Lot 80
The Countryman, A Newspaper Printed On A Georgia Plantation. November 17, 1862 issue, published in Turnwold, Putnam County, Georgia, 8 pp, 12½ x 9 in. The Countryman is an extraordinary, rare and important Confederate newspaper. It was on Joseph Turner's plantation that Joel Chandler Harris, who worked there as a printer's devil, first heard the black folktales that formed the basis for his Uncle Remus stories. The paper was primarily literary, modeling itself after Addison's The Spectator, Steele's The Tatler, etc. The front page of this edition features an article entitled "Educated Negroes," in which the author states that "…the negro is incapable of enjoying freedom…." and should not be educated, nor have the right to vote, to intermarry, to bear arms, etc. because "these things are sources of happiness or enjoyment to a superior race…." Two estate auctions of slaves are advertised; another ad looks for substitutes for the army. A printed letter addresses a disagreement between fellow Baptists: "I cautioned brother Wood…not to get angry because his Baptist brother communed with that outsider, Stonewall Jackson, who is not a church-member (that is to say not a Baptist) but only a Presbyterian…." More on Jackson. Some paper loss at blank lower right corner and staining at left margin, otherwise Fine. Wonderful content.
Estimated Value $350 - 450.
|
| |
| Unsold |
