Decade of Discord: Presidential Election of 1860, The
John Brown's raid on Harper's Ferry is a divisive and controversial aspect of the politics leading to the 1860 election. Abraham Lincoln speaks out against slavery in an 1859 tour that launches his candidacy. Meanwhile the Democratic party splits in...
Decade of Discord: Mini Civil War Rages over Kansas Vote
Outsiders attempt to influence territorial elections in Kansas in 1855 and as a result a pro-slavery territorial legislature is fraudulently elected. President Pierce decides to accept election results rather than intervene and stir up trouble, but ...
Decade of Discord: Transcontinental Railroad, The
Democrat Franklin Pierce wins the presidency in 1852 vowing to maintain national harmony. But as Western territories once considered unfit for cultivation begin to open up, questions of slave versus free again take center stage. Even the route of th...
Decade of Discord: Dred Scott Decision Announced Just After Buchanan's Election in 1856
In the presidential election of 1856 Democratic party leaders, looking for a candidate who cannot be linked to bleeding Kansas, nominate James Buchanan, a party regular who was in England during the crisis. The newly-formed Republican Party nominate...
Decade of Discord: John Brown's Raid on Harpers Ferry
In October of 1859 John Brown and a number of his followers attempt to capture a town in Virginia named Harpers Ferry, hoping to strike a blow against slavery. The townspeople fight back and trap Brown, his followers and their 13 hostages in a fire ...
Decade of Discord: Lincoln-Douglas Debates, The
Abraham Lincoln and Stephen Douglas vie for the Illinois senate seat in 1858. Although U. S. Senators are selected by their state legislatures in the 19th century, candidates for the Senate try to increase their chances by appealing directly to thos...
Decade of Discord: Congressional Debate Over Slavery Intensifies as Country Expands
Issues related to America's expansion and westward development begin to spiral out of control in the 1850s. In Congress, aging senators Daniel Webster, Henry Clay, and John C. Calhoun debate the future of union. The South fears what will happen if l...
Battle Cry: Challenges Facing Lincoln in the Fall of 1862
The Republicans retain their majority in the mid-term elections of 1862 despite Democratic gains. Lincoln continues to have difficulties with inept generals. After Antietam, Lincoln fires McClellan who seems more interested in political than milita...
He Brought the People with Him: Our Federal Union: The Clash Between National Sovereignty and States Rights Advocates
South Carolina's nullification challenge and a controversy over the disposition of Western lands provoke a series of debates on the floor of Congress between South Carolina Senator Robert Haynes and the venerable Whig from Massachusetts Senator Dani...
Master and Slave: Power of the Planter Aristocracy
The South in the mid nineteenth century is one of the few areas in the Western world where slavery still exists. The countryside is often portrayed as a society replete with great plantations and wealthy landowners, but more typical is a landscape p...