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  1. Meeting of the Board of Alderman
    date October 14, 1856map ORLEANS, Louisianatags Slavery

    On October 14, 1856 the Board of Alderman held a city council meeting to discuss the climate in the city of New Orleans. In the meeting, the Mayor advocated for the increase of the police force by more than one hundred men. The call for an increased police force stemmed from his desire to protect “the persons and property of our citizens (Daily Picayune, Oct 14, pg. 4).' In other words, the...

  2. Man Arrested for Spreading Abolitionist Material
    date August 15, 1856map LOWNDES, Mississippitags Slavery

    On August 14th, 1856 a man was arrested on the charges of disseminating incendiary material. The man, John Duberry, was caught distributing the speeches of Senators Sumner and Seward amongst slaves in Columbus, Mississippi. For committing a “crime' such as this, Duberry could have received a sentence of ten years in jail. Unfortunately though, the newspaper did not print a follow up to this...

  3. The Revival of the Slave Trade
    date November 29, 1856map RICHLAND, South Carolinatags Slavery

    Although the United States had passed legislation in 1807, ending the slave trade in the United States, some southerners still pushed for its renewal. In the Southern Commercial Convention of December 1856, certain members of the assemblage created a discourse on the issue, evoking heated responses from both sides. Some thought the revival of the slave trade would alienate the South from other people...

  4. The Southern Commercial Convention
    date December 8, 1856 to December 10, 1856map CHATHAM, Georgiatags Economy, Slavery

    On December 8th 1856 the Southern Commercial Convention met in Savannah. Over six hundred delegates were in attendance at the convention from ten southern states to discuss topics relevant to the South and its livelihood. On the first day of the convention the Virginian James Lyons was appointed the permanent president of the convention. After his appointment, Lyons gave a speech maintaining that...

  5. Reports of Runaway Slaves
    date July 2, 1856map HENRICO, Virginiatags Crime/Violence, Slavery

    The Fugitive Slave Act passed by Congress as part of the Compromise of 1850. The Act pleased southerners not only because it allowed slave owners to retrieve their property from anywhere in the country, but it gave other people the power to retrieve them as well. In fact, if officials did not turn in fugitive slaves, they could be fined 1,000. This measure of the act served to directly overturn...

  6. Maury's Sailing Directions becomes a proud product of the South
    date August 13, 1853map HENRICO, Virginiatags Education, Migration/Transportation, War

    In August of 1853, the southern states enthusiastically showed off the intellect of their Lieutenant Matthew Maury. Maury was a Southerner born in Fredericksburg, Virginia on January 14, 1806. He became an esteemed officer of the United States Navy as the pioneer researcher of winds, currents, and oceanography. He became popular not only in the Navy, but also in the civilian sector because his work...

  7. The New Kansas Bill
    date July 10, 1856 to July 11, 1856map Washington City, District of Columbiatags Slavery

    In July of 1856 the Senate labored over the span of two days to come to an accord regarding the issue of slavery in Kansas. On the morning of the 11th, the Committee on Territories adopted the new Kansas bill, first introduced by Senator Toombs of Georgia. This new bill declared Kansas a slave state and was passed by a vote of thirty three to twelve. The bill only needed approval by the House of...

  8. Remarks of Governor Holliday about the current situation of Virginia
    date March 7, 1878map HENRICO, Virginiatags Economy

    Communicating with the General Assembly, Governor Holliday of Virginia spoke about the dismal financial situation of the Old Dominion. According to The Washington Post he declared “he could find no excuse for the denial of the debt' and that the state was “bound morally and legally to pay this debt.' In response to calls for a constitutional convention to solve remedy the situation, he thought...

  9. Death of Frederick Douglass
    date February 20, 1895map WASHINGTON, Virginiatags African-Americans, Health/Death, Race-Relations

    On February 20, 1895, after attending a women's rights meeting, Frederick Douglass was struck by a heart attack and died at the age of 77. Crowds gathered to pay their respects at the Washington Church where he lay in state. His body was later brought to Rochester, N.Y., where he was laid to rest.Douglass was born a slave in Talbot County, Maryland in 1818* (exact date unknown; some sources say 1817)...

  10. Ratification of Louisiana constitution creates land grant funding for Louisiana State University and creates state supported black university in New Orleans.
    date December 8, 1879map ORLEANS, Louisianatags Education

    With the ratification of the Louisiana Constitution of 1879, Article 230 mandated that the Louisiana State Agricultural and Mechanical College would receive 182,000 is state funding from the sales of lands. At the same time Article 231 of the constitution mandated that the state would “make an annual appropriation of not less than five thousand dollars, nor more than ten thousand dollars,' for...

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