THE ROUND TABLE

March 1864

            In 1863, two brothers named Henry and Charles Sweetser founded The Round Table magazine. With hopes to beneficially add to the literary sphere of the time, they produced a weekly publication rooted in encapsulating modern trends and popular topics of the time. At the end of its flagship issue on 19 December 1863, the publication included an author's note, which depicted the mission and purpose of their literary magazine. The note reads: "The Round Table has its origin in the demand in this country for a weekly publication, truly national in its character, which shall be devoted to the real interests of American life and letters” (The Round Table, first issue, page 16). The Sweetser brothers appeared to sincerely believe the country was in dire need for a publication that was unfocused on a specific political agenda, as a result they worked to produce a more wholesome representation of American life and style. In order to back up this overarching goal, they published every text anonymously. Though they proclaimed they were providing a service to the American people in a time of need, I found their arrangement and progression of texts to be highly political in nature. Nearing the end of the 1860’s the editorial power began to shift, thus the magazine switched from a rather moderate publication into a vocally conservative one. As a result of complications in this dramatic change of editorial control, the magazine lost most of its readership and funding which ultimately led to its demise in 1869.