue reading →

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happy bleak year

Posted on January 1, 2018 by SUMPTER

Duties evaded in the past press with increasing urgency in the future. On Christmas Day 1867 an editorial in The New-York Times lamented the terrible condition of the American South: “the Christmas Day of 1867 will be a black day … Continue reading →

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hate speech?

Posted on December 29, 2017 by SUMPTER

Some people, who attended a memorial service for Abraham Lincoln in Wrentham, Massachusetts on the day of his Washington, D.C. funeral, weren’t too happy with what they saw when they left church. From The New-York Times December 30, 1867: Damages … Continue reading →

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story time

Posted on December 27, 2017 by SUMPTER

What could be better than listening to Charles Dickens on the Third Day of Christmas? From Village Life in America 1852-1872 by Caroline Cowles Richards (208-209): 1867 July 27.—Col. James M. Bull was buried from the home of Mr. Alexander … Continue reading →

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black Christmas

Posted on December 25, 2017 by SUMPTER

An editorial 150 years ago today seemed at least somewhat nostalgic for the antebellum South. From The New-York Times December 25, 1867: Christmas at the South The contrast between the Christmas of to-day and the Christmas which was known before … Continue reading →

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