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...
On January 22 1847, a peculiar event took place at the Jonesborough hatter shop. On this occasion, whites and blacks of the town congregated for what was known as a Negro Party. Together, members of both races cast aside racial differences in order to celebrate the coming of the New Year. Every guest, despite their race, took part in the festivities which included feasting and dancing. The merriment...
The abolitionist movement began as a peaceful movement in the eyes of Marylanders, however, as they approached the goal of emancipation, many citizens question what their respective states would be like without the admittance of slavery. The question of whether of not Maryland was truly a southern state. According to Richard Walsh and William Lloyd Fox's History of Maryland, the free...
Dr. Charles Meigs, an obstetrician and professor at Jefferson Medical College, became apprehensive as his four-month course on obstetrics and the diseases of women drew to an end. Although medical knowledge and information about the human body and disorders had grown extensively by 1847, the medical education system did not provide an adequate amount of time to cover the abundance of information....
Contrary to popular belief, the Civil War was not an instantaneous outbreak of violence. The years leading up to the affair were full of bargains, compromises, and violent encounters that transcended both racial and societal lines. On January 7, 1847, many newspapers distributed articles focusing on the ongoing war with Mexico. The dispute increased social and political unrest back east, and the...
To a group of slaves about to be sold to a new owner, the future is uncertain. Their new home may promise decent food and board, or it may mean the separation from their closest family members, abusive overseers, and grueling work that drives them to the brink of death. This is what thirteen slaves faced when they were sold on January 2, 1847 by John D. McCullough to Samuel W. Evans. The document...
The River of Lies was a body of water that some Seminoles lived near when the soldiers came to gather the Indians for removal. The river is located near today's Jupiter, Florida and acquired its name from an assumed thought that the fighting was over between the Indians and white settlers.
Soldiers came, gathered, and removed the Indians from their homes by the river. Some Indians escaped...
The factory eventually constructed by Smith along the canal played a key role in both stimulating the local economy and eventually in the Civil War. The canal and rail connections found in Augusta made it ideal for wartime industry like the production of gun powder. In fact the canal attracted such a broad array of war time industries during the Civil War that the citizens of Augusta began to...
On the monday morning of September 16 in 1844, the ship Morrison, of New London, Conn., sailed out for a whaling voyage that concluded in 1846. On board, the first mate Rev. Thomas Douglass recorded the happenings of the Morrison in a log book, often mentioning the poor quality of food, and the ways that the ship’s crew tried to supplement themselves with other foods. Whalers like the Morrison...
From his estate in Warren County, Mississippi, Jefferson Davis was elected to the United States House of Representatives in 1844, and took office for the 29th Congress on March 4, 1845. Davis resigned from his term in June of 1846 to serve in the Mexican-American War during which he was well known for his military achievements. Jefferson Davis served later posts as Secretary of War, United States...