The North and South had reached a stalemate, the compromise measures had been debated for over ten months. Finally, an agreement was reached. In September of 1850 the provisions that would become the Compromise of 1850 were passed. About a year later, on September 5, 1851, Winchester Graham, a representative from South Carolina, gave a speech in Barnwell, S.C. that defended his support of the...
On September 11, 1851, Edward Gorsuch, a Maryland slave owner, and a posse of several men including Federal Marshal Kline, descended upon the house of William Parker, in search of escaped slaves. The southerners believed that with the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 the retrieval of their slaves would be a swift and cooperative occurrence. However, the small Quaker town of Christiana in Lancaster, Pennsylvania...
As the news of the Fugitive Slave Law of 1850 reached Holly Springs, Mississippi, the citizens were very anxious to see how the North would uphold the laws. The law stated that if one captures a fugitive slave, it is the responsibility of the law enforcement and citizens to aide in the returning of those slaves to their rightful owners. The people of Mississippi knew that slaves would attempt...
The mob had made up its mind. Wesleyan Methodist preacher Jesse McBride had stirred too much controversy among whites and slaves in Guilford County. Intending to run McBride out of the county, about two-hundred men gathered on May 23, 1851 outside of the church where he would preach that morning. For six hours McBride had been on the road, not finishing the 18 mile journey to his Liberty Hill...
William “Jerry” Henry was a Missouri slave during this time period. He grew tired of the brutality and sought freedom in the north. He successfully escaped from Missouri and went to Syracuse, New York, which was a popular immigration city. He lived and worked in the city for a while, but in October 1852, U.S. Marshal Allen arrested him. The officer tricked him into cooperating by saying he was...
On Wednesday October 4, 1851, Syracuse city police, led by Deputy U.S. Marshall Allen, arrested an African American man by the name of Jerry McHenry. John M. Reynolds of Marion County, Indiana, claimed McHenry to be his slave, and as a result, McHenry was taken into custody as a runaway slave and set for trial. However, Reynolds would soon be surprised by an unexpected turn of events that neither...
The Cotton farmers of Florida came together in hopes of stabilizing pricing and markets. Judge Broome was the chairman of this convention and created the report which was used to analyze Cotton production and output. They came to the conclusion that a price minimum was essential and blamed irregular output for their pricing problems. This convention sparked interest in other southern cotton growing...
In 1851, Hungarian revolutionary Louis Kossuth became an international celebrity who found himself trapped in the divisive slavery politics of the United States. He gained notoriety worldwide as a brilliant crusader for the liberty of his country, and upon announcing a tour around the United States to enlist support for his cause, Kossuth was met with the enthusiasm of the American media. The New...
The 1851 Cotton Planter's Convention in Macon, GA brought together 261 cotton farmers, who were agitated by recent criticisms of their economic practices. More importantly, Charles Goethe Baylor came to the Convention to address the planters while on temporary leave from his position as the United States consul at Amsterdam. The merchants of Amsterdam had authorized him to tender cash advances,...
In a letter dated November 5, 1851, George Wythe Randolph wrote to his brother Dr. Benjamin F. Randolph concerning the relocation of his, to that point, profitable business. At the time of this particular correspondence, George was in Richmond, Virginia and he was writing back home to Buckingham County, where Benjamin had established himself as a prudent physician and a prosperous community member....