The Crisis (newspaper)
Encyclopedia
The Crisis was a newspaper published during the first half of the American Civil War
by Samuel Medary
that was critical of the American government's decision to limit slavery, and following the beginning of the war against the Confederate States of America, to wage war against the South. It was presented as the newspaper for favor with "Peace Democrats" (often referred to as Copperheads
) -- those northerners who sided with the Confederate cause during the war.
The name The Crisis alluded to previous newspapers and broadsides during the Revolutionary War that spoke out against British rule over the colonies. Medary's use of the name for his paper was an attempt to tie the States Rights movement to those who fought for American independence. For Copperheads, Abraham Lincoln was every bit the evil that was King George III.
During the 1863 Ohio Gubernatorial race, the newspaper endorsed Clement Vallandigham
, the exiled leader of the Ohio Copperhead movement. While Vallandigham won the Democratic nomination, he lost the race to War Democrat candidate John Brough
.
In 1864, charges were brought against Medary on conspiracy against the government. Medary was arrested, released on bond and died shortly thereafter at his home. With Medary's death went The Crisis, and with the end of the Civil War, the newspaper went out of business.
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
by Samuel Medary
Samuel Medary
Samuel Medary Born and raised in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, he settled in Ohio in 1825. After a term in the Ohio House of Representatives and the Ohio State Senate as a Jackson Democrat, he purchased a newspaper in Columbus that became the Ohio Statesman, which he edited until 1857...
that was critical of the American government's decision to limit slavery, and following the beginning of the war against the Confederate States of America, to wage war against the South. It was presented as the newspaper for favor with "Peace Democrats" (often referred to as Copperheads
Copperheads (politics)
The Copperheads were a vocal group of Democrats in the Northern United States who opposed the American Civil War, wanting an immediate peace settlement with the Confederates. Republicans started calling anti-war Democrats "Copperheads," likening them to the venomous snake...
) -- those northerners who sided with the Confederate cause during the war.
The name The Crisis alluded to previous newspapers and broadsides during the Revolutionary War that spoke out against British rule over the colonies. Medary's use of the name for his paper was an attempt to tie the States Rights movement to those who fought for American independence. For Copperheads, Abraham Lincoln was every bit the evil that was King George III.
During the 1863 Ohio Gubernatorial race, the newspaper endorsed Clement Vallandigham
Clement Vallandigham
Clement Laird Vallandigham was an Ohio resident of the Copperhead faction of anti-war Democrats during the American Civil War. He served two terms in the United States House of Representatives.-Biography:...
, the exiled leader of the Ohio Copperhead movement. While Vallandigham won the Democratic nomination, he lost the race to War Democrat candidate John Brough
John Brough
John Brough was a War Democrat politician from Ohio. He served as the 26th Governor of Ohio during the final years of the American Civil War, dying in office of gangrene shortly after the war concluded....
.
In 1864, charges were brought against Medary on conspiracy against the government. Medary was arrested, released on bond and died shortly thereafter at his home. With Medary's death went The Crisis, and with the end of the Civil War, the newspaper went out of business.