Newspaper Research

I read a weekly paper from Prescott, Arizona called The Weekly Arizona Miner. The political issues that were being discussed were mainly about the rules of the area. Since Arizona was not yet a state, the people were trying to figure out a way to govern and make rules for themselves. There were also lots of stories of crime and scandal. There were mentions of murder, rape, assault and battery, fraud, and others. What particularly grabbed my attention in this paper was how murderers often got less sentence than people who committed other smaller crimes. Another thing that caught my attention was some of the laws that were being passed and removed at a quick pace. There were laws to regulate the herding of sheep, prevent gambling with minors, prevent the destruction of fish, and amend lawful fences and animal trespassing. These laws make me want to know what happened to cause them to be put into place. This newspaper is useful to learn about the area because it provides insight into the political decisions that were being made as to how the area was to be governed. It also provides insight into the legal system and what kinds of crimes were being committed and how they were being handled.