Item Detail
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30011
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1
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6
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English
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For “The Cause of Civil and Religious Liberty” : Abner Cole and the Palmyra, New York, Reflector
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American Journalism
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32
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2
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Shawnee, OK
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American Journalism Historians Association
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184-205
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"The Reflector of Palmyra, New York, was an important contributor to the American Freethought Movement, a philosophical viewpoint informed by science, facts, and reason. The editor and publisher, Abner Cole, used the Reflector to promote the movement and its principles of mental improvement, equality of all citizens, and moral values informed by learning and a respect for life and nature. In so doing, he also advocated free speech, freedom of the press, and civil and religious liberty. Cole and other Freethought Movement editors tested and refined the limits of free-speech theory in its earliest American stages as they enhanced their local marketplace of ideas with alternative perspectives." [Publisher]