The Frederic A. Flichtner Prize for Excellence in History

By Anouk Shin Class of 2026

Editor’s Note: The Flichtner Prize is awarded to the most outstanding history student and given in memory of a member of the faculty for 35 years.

Parties and the Press: How Newspapers Expanded Democracy during Constitution Ratification

“The newspaper is a greater treasure to the people than uncounted millions of gold,” wrote American minister Henry Ward Beecher in 1887. Today, newspapers, along with social media and TV, are integral to how Americans interact with and digest the partisan politics that plague contemporary America. Just as the media plays a large role in modern American politics, the press was crucial in the late 1700s, especially when Anti-Federalist and Federalist parties started to emerge over the ratification of the Constitution (1787-1788). In particular, the press during the ratification of the Constitution was vital in expanding democracy by printing both the ideas of political leaders and the opinions of the public.

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