ABSTRACT
The news coverage of John Brown’s Raid of 1859, the subsequent trial, and executions, represent “a milestone in the development of American journalism.” Reflecting the sectional tensions surrounding issues related to slavery, the Northern press faced considerable censorship and harassment as it tried to report the incident. This censorship continued for the citizens of Virginia in the wake of John Brown’s raid. Harper’s Weekly, despite its promise of bringing national and world news into the parlors of America’s burgeoning middle-class, avoided highlighting the contentious issues of slavery and sectionalism. The racism of most Northerners, even of those opposed to slavery, would have caused them to recoil from the social equality implicit in the image. Keenly aware of the national and local strains surrounding the executions, Harper’s Weekly entitled a later editorial “American Conservatism.” The criticism of Harper’s coverage, and the heightened sectional tensions surrounding the events, had become too great in the editors’ estimation.
