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Lincoln's lie : a true Civil War caper through fake news, Wall street, and the White House / Elizabeth Mitchell.

By: Material type: TextTextPublisher: Berkeley, California : Counterpoint, 2020Edition: First hardcover editionDescription: 288 pages ; 24 cmContent type:
  • text
Media type:
  • unmediated
Carrier type:
  • volume
ISBN:
  • 9781640092822
  • 164009282X
Other title:
  • True Civil War caper through fake news, Wall street, and the White House
Subject(s):
Contents:
The Bombshell -- A Laughing Stock -- The Crime -- A Hot Day on Wall Street -- A Warning from Washington -- Stop the Presses -- The Hunt -- Clues and Missteps -- Shadow Maneuvers -- Fun Ahead -- A Presidency on Trial -- The Gold Key -- Popular as the Air.
Summary: "In 1864, during the bloodiest days of the Civil War, two newspapers published a call, allegedly authored by President Lincoln, for the immediate conscription of 400,000 more Union soldiers. New York streets erupted in pandemonium. Wall Street markets went wild. When Lincoln sent troops to seize the newspaper presses and arrest the editors, it became clear: the proclamation was a lie. Who put out this fake news? Was it a Confederate spy hoping to incite another draft riot? A political enemy out to ruin the president in an election year? Or was there some truth to the proclamation-far more truth than anyone suspected? Unpacking this overlooked historical mystery for the first time, journalist Elizabeth Mitchell takes readers on a dramatic journey from newspaper offices filled with heroes and charlatans to the haunted White House confinement of Mary Todd Lincoln, from the packed pews of the celebrated preacher Reverend Henry Ward Beecher's Plymouth Church to the War Department offices in the nation's capital and a grand jury trial. In Lincoln's Lie, Mitchell brings to life the remarkable story of the manipulators of the news and why they decided to play such a dangerous game during a critical period of U.S. history. Her account of Lincoln's troubled relationship with the press and its role in the Civil War is one that speaks powerfully to our current political crises: fake news, profiteering, constitutional conflict, and a president at war with the press."-- Provided by publisher.
Holdings
Item type Home library Collection Call number Materials specified Status Date due Barcode Item holds
Adult Book Adult Book Dr. James Carlson Library NonFiction 973.7 M681 Available 33111009757077
Adult Book Adult Book Main Library NonFiction 973.7 M681 Available 33111010406276
Total holds: 0

Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

This "delicious, suspenseful . . . and cleverly written romp through a dramatic and forgotten moment in American history" reveals how Lincoln manipulated the media during the Civil War--shining new light on the current 'fake news' crisis (Elizabeth Gilbert)

In 1864, during the bloodiest days of the Civil War, two newspapers published a call, allegedly authored by President Lincoln, for the immediate conscription of 400,000 more Union soldiers. New York streets erupted in pandemonium. Wall Street markets went wild.

When Lincoln sent troops to seize the newspaper presses and arrest the editors, it became clear: The proclamation was a lie. Who put out this fake news? Was it a Confederate spy hoping to incite another draft riot? A political enemy out to ruin the president in an election year? Or was there some truth to the proclamation--far more truth than anyone suspected?

Unpacking this overlooked historical mystery for the first time, journalist Elizabeth Mitchell takes readers on a dramatic journey from newspaper offices filled with heroes and charlatans to the haunted White House confinement of Mary Todd Lincoln, from the packed pews of the celebrated preacher Reverend Henry Ward Beecher's Plymouth Church to the War Department offices in the nation's capital and a Grand Jury trial.

In Lincoln's Lie , Mitchell brings to life the remarkable story of the manipulators of the news and why they decided to play such a dangerous game during a critical period of American history. Her account of Lincoln's troubled relationship to the press and its role in the Civil War is one that speaks powerfully to our current political crises: fake news, profiteering, Constitutional conflict, and a president at war with the press.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

The Bombshell -- A Laughing Stock -- The Crime -- A Hot Day on Wall Street -- A Warning from Washington -- Stop the Presses -- The Hunt -- Clues and Missteps -- Shadow Maneuvers -- Fun Ahead -- A Presidency on Trial -- The Gold Key -- Popular as the Air.

"In 1864, during the bloodiest days of the Civil War, two newspapers published a call, allegedly authored by President Lincoln, for the immediate conscription of 400,000 more Union soldiers. New York streets erupted in pandemonium. Wall Street markets went wild. When Lincoln sent troops to seize the newspaper presses and arrest the editors, it became clear: the proclamation was a lie. Who put out this fake news? Was it a Confederate spy hoping to incite another draft riot? A political enemy out to ruin the president in an election year? Or was there some truth to the proclamation-far more truth than anyone suspected? Unpacking this overlooked historical mystery for the first time, journalist Elizabeth Mitchell takes readers on a dramatic journey from newspaper offices filled with heroes and charlatans to the haunted White House confinement of Mary Todd Lincoln, from the packed pews of the celebrated preacher Reverend Henry Ward Beecher's Plymouth Church to the War Department offices in the nation's capital and a grand jury trial. In Lincoln's Lie, Mitchell brings to life the remarkable story of the manipulators of the news and why they decided to play such a dangerous game during a critical period of U.S. history. Her account of Lincoln's troubled relationship with the press and its role in the Civil War is one that speaks powerfully to our current political crises: fake news, profiteering, constitutional conflict, and a president at war with the press."-- Provided by publisher.

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