Date Awarded

1981

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)

Department

History

Abstract

Born in Woodford County, Kentucky, on August 15, 1791, Duff Green taught school, fought in the War of 1812, and married Lucretia Maria Edwards before moving to the Missouri territory in 1816. He soon became a prominent citizen of Missouri, eventually served in both houses of the state legislature, and in 1824 became the editor of the St. Louis Enquirer, an influential newspaper in the new state.;In 1826, Green moved to Washington to become the editor and publisher of the United States' Telegraph, the recently established Jackson press in that city. The Telegraph played a significant role in General Jackson's election in 1828, but Green's influence in the new administration was minor.;In 1831, Green in his political favorite, John C. Calhoun, were read out of the Jackson party. Thereafter, the editor devoted himself to the defense of the South Carolinian and his elevation to the Presidency. as for Calhoun, he welcomed the aid of Green's press but kept his distance from his friend's numerous political and financial schemes. Meanwhile, the Telegraph defended nullification, advocated state rights, slavery, and Southern unification, and viciously attacked the abolitionists and Martin Van Buren.;Because of his financial ineptitude, Green was constantly on the brink of insolvency. Ultimately, after his loss of the Congressional printing in 1835, he undertook a number of speculative enterprises to maintain his press. When these enterprises failed in early 1837, the Telegraph was forced to cease publication.;Green's perpetuation of the demagogic style of journalism and his propagation of state rights and proslavery principles unintentionally helped to prepare the mind of the South for secession in 1860.

DOI

https://dx.doi.org/doi:10.21220/s2-s4xa-9r59

Rights

© The Author

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