Name/Title
"The Prostrate State"Entry/Object ID
2013.7.15Description
Red covered book. The name of the book, "The Prostrate State," and the author, [James] Pike, are indicated on the spine. There is no printing on the cover. The interior front cover has the name of the previous owner written in marker.Context
James Shepherd Pike (1811–1882) was a journalist in the United States known primarily as the associate editor of the "New York Tribune," the main source of news for Republican papers during the Civil War. Pike believed in giving emancipated Black men the right to vote, and he strongly opposed President Andrew Jackson (1767–1845) and later President Ulysses Grant (1822–1885). Due to his dislike of Grant, Pike began to drift from the Republican Party. After Horace Greeley (1811–1872), Pike's boss at the "New York Tribune," lost to Grant in the election and died, Pike was sent to the South by his new editor to report on Reconstruction efforts. Pike spent February and March of 1873 in South Carolina observing the legislature, writing a series of newspaper articles that were reprinted in various newspapers as well as collected in book form.
Published in 1874, "The Prostrate State: South Carolina Under Negro Government" depicted Black Republican legislators as corrupt and wasteful. His racist, sensational portrayal of events during Reconstruction was considered a definitive, historical narrative at the time. "The Prostrate State" was widely read and likely contributed to the dwindling of support from the national party for South Carolina's Republicans.Dimensions
Height
9-1/2 inWidth
6-3/8 inDepth
1-1/4 inBook Details
Author
James S. PikePublisher
D. Appleton And CompanyDate Published
1874
