Horace Greeley: From Publisher to Politics

 

Horace Greeley is quite the interesting character. Born in 1811, Horace Greeley has always been a man interested in media, publishing, and politics. An apprentice for several newspapers growing up, Greeley got his first publishing gig with The New Yorker in 1834. He spent his early years at The New Yorker publishing pro-Whig and anti-slavery propaganda. A political mind, Greeley actively worked and campaigned for Whig Party presidential candidate William Henry Harrison and used his influence with The New Yorker to sway the American public to elect Harrison the 9th President of the United States.

   

Following the 1840 presidential election, Greeley saw his influence as unsurpassable and decided to go out on his own and publish his own newspaper: The New York Herald. The New York Herald would make Greeley one of the most influential man in New York and in the United States. Using his new platform, Greeley quickly began advocating for the abolition of slavery, the rights of the working poor, and several other progressive issues facing the country. One of the few issues Greeley was not open to was Women's Suffrage- he would use his platform to discredit the suffrage movement. Greeley even hired European correspondents to report on European politics and wealth disparities worldwide. Those correspondents were communist thinkers Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels.

Horace Greeley c. 1840

In 1848, Greeley's political influence elevated him to the United States House of Representatives. Though he was replacing an arrested congressman and would only serve until 1849, Greeley used his time in the House of Representatives to advocate for the abolition of slavery and attempt to pass controversial legislation. His legacy would only grow as he would anger politicians in both political parties- Whigs and Democrats at the time- and everyone in Washington collectively hated Greeley. This did not bother Horace. It only emboldened him to fight stronger. One person admired Greeley during his time in congress. That person was Illinois's 6th district representative Abraham Lincoln.

Once his tenure in congress ended, Horace returned to his paper emboldened to further his political agenda and career. For 5 years following his departure, Greeley continued his vocal push for the abolition of slavery; his ideas were even seen as radical. In 1854, Greeley would take a brief break from The New York Tribune to help establish the Republican Party. 

Horace Greeley's Later Years c. 1860 

The years of the civil war were crucial, and devastating for Greeley. In the 1860 presidential election, Greeley forcefully advocated for Abraham Lincoln to be the vice presidential nominee. Though they were friends, Greeley knew that Lincoln had a bright political future, but he did not believe that Lincoln was prepared to take over a country on the brink of civil war. Once   Lincoln became the nominee, Greeley used his platform to violently advocate for Abraham Lincoln on the premise that he would abolish slavery. Many people blame Greeley's paper and rhetoric for the eventual secession of southern states. Lincoln would go on to win the 1860 presidential election and had one man to thank: Horace Greeley.

Greeley and Lincoln's relationship was not always rosy. Greeley was forceful in his demand for the abolition of slavery. He would weaponize his paper against slavery and even Lincoln, calling him a weak and ineffective leader. Greeley would become so intolerable of Lincoln that he would actively work against Lincoln's reelection efforts, even supporting Democrat candidates. In 1867, 2 years after the civil war and the assassination of Abraham Lincoln, Greeley would sign the bail bond for Confederate President Jefferson Davis. Fed up with the Republican Party's betrayal of him, Greeley would spend the rest of his life to rail against mainstream Republicans. 

After the war, Greeley would return to his paper. His life was about to be turned upside down.

Political Cartoon of Greeley consolidating support

In 1872, Horace Greeley would leave his paper for the last time and once again step foot into politics. Fed up with Republican President Ulysses S. Grant, Horace Greeley decided that he is the only man would should be president. With the Democrat Party effectively dead in politics for a while due to reconstruction, Greeley decided to run for president as a member of the Liberal Republican Party. Taking the angry Democrat voters and combining them with angry Republican voters who do not think that Republicans are doing enough, Greeley had a very clear shot at becoming president. Though he was polling at 40% close to Election Day, Greeley would eventually be institutionalized because of the trauma he endured on the campaign trail.

In 1872, Greeley was institutionalized because of the campaign. The slander was so personal and so intense that it drove Greeley insane. He would spend the last few months of his life in the institution. The month of November would prove to be too much for Greeley. In just one month, Greeley had lost his wife to a virus, he had permanently lost his job at his newspaper, and though he died before the results of the election he would lose the election to Grant. At the end of November, grief won its battle and Greeley would die in a mental institution without a wife, without a newspaper, and without knowing if he had won or lost the election.

Greeley's legacy including stamps, school, and statues

The legacy of Horace Greeley is larger than he probably could have imagined. Though The New York Tribune would eventually be bought out by a bigger paper, Greeley would go on to continue making differences beyond the grave. With statues lining New York City to a high school named in his honor, to a commemorative stamp, Horace Greeley's service to his country has not gone unnoticed. Though he never served as president, his life as a journalist served American's more diligently than he probably ever could as her commander in chief.

Notable Visitors: Horace Greeley (1811-1872)

Student Petitions To Have Horace Greeley High School Renamed
Horace Greeley | American journalist

From Messaging to Meme-ing

 

Today's political messaging is quite different than that of the beginning of print journalism. Formerly unique to newspapers and magazines, political cartoons of today have transitioned from well sketched out pieces of art to internet generated memes.    

As easy as going to google and searching for a meme generator, participating in political cartooning is now something that anyone from a creative teen to a bored boomer can do to express their views on hot button political issues. Today, you can log onto Twitter and find the latest political satire created by a 13 year old in Iowa. The need for print journalism's political cartooning is now over. The average Joe is now taking the reins. 

    

The above meme I generated after a 2 second google search. In today's Covid environment, everyone is wearing their mask everywhere they go. What was once a nuisance is now common practice that seems normal. A lot of people often forget that they are even wearing a mask; we are almost 1 year into the mandate so it makes sense. For many, a mask is a political statement used by the political left as a way to virtue signal that caters to their 'better-than-thou' complex.

This meme makes fun of people alone in their car, where the virus won't be transmitted to anyone else. It plays into the idea that some people are so 'virtuous' and so concerned with their health that they wear a mask even when not necessary... like alone... in their car... where no one can be infected. Mask have become such a political issue that I like to joke "I'm not a liberal, I'm just cold" when I walk around outside. We have gotten so used to the concept of mask wearing, that making jokes about them is natural.

    

Using the same website as the above meme, I generated this meme making fun of President Trump's refusal to concede the election to Joe Biden. Yes, there was eventually a peaceful transition of power, but Donald Trump never formally conceded the election. For the rest of history, historians and political scientists will debate the legacy of Donald Trump- good or bad- but one thing is for sure, his presidency did give the American people great meme content.

The beautiful thing about political cartoons is that they are often satirical with no intentional harm meant. I am a Republican, I voted for Donald Trump, but I can still laugh at the memes about him and his presidency. We as a culture need to leave the era of cancel culture in the past and simply laugh at our own misfortunes. The 'snowflake' generation needs to mold into a generation that, rather than cancel people who disagree or make fun of them, can laugh at the jokes and dish it right back.

Sometimes political satire and memes can get out of hand and out of touch with reality. What was meant to be a joke can often times be truly offensive and insensitive. Just recently a political cartoon was published by WRAL of North Carolina's Lt. Governor dressed as a KKK member. It just so happens that North Carolina has a black Republican Lt. Governor, Mark Robinson. Created by a middle school teacher and published by WRAL, this cartoon appears to have struck a nerve with Republicans, Democrats, African-Americans, and really anyone who doesn't agree with comparing people to the KKK.

While memes and satire should be welcome alternatives to political news, sort of like a comedic escape, they can harm the fabric of society and some things- like calling a black man who happens to be a Republican a member of the KKK- should not be accepted. The day's of political parties and opponents creating elaborate cartoons are over; we see this with a middle school teacher having his racist cartoon published and with teenagers being able to create satire in 10 seconds on the internet.

Our country has gone from political messaging to meme-ing in the matters of a decade. It is only a matter of time before political satire in print journalism becomes obsolete all together.

Images created using Imgflip.com.

North Carolina Republican blasts Political Cartoon Linking GOP To KKK

Censorship and the Decline of Democracy

 

    

Thus far 2021 appears to be outpacing 2020 as a defining year for American history. The Coronavirus is rampaging on, a former president is facing indictment for impeachment charges, the United States capital was seized by domestic terrorists, and big tech is censoring American conservatives from the former President of the United States to 8 million users on the Parler app. American speech is being censored and that spells trouble for the fate of American democracy.

Until recently, social media platforms remained relatively neutral when considering whether or not to censor someone. Current moves by companies such as Facebook, Twitter, and other social networking platforms to permanently ban President Donald Trump has led many to question the 1st Amendment implications and the power that social media platforms have shown that they now have.

Censorship is not a 1st Amendment issue; contrary to popular belief. The first five words of the 1st Amendment are "Congress shall make no law" which narrows its constitutional protections. Censorship, however, still poses a very dangerous threat to the fabric of American democracy. If we allow big tech to censor individuals, including the sitting President of the United States of America (at the time he was censored), then big tech can censor anyone they disagree with and get away with it.

Many people argue that the implications of ignoring the threat to democracy that censorship holds will lead to the fall of the great American experiment. Some constitutional scholars argue that Facebook and Twitter's use of Section 230 of the Communication Decency Act of 1996 is flawed stating that at the time of the bills passage, social media was not widely available. So if the legislative protections are blurry, and obviously outdated 25 years later, are social media platforms really protected in their current purge of conservative voices? 

Ron DeSantis, the current governor of Florida and likely candidate for president in 2024, is currently fighting to protect all voices across all social media platforms. "Over the years these platforms have changed from neutral platforms that provide Americans to speak to enforces of preferred narratives" DeSantis said. His proposal calls for financial penalties to social media companies who censor private individuals. While DeSantis is focusing on the censorship mainly of American conservatives- since they are the only group being censored- his legislation will protect all Americans regardless of their labels.

Standing virtually alone, DeSantis understands the implications that big tech censorship will have on American democracy. Without a marketplace of ideas, democracy is dead and dialogue and discourse no longer exist. In order to preserve American democracy, we must protect the thoughts of all Americans no matter how much we disagree with them. Without them, we live under mob rule where no one is different but everyone is divided.

If big tech can censor the sitting President of the United States of America- the leader of the free world- who will be next?

Constitution Can Crack Section 230

DeSantis Proposes New Law Against Social Media Giants