Debating the Issues in Colonial Newspapers: Primary Documents on Events of the Period(Debating Historical Issues in the Media of the Time)

For every major event or issue of the colonial period, newspapers printed the opinions of the day, in many cases attempting to influence public opinion. Issues such as medical discoveries, education, and censorship are covered in this collection along with important events such as the French and Indian War, the trial of John Peter Zenger, and the Boston Massacre. Each chapter introduces the event or issue and includes news articles, letters, essays, even poetry representing both sides of the argument as they affected Americans. Each document is preceded by an explanatory introduction. This is the only collection of primary source documents from colonial newspapers on the events of the era and will be a valuable tool for research and classroom discussion.

Table of Contents:
Introduction: Newspaper in Colonial America Censorship, Printing Control and Freedom of the Press, 1690 The Inoculation Controversy, 1721 Impartiality, Objectivity and the Press, 1729 Attakulakula Visits King George, 1730: Native American-English Relations The Trial of John Peter Zenger, 1735 Women's Rights, 1738 The Stono Rebellion, 1739 The Great Awakening and George Whitefield, 1739-1745 Religious Divisions, 1740-1745 Massachusetts Legalizes Lotteries, 1744 Medical Discoveries: The Amazing Tar Water, 1745 Paper Money and the Currency Act, 1751 The New York Public Education Controversy, 1753-1755 The Albany Congress, Plan of Union, and French and Indian War, 1754-1763 The Cherokee War, 1759-1761 The Stamp Act Crisis, 1765-1766 No Taxation without Representation, 1765-1766 Tories versus Patriots, 1768-1775 The Sons of Liberty, 1765-1776 Nonimportation, 1768-1775 The Boston Massacre, 1770 Religious Liberty: Baptists Call for Toleration, 1770-1776 The Somerset Case and the Anti-Slavery Controversy, 1772 The Tea Act and the Boston Tea Party, 1773-1774 The Continental Congress, 1774-1775 Edenton Tea Party and Perceptions of Women, 1774 Arguments over Going to War with England, 1774-1776 Separation from England, 1768-1776 Battles of Lexington and Concord, 1775 Thomas Paine Publishes Common Sense, 1776 The Declaration of Independence, 1776 Chronology of Events Selected Bibliography Index

About the Author :
DAVID A. COPELAND is the A. J. Fletcher Professor of Communication at Elon University. A past president of the American Journalism Historians Association, he was named Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching Virginia Professor of the Year in 1998.

Review :
.,."provides a detailed overview of each topic....The requirement of firsthand accounts in history-curriculum standards in many states will make this volume useful for both students and teachers."-School Library Journal ?...provides a detailed overview of each topic....The requirement of firsthand accounts in history-curriculum standards in many states will make this volume useful for both students and teachers.?-School Library Journal ?[a] worthwhile read for anyone interested in advancing his/her knowledge on the issue of freedom of the press in early North America.?-Smoke & Fire News ?[A]llows journalism, media studies, history, and political science students a firsthand glimpse into the issues that made Colonial America....[O]ne comes away with a clear focus on the issues that fired the Revolution....For those professors looking for a seminar text regarding the role of the press in forming Colonial American public opinion, this is a thorough, 397-page option. Yet Copeland's newspaper background comes through with a short, straightforward writing style that will hold an undergraduate's attention.?-American Journalism ?Debating the Issues in Colonial Newspapers is an excellent source for studying numerous topics of the colonial American period and should be considered for high-school, public, and undergraduate libraries.?-Booklist/Reference Books Bulletin ?For the creative high school teacher, this volume can help lead students into discussions of the earliest forms of censorship in this country, analyze the inoculation controversy over a smallpox vaccine or compare legalizing lotteries in Massachusetts. This is a little, but mighty book.?-The GaleGroup ?Recommended for undergraduate and general collections.?-Choice ?Whether students refer to this book for history or science reports, for journalism or debates, all will find in this title a unique and memorable look at what the people who forged a new country thought about the issues affecting their daily lives. Recommended.?-The Book Report "Ýa¨ worthwhile read for anyone interested in advancing his/her knowledge on the issue of freedom of the press in early North America."-Smoke & Fire News "ÝA¨llows journalism, media studies, history, and political science students a firsthand glimpse into the issues that made Colonial America....ÝO¨ne comes away with a clear focus on the issues that fired the Revolution....For those professors looking for a seminar text regarding the role of the press in forming Colonial American public opinion, this is a thorough, 397-page option. Yet Copeland's newspaper background comes through with a short, straightforward writing style that will hold an undergraduate's attention."-American Journalism ..."provides a detailed overview of each topic....The requirement of firsthand accounts in history-curriculum standards in many states will make this volume useful for both students and teachers."-School Library Journal "[a] worthwhile read for anyone interested in advancing his/her knowledge on the issue of freedom of the press in early North America."-Smoke & Fire News "Debating the Issues in Colonial Newspapers is an excellent source for studying numerous topics of the colonial American period and should be considered for high-school, public, and undergraduate libraries."-Booklist/Reference Books Bulletin "For the creative high school teacher, this volume can help lead students into discussions of the earliest forms of censorship in this country, analyze the inoculation controversy over a smallpox vaccine or compare legalizing lotteries in Massachusetts. This is a little, but mighty book."-The GaleGroup "Recommended for undergraduate and general collections."-Choice "Whether students refer to this book for history or science reports, for journalism or debates, all will find in this title a unique and memorable look at what the people who forged a new country thought about the issues affecting their daily lives. Recommended."-The Book Report "[A]llows journalism, media studies, history, and political science students a firsthand glimpse into the issues that made Colonial America....[O]ne comes away with a clear focus on the issues that fired the Revolution....For those professors looking for a seminar text regarding the role of the press in forming Colonial American public opinion, this is a thorough, 397-page option. Yet Copeland's newspaper background comes through with a short, straightforward writing style that will hold an undergraduate's attention."-American Journalism