In 1853, Susan Archer Talley wrote a poem entitled “Reverie.' The poem was not long, only nine stanzas. It was stuffed to the brim with classical references and romantic descriptions. The poem was lighthearted and it must have been obvious to readers that a woman had written it. The publishing of this poem was significant because it showcases not only the talent of Southerners, but...
Jefferson Davis accepted his post as Franklin Pierce's Secretary of War. Born in Kentucky and living in Mississippi for much of his life, Jefferson Davis developed a strong conviction that the Constitution protected the practice of slavery and was an advocate of states' rights. As part of Pierce's administration, he encouraged and induced Pierce to favor the interests and views of southerners...
In 1853, B. W. Hatch wrote a letter to W. W. Cook of Mississippi telling him of a yellow fever epidemic that was causing fear and panic throughout the Clinton community. The population dropped from between 1,500 to 2,000 people to 250, some of whom died and some of whom had fled to the country. At the time of the letter, 46 people were receiving treatment, five of whom had been diagnosed in the...
The increasing immigration of America by Europeans forced the nation to begin expanding the land it needed. The idea of Manifest Destiny was prevalent throughout the citizens of the US, and each wanted his/her piece of land so they could start living out their lives. Florida was one the most lush and fertile areas in the country, and was prime location for more settlers who wanted to acquire property...
In 1852, revisions to the Constitution were placed before the legislature of Delaware. The revisions proposed many new “Democratic' ideals that would have gotten rid of many institutions such as life tenure for judges and the need to have property in order to vote. The Whigs who said it was unconstitutional and the Democrats who thought that it did not propose enough change rejected the...
Agricultural fairs were a serious business in the Tidewater area of Virginia in 1853. Because Norfolk was a populous city and a major harbor, it was an ideal spot to hold a fair. Many shipments of exotic merchandise could be sold at the fair and many people who were not from the Tidewater area could arrive by ship to attend the fair. The fair was run by the state of Virginia's agricultural...
Richard Yeadon was a man who rarely minced words. In speaking to the Calliopean and Polytechnic Societies at the Citadel Academy in Charleston in 1853, Yeadon took the opportunity to address the audience on what would happen if higher institutions in South Carolina did not maintain strict discipline among their pupils.
Stemming from God, Order is the great law of nature, whereas Insubordination...
New Orleans was hit very hard by infectious disease in 1853. Not only did the city have to contend with an outbreak of yellow fever, but cholera broke out as well. Most likely, the appalling sanitation system in New Orleans contributed to it. While cholera only took the lives of 129 people in late 1853 (as opposed to the near 8,000 who died from yellow fever) it still caused serious alarm. Most...
The formation of the Texas Medical Association was in response to a lack of good health in Texas and also to a growing number of quack physicians in the state. Yellow fever and malaria greatly afflicted coastal Texas, especially Galveston, in the 1840s and 1850s. The mortality rates were so bad that nearly fifty percent of children were dying before they reached adulthood on the coastline of Texas....
During its thirty-sixth annual meeting on January 18, 1853, the American Colonization Society delivered its annual report at the “Four and a-half street (Presbyterian) church.' The gathering was opened with prayers and it was announced that, “a general review of our operations the past year is calculated to produce the conviction that the Society is growing in usefulness with every...