Tag Archives: Southern Economy

job security

Posted on October 10, 2013 by SUMPTER

According to a chart published in the October 5, 2013 issue of The Economist, 80% of the U.S. Treasury workforce was furloughed during the government shutdown in 2013. However, “Money printers/engravers” were kept hard at it. We sure can relate … Continue reading →

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beware protruding lips

Posted on October 8, 2013 by SUMPTER

Richmond was alive with the “never ending sound” of the Confederate government’s stamping presses manufacturing paper currency. But it wasn’t just the government – counterfeiters were a big problem for the CSA. From the Richmond Daily Dispatch October 7, 1863: … Continue reading →

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the looming winter

Posted on October 7, 2013 by SUMPTER

In the following letter, “O.K.” details scarcity, inflation, and speculation in Lynchburg, Virginia. The correspondent also echoes the Richmond press in his concern about how the poor can possibly cope during the coming winter given the bad economic situation. “O.K.” … Continue reading →

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four hundred pound supper

Posted on September 5, 2013 by SUMPTER

It might not be a coincidence that that the same issue of the Richmond Daily Dispatch that praised the Confederate armies also published a letter written by George Washington that expressed his concern with the seeming apathy of Americans not … Continue reading →

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high fuel prices

Posted on August 13, 2013 by SUMPTER

It might have been a blisteringly hot August in Virginia, but citizens  still needed fuel to cook (and it might be prudent to stock up on wood for the coming winter). On August 12th the editors of the Richmond Daily … Continue reading →

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Our barns should be bulging

Posted on April 10, 2013 by SUMPTER

Hope springs eternal? Food was scarce throughout the Confederacy in the spring of 1863. “In a dozen or more cities and hamlets from Richmond to Mobile, desperate women raided shops or supply depots for food.” A week after the Richmond … Continue reading →

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anger management

Posted on March 25, 2013 by SUMPTER

Sometimes when I reproduce racist articles I feel like me and 150 years are ganging up on the people in the story – I have no idea what my thoughts and actions would be like if I lived so long … Continue reading →

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Smoke-free Confederacy

Posted on March 15, 2013 by SUMPTER

After claiming that the Press only has the public good in mind (as opposed to power hungry politicians), this Richmond paper urges southern farmers to give up tobacco and cotton cultivation so that the land can be used exclusively to … Continue reading →

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The Union = The Almighty Dollar

Posted on November 3, 2012 by SUMPTER

From the Richmond Daily Dispatch November 4, 1862: Deifying the Dollar. The Union is only another name with the North for the Dollar. It is the Almighty Dollar which they worship, and the Union is only its [o]utward symbol and … Continue reading →

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Responding to Need

Posted on October 29, 2011 by SUMPTER

The war is disrupting the economies of North and South. Here’s a couple Southern examples from the Richmond Daily Dispatch October 29, 1861: Deserves Emulation. A free market has been opened in Mobile for those who are not able to … Continue reading →

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