Newspaper coverage of significant 19th century events.
•The Death of Phineas T. Barnum
When the great American showman Phineas T. Barnum died in 1891 the sad event was front-page news. Barnum had entertained millions for most of the 19th century, and newspapers naturally took a look back at the career of the beloved "Prince of Humbug."
Related:Vintage Images of Barnum • General Tom Thumb • Jenny LindMore »
•Washington Irving
The first great American writer was Washington Irving, whose satire A History of New York charmed the reading public 200 years ago. Irving would create timeless characters such as Ichabod Crane and Rip Van Winkle, and when he died in 1859 newspapers fondly looked back at his career.
Related:Biography of Washington IrvingMore »
•Coxey's Army
When widespread unemployment struck America following the Panic of 1893, an Ohio businessman, Jacob Coxey, took action. He organized an "army" of the unemployed, and essentially invented the concept of the long-distance protest march.
Known as Coxey's Army, hundreds of men left Ohio on Easter Sunday 1894, intending to walk all the way to the U.S. Capitol where they would demand Congress take action to stimulate the economy. Newspapermen accompanied the march, and the protest became a national sensation.
Related:Coxey's Army • Labor History • Financial Panics of the 1800sMore »
•St. Patrick's Day
The story of the Irish in America can be told by looking at newspaper coverage of St. Patrick's Day observances throughout the 19th century. In the early decades of the 1800s, there were reports of unruly immigrants rioting. But in the 1890s elegant dinners attended by the powerful attested to the political clout of the Irish.
Related:History of the St. Patrick's Day Parade • The Great FamineMore »
•Lincoln at Cooper Union
In late February 1860 a visitor from the West arrived in New York City. And by the time Abraham Lincoln left town, a few days later, he was a star on his way to the White House. One speech, and some important newspaper coverage, changed everything.
Related:Lincoln's Greatest Speeches • Lincoln at Cooper UnionMore »
•Marking Washington's Birthday
In 19th century America no one was venerated more than George Washington. And every year on the great man's birthday cities would host parades and politicians would give speeches. The newspapers, of course, covered it all.More »
•John James Audubon
When the artist and ornithologist John James Audubon died in January 1851, newspapers reported on his death and his accomplishments. His enormous four-volume work, Birds of America, was already considered a masterpiece.
Related:Biography of John James AudubonMore »
•Lincoln's Second Inaugural Address
When Abraham Lincoln was inaugurated for the second time, on March 4, 1865, the Civil War was ending. And Lincoln, rising to the occasion, gave one of the greatest speeches in American history. Journalists, course, reported on the speech and other events surrounding the inauguration.
Related:Five Best Inaugural Addresses of the 19th Century • Lincoln's Greatest Speeches • Vintage Images: 19th Century Inaugurations • Vintage Images: Classic Lincoln PortraitsMore »
•Sinking of the USS Monitor
A warship that changed naval history, USS Monitor, was only afloat for about a year. When it sank at the end of 1862 reports of the ship's sinking appeared in newspapers throughout the North.
Vintage images:USS MonitorMore »
•The Emancipation Proclamation
When President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation into law on January 1, 1863, newspapers reported on the event. The New York Tribune of Horace Greeley, which had criticized President Lincoln for not moving fast enough on the abolition of slavery, essentially celebrated by printing an extra edition.More »
