Abstract
In 1849, the editor of the Tallahassee Floridian & Journal, one of the state’s leading newspapers, recommended the compilation of Florida’s news journals so that future historical researchers would be furnished with “extensive and otherwise unattainable data for correct history of opinions and events." Today the common use of newspaper materials in the writing of history has amply validated the perceptiveness of the editor’s foresight, and while the newspapers of the ante-bellum era have proved useful in writing history, they have also been found to be fascinating and worthy of study in themselves. The Floridian & Journal and its foremost rival the Tallahassee Florida Sentinel are outstanding examples of the state’s newspapers in the period from Florida’s entry into the Union in 1845 to her secession from the United States in 1861. Because of their political orientation, these publications are not nearly so valuable as sources for data on events as they are for information on the course of state politics. The primary purpose of these journals was the dissemination of partisan material for a political party, rather than the circulation of general news stories. In fact, the newspapers were a functional mechanism in the machinery of the state’s parties. They did not conceal their party affiliation; they openly proclaimed it and took pride in the stanchness with which they supported their party’s position.
Recommended Citation
Graham, Thomas S.
(1967)
"Florida Politics and the Tallahassee Press,"
Florida Historical Quarterly: Vol. 46:
No.
3, Article 6.
Available at:
https://stars.library.ucf.edu/fhq/vol46/iss3/6
