Washington’s leading newspapers suppressed criticism of emancipation out of loyalty fears.
Evidence
BACK TO NOTE REFERENCE 7 Page Milburn, “The Emancipation of the Slaves in the District of Columbia,” Records of the Columbia Historical Society 16 (1913): 96–119. “The two leading newspapers, The National Intelligencer and The Evening Star, were opposed to the pending bill. Their editors however had to be careful not to say too much, or to speak too vehemently, for every citizen of the capital was closely watched in those days, and any suspicion of disloyalty to the Government made it very embarrassing, and might lead to a temporary residence in the Old Capitol Prison.” Milburn, “Emancipation of Slaves in the District of Columbia,” 103–4. — Dorothy A. Brown, Getting to Reparations, 678
Categorization
Category: Factual Claims
- XREF: This documents the coercive atmosphere around the compensated emancipation bill — relevant context for judging how genuinely voluntary the compensation to enslavers was.