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Edward King, originally from Middlefield, Massachusetts, was a press correspondent for several American journals. Among his specialties was describing the physical characteristics and "present condition" of the post-Civil War South. In 1875, he published "The Great South: A Record of Journeys" which relates the history, politics and economics of the Southern states. The pages selected here cover statistics on cotton manufacturing in America, and the state of Southern education at the end of the Reconstruction period. The report on the condition of schools justifies segregation of the races in school, but argues for improved education for all throughout the South. He criticizes the federal government for not contributing enough and laments that the Southern states and a handful of societies and individuals have been the only ones assisting in this effort.

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