When a woman in 1860, in Alexandria, Virginia, discovered that her husband was too sick to vote in the election, she tried to exercise what the Tribune called 'Woman's rights' by casting his vote for him. When she wasn't allowed to vote she became agitated and used a bat to move people from the area. Eventually, she was subdued and removed from the polls. Although this is perhaps...
Alden Spooner Forbes, a planter and merchant in Port Gibson, Claiborne County, Mississippi, wrote in his diary on March 11, 1860, that this was the night that he first discovered his slave Elick's plan of running away. He realized Elick's plan when he could not find him at night and immediately, the following day, March 12, put Elick in jail for safekeeping and to ensure he could not escape....
In a pamphlet written to encourage colonists to visit East and South Florida, Dr. Baynard Byme highlighted the advantages of the soil, climate, and production of the relatively sparsely populated state of Florida. After describing the weather, terrain, and typical lifestyle, Dr. Byme acknowledged the differences between Florida cotton and that grown in other states but made sure to clarify the reason...
Franklin Pierce had important family connections and a respectable military record from the Mexican War that helped him win the election. Pierce was supported by both southern “fire-eaters' and northern Free-Soilers, having a reputation of being a “doughface' a Northerner with Southern sympathies. Following his ascendancy to the Presidency, he promptly made one concession after...
Gold What could be more illustrious to read about during the mid nineteenth century than gold? On March 9, 1859, the Farmer's Cabinet published an article briefly summarizing one man's visit to the sub-treasury gold reserve in Washington, D.C. In a seemingly obvious attempt to bolster national comfort and ease economic pessimist, the lure of gold and more importantly a surplus of gold available...
On March 3 1859, Francis Kemble noted in her diary the death of one of her neighbors and subsequent partition of his estate. One of the largest human chattel holding in North America-- 436 men, women, and infants according to Mrs. Kembles journal-were divided among the heirs. The slaves were brought to Savannah in small convenient groups. "Half a Negro stock on major butlers plantation, fell to...
With the Election of 1860 just months away, the Democratic Party in Florida began working on its strategy to defeat the Republicans. Hoping to gain momentum before the upcoming election, Florida began appointing officials to represent the Democratic Party in the late spring of 1860. Delegated wanted to insure that democratic values were integrated into the current federal government, so Florida...
In 1850, Shelby County ranked seventh in free colored population. In the ten years that followed, it grew considerably to be ranked fifth in free population and first in total population in Tennessee. The free population grew considerably because of many reasons, specifically natural birth from free African American mothers, more frequent self-purchase, and increased immigration free African-Americans...
The Davis Resolutions were a set of agreements voted on by Congress in an attempt to end the feuding over the issue of slavery in the territories. The issue had been debated for months to decide whether the people in the territory should make decisions on domestic affairs or if the government of the United States should make the decisions. Jefferson Davis was a big proponent of the people in the...
Indians in Texas, especially during the Civil War, were unruly and often feared. In fact, they raided and looted all across Texas in response to the constant threat of losing even more territory. While Indians succeeded by burning stations and driving settlers from their homes, their actions spurred many more debates, conventions, and other attempts to deal with the Indians. One attempt to coexist...