Spying on the South: An Odyssey Across the American Divide

by Tony Horwitz,
The Florida Courier, May 24, 2019

In 1852, the New York Times sent Frederick Law Olmsted, not yet the iconic architect of city parks, to explore the slave South. Identified in the paper as “Yeoman,” Olmsted, an experienced farmer, mariner, and horseman, reported on the society and culture of the 11 Southern states and the militant defenders of the “peculiar institution” he encountered.