I have been surprised at how influential newspapers and reporters seemed to have been before and during the war. I don't know what any of the circulation numbers were, but one or more of the papers seems to have reported on everything from election results and secession to battle outcomes and recommended strategies. With reporters even attaching themselves to troops to capture the action, much like we see today, I'm sure some leaders were influenced by knowing that every move they made would be documented.
Lincoln and Davis both must have felt like they were fighting the war on the battlefield and also the war of public opinion. I have definitely seen Bush and Obama doing the same thing as they try to lead us through difficult times. I can see a great conversation with my 5th graders about how hard it would be to lead a country while trying to keep popular support for your ideas. I would definitely make them compare and contrast the difficulties faced by the 'presidents' in the 1860's vs. modern day presidents.
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There are so many modern day connections to be made. I was reading about Lincoln and McClellan when Obama had to make his decision about changing leadership. Isn't history an amazing and important area of study !!!
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