The New York Historical Society recently opened “Lincoln and New York,” a new exhibit that aims to “fully trace the evolution of Lincoln’s relationship” with the state. The exhibit includes not only Lincoln’s visits to New York, such as for his Cooper Union address in February 1860, but also explores the impact of his administration’s policies during […]
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Oct
09
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23
Oct
09
Election of 1860 – Political Appointments
Posted by sailerd Published in Antebellum (1840-1861), Historic Periodicals, Letters & DiariesAfter his victory in the 1860 election, President-Elect Abraham Lincoln quickly started to work on filling the positions in the federal government that were political appointments. While selecting cabinet members was an important task, historian Harold Holzer explains that “Lincoln understood” how critical it was “to purge [the] Democrats” and “guarantee the loyalty of the […]
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Oct
09
Harpers Ferry – Fugitives in PA
Posted by sailerd Published in Antebellum (1840-1861), Historic Periodicals, ImagesThe Harpers Ferry story does not end when John Brown was captured early in the morning on October 18, 1859. While five members of his group managed to escape (including Barclay Coppoc, who later served in the Union army), others were not as fortunate. Albert Hazlett and John Edwin Cook, who were traveling separately, were […]
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Oct
09
Harpers Ferry – "Good Out of Evil"
Posted by sailerd Published in Antebellum (1840-1861), Historic PeriodicalsLast week I discussed a southern newspaper that argued that only legal means should be used against abolitionists who threatened southern communities. Immediately after the Harpers Ferry Raid, however, this newspaper had a different perspective. The editor was not concerned about abolitionists invading the South, but rather argued in late October 1859 that Harpers Ferry […]
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Oct
09
John Brown – Gilder Lehrman Institute
Posted by sailerd Published in 19th Century (1840-1880), Places to VisitThe Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History has a new online exhibit on John Brown. The exhibit covers Brown’s life in the 1850s, the attack on Harpers Ferry, and Brown’s legacy. While only a few documents are available right now, they will add more material every month through March 2010. The Gilder Lehrman Institute has […]
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Oct
09
These two reports from November 1860 use John Brown’s raid on Harpers Ferry to argue that a federal arsenal in Fayetteville, North Carolina had to protected, but not in the way that one might expect. Rather than have the local militia continue to provide protection, some Fayetteville residents asked the War Department to send soldiers. […]
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Oct
09
The Valley of the Shadow
Posted by sailerd Published in 19th Century (1840-1880), Images, Letters & DiariesThe Valley of the Shadow is a great resource for anyone who wants to learn more about the different ways that northerners and southerners reacted to John Brown’s attack on Harpers Ferry. This digital history project, which from the Virginia Center for Digital History, focuses on two communities – Augusta County, Virginia and Franklin County, […]
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Oct
09
Harpers Ferry Sesquicentennial
Posted by sailerd Published in 19th Century (1840-1880), Lesson Plans, Places to Visit, Recent NewsA number of organizations in West Virginia, Pennsylvania, Virginia and Maryland have organized events for the sesquicentennial anniversary of John Brown’s raid on Harpers Ferry. These include the Virginia Historical Society’s exhibit “The Portent: John Brown’s Raid in American Memory,” a reenactment of the march from the Kennedy Farm in Maryland to Harpers Ferry, and […]
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Oct
09
Harpers Ferry – Southern Reaction
Posted by sailerd Published in Antebellum (1840-1861), Historic PeriodicalsThe South’s reaction to John Brown’s attack is often characterized as a violent one. “The shock and fear John Brown had instigated fueled widespread panic…[that] fed into paranoia vented in aggressive acts,” as historian David Reynolds explains. Yet not all southerners accepted violent actions. Protecting their communities remained a high priority, but these southerners argued […]
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Oct
09
Harpers Ferry – Digital Resources
Posted by sailerd Published in Antebellum (1840-1861), Letters & Diaries, Rare Books“Slavery & Abolition in the US: Select Publications of the 1800s,” a digital collection from Dickinson College and Millersville University, has several important resources on the Harpers Ferry raid. James Redpath, a reporter who strongly supported abolitionists, published The Public Life of Capt. John Brown in April 1860. Redpath, who first met Brown in Kansas, […]
