In this day and age, newspapers rarely print fiction. Of course, there is the occasional magical story written by a third grade class that appears every once a week in the Arts and Entertainment section of the paper, but for the most part, fictional stories of real substance are not published in newspapers anymore. This was not the case in the 1800's. Appearing in The Valley Star each week was...
As the school term drew to a close, W. F. Nelson wrote a letter to his uncle on July 29, 1831 informing him of his son's academic progress and behavioral development over the course of the session. After naming classical studies and algebra as Cleland's primary interests of study, Nelson wrote that if his uncle decided to continue Cleland's schooling, he should begin the study of Geometry...
Sometime in October of 1831, two female slaves, Abigail and Ann, escaped with their children from Daniel McKenzie, a local slave trader from Accomack, Virginia. The slaves were later apprehended and placed into the custody of a sheriff in the state of Delaware. Once in Delaware the slaves sued in forma pauperis for their freedom. Before the slaves could appear in front of the court, they escaped...
In mid-August 1831, African Americans and Irishmen rioted in Frederick, Maryland. Lasting two days, the conflict was of so violent a nature that the citizens of New-Market and its vicinity were compelled to interfere, who, after a vigorous and obstinate resistance, succeeded in dispersing the Irish and capturing about twenty of the ring leaders. The captured Irishmen werent jailed for long because...
It was the Fourth of July, 1831. Francis Scott Key, author of the Star Spangled banner, delivered the oration in the Rotunda of the Capitol of the United States. He spoke to unite the country and reflect the significance of freedom. Independence Day was newly designated since the county had only recently gained independence from Great Britain. Francis Scott Key was aware of the magnitude of...
On a Sunday night in mid-August, Joseph Travis slept peacefully next to his wife in the home they shared with their three children. The couple had just borne an infant, who that night was sleeping soundly, giving the parents a chance to rest undisturbed. The husband awoke to a sharp blow to his head, shot up out of bed, and called out to his wife. Mrs. Travis awoke to see her husband cut down with...
In the 1800’s, slave revolts against their white masters were rarely heard of due to slave’s fear of the unknown if they chose to fight back. Even though slave revolts were not very popular during this era, some slaves came together and rebelled against their masters for their right of freedom. One of the most famous rebellion was Nat Turner’s which occurred on August 22, 1831, in an attempt...
As of May 1815, the port of Wilmington, North Carolina, albeit small, was a bustling commercial center and exported a wide range of produce. Joshua Potts wrote about the state of the port for posterity and reported the following: Wilmington traded primarily with the West India Islands and the Northern United States, particularly New York. The market opened in November, gained momentum from December...
In 1803, Zephaniah Kingsley began bringing slaves from Africa to his plantation in Fort George Island.[1] Fort George Island is located slightly north of modern day Jacksonville. “The United States did not allow anyone to bring in slaves after 1808. But Florida still belonged to Spain, and so smugglers brought in slaves to the southern United States through northern Florida.”[2] Slaves...
Throughout 1830, the number of slave holders in Maryland was declining, and those who remained were fighting a losing battle to maintain control over the state government. In 1830, white slaveholders consisted of only 35% of the white population of Maryland, yet controlled 60% of the seats in the state legislature -- a fact which was all to prevalent to many anti-slavery whites and to free blacks....