Harper's Weekly Text
November 8, 1862,
p. 715 (3-4)
Synopsis
A
fictional New England woman, Charity Grimes, writes a letter to
the editor of Harper’s Weekly in which she describes an
argument with a neighbor woman. First, Mrs. Grimes gives the
neighbor woman’s political background. Her father was a Methodist
who “turned dimmykrat” (Democrat). After joining the Odd Fellows,
the father dyed his whiskers, for which he was expelled from the
Methodist church. Since the war began, he has become a Quaker,
quaking every time he hears mention of the draft. Mrs. Grimes
also states that the neighbor woman likes to play cards, and that
she once foretold the death of a man who choked on flap-jacks. In
her account of the argument, Mrs. Grimes was ironing when the
neighbor woman burst into the house, incensed over the news of
Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation. Though the neighbor woman
wants the north to win the war, she began to pray that Lincoln
would leave the southerners’ slaves alone. In response, Mrs.
Grimes began to pray in support of Lincoln. This prompted the
neighbor woman to attack Mrs. Grimes with the flat iron, thus
inciting Mrs. Grimes to retaliate with a pair of tongs. Of the
two bruised women, Mrs. Grimes has had the final revenge in
writing a “sarkastical poim” about her position on Lincoln’s new
proclamation. |
History:
"Slavery Practically Abolished"
October 4, 1862,
p. 626 (1-2)
Military Background:
"The Abolition of Slavery. A Proclamation"
October 4, 1862,
p. 627 (2-3)
Illustrations:
"Lincoln’s Last Warning"
October 11, 1862,
p. 656 (1-2)
"Sensation Among ‘Our Colored Brethren’"
December 20, 1862,
p. 816 (1-4)
"The
Emancipation of the Negroes, January, 1863"
January 24, 1863, pp. 56 (1)
– 57 (4)
Commentary:
"The President and Slavery"
September 6, 1862,
p. 562 (1)
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