Posted on 04/14/2020 7:25:08 AM PDT by Homer_J_Simpson
Free Republic University, Department of History presents U.S. History, 1855-1860: Seminar and Discussion Forum
Bleeding Kansas, Dred Scott, Lincoln-Douglas, Harper’s Ferry, the election of 1860, secession – all the events leading up to the Civil War, as seen through news reports of the time and later historical accounts
First session: November 21, 2015. Last date to add: Sometime in the future.
Reading: Self-assigned. Recommendations made and welcomed.
Posting history, in reverse order
To add this class to or drop it from your schedule notify Admissions and Records (Attn: Homer_J_Simpson) by reply or freepmail.
The Diary of George Templeton Strong, Edited by Allan Nevins and Milton Halsey Thomas
Seems like a fairly peaceful country with no massive underlying issues...
The calm before the storm. Not only the physical turmoil which was just around the corner, but the intellectual maelstrom of Romanticism and its corrosive influence in all aspects of social, cultural and political sensibilities was about to be unleashed on America.
I just don’t see how things can keep going on like this for another year without something blowing up.
April 15, SUNDAY. Drove to Trinity Church this morning with Ellie and Johnny and resumed possession of the old pew in the north aisle. Very full congregation, and of every degree from the Astor-old type down to the English or North-Irish emigrant family party. Choral service was impressive.
The Diary of George Templeton Strong, Edited by Allan Nevins and Milton Halsey Thomas
NEW YORK, Monday, April 16.
DEAR YANKEE: Congratulate Mr. Potter for me from the bottom of my heart.
What is the talk about code of honor? There is and never was such a codification in Europe among the genuine chivalry for these one thousand years, neither among nobles of any country of Europe. There is a kind of common law which every one knows, and a practice of details which is acquired in the same way as by a lawyer. I fought more than thirty duels, was second perhaps sixty times at least, and all with gentlemen and noblemen, and never heard of code of honor or absolute rule about weapons. If there is any code, rule, or common law about it, it is this: that cowards only refuse when a weapon magnifies danger. I assisted to duels, as second, when one of the combatants, pistols in hand, proposed to approach each other from ten paces (the original distance) to three. It was accepted. Old and hoary as I am, and never having really seen the use of a bowie-knife, I would accept it if I still should insist on my reputation as duellist. We Polish nobility, we fight generally with short, half-round Turkish swords. It makes ugly gashes, and I saw bowels come out once.
Mrs. Potter is a Spartan lady, and has a true gentleman for a husband. Greeley is an ass.
GUROWSKI.
SOURCE: James Shepherd Pike, First Blows of the Civil War: The Ten Years of Preliminary Conflict in the United States from 1850 to 1860
, p. 513
The Diary of George Templeton Strong, Edited by Allan Nevins and Milton Halsey Thomas
The Diary of George Templeton Strong, Edited by Allan Nevins and Milton Halsey Thomas
As Our Diarist will soon discover, what is about to happen will be much more interesting than the conventional wisdom is thinking right now.
Life is about to start coming at George - and everybody in the country - fast.
I'm guessing the investigation goes nowhere, with or without President Buchanan decrying "fake news", but we will likely see corruption in Democrat controlled Washington, DC, on the Republican party platform.
By 1860 Democrats have ruled Washington almost continuously since the election of 1800 and, as we can see here, have become cozy with the press.
No, it's doubtful if we'll see "drain the swamp" or "lock him up", in the 1860 Republican platform, but possibly plank #6 will mention "...recent startling developments of frauds and corruptions at the Federal metropolis".
The editorial says nothing about "northeastern power brokers" nor does it mention that perhaps 40% of the cotton-money will get siphoned off by New Yorkers for such services as transportation, warehousing, insurance and banking.
It does mention that Northern agricultural production totaled around $550 million -- more than twice the value of cotton, but says very little of that will get exported, due to high US domestic demands.
Indeed, Northern "exports" to the South are estimated around $200 million per year, thus putting the lie to Southern claims that they alone produced the money-flows behind Federal tariff revenues.
The Diary of George Templeton Strong, Edited by Allan Nevins and Milton Halsey Thomas
Beethoven was considered distressingly innovative in Europe a couple of decades earlier. George is making it clear to his future readers that he was far more serious in his appreciation of classical music than the average New Yorker.
Ode to Joy begins at 1:00:20
Now I feel better already!
Also some old Huntley-Brinkley music starting at 19:30 -- those were the days...
Good night Chet..
Good night David.
We will likely see Georgia Democrat Congressman Crawford again, as a diplomat, a soldier and finally a judge.
In 1860 he is 40 years old, will live to be 63.
Here we see Crawford explain the change in Southern attitudes towards slavery since the time of the Founders:
The question, therefore, rests with the North.
Let us alone, and we are content; if we are driven to the importation of African laborers it will be your fault not ours."
References to Arizona and Central America are the Confederate "Golden Circle" slave empire:
Nice find. This is why I say the south doubled down on stupid. While the rest of the western world was moving to get rid of slavery the south didn’t, and in fact, started arguing that it was good.
As Crawford explains at the beginning of this nation the vast majority of people, even slave owners, realized slavery was evil. In fact I have found no comments by any founders or framers arguing that slavery was good. Many, perhaps even a majority, commented that it was bad and incompatible with our founding ideology that “all men are created equal”.
This is an example of another parallel between slavery and abortion. At first proponents of abortion said it was a necessary evil, it should be safe but rare. Now they argue that it is something to be proud of. Amazing to me that the democrats were advocating for evil in the 1800s and are advocating for evil today.
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