Week One

 The Year of 1848

Dear Diary,

               A fortnight ago father came home in such a furious rampage, I overheard him telling mother that the newspaper company he works for got some news about how the upcoming elections had a new crisis to deal with, and the issue was over slavery. Father spoke of how much hatred he held for the Wilmot Proviso, which from my understanding is the idea that the land we Americans won from Mexico would remain as free states. Father of course hated the idea, he said that it would tip the balance of free and slave states and it would of course cause many uprisings and riots. When father was telling mother of the chaotic day at work, I heard him saying that there is a new party on the rise, called the Free-Soil Party. Their goal, like the Wilmot Proviso, was to keep slavery out of western territories. Father spoke of how his coworker was deeply angered that even some Southerners were joining this Party. I for one didn't see why it was so bad, I never really liked the idea of slavery in the first place. Even though this is what I thought I would never dream of telling daddy, for I would be too scared of his reaction.
             The other two parties, the Whigs and the Democrats, dealt with this slavery issue with an idea called "popular sovereignty", if I heard that part right. I was hiding in my room and awoke from my slumber when father was shouting loudly out of frustration for the Congresses carelessness of the "important" idea of slavery. Popular sovereignty claimed that the people of the state would decide if they wished to hold slaves or not. Even though my family is a part of the Whig party, they were embarrassed on how lightly the situation was handled. With this new idea in hand, there can form many issues as the balance between free and slave states could be tipped.
           Last night daddy came home in a much better mood then the previous. He said that he was happy because a man named Zachary Taylor, who was also a Whig, had won the election. Daddy was happy because he believed that Taylor supported slavery as he himself was an owner of slaves. Although my father was happy that night, I was not. What would this mean for the future of Tommy or his family? I always lived believing that they would eventually be free one day, I guess it won't be soon enough...

P.S. I found this video attachment covering the election, it lightly shows the effects dealing with Northern and Southern states but it explains what my dad was attempting to say through his anger  few nights back:

<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PhTUlAHS4cM>

                   Love,
                          Florence.

The Year of 1850

Dear Diary,

         It has been quite some time since I have picked up this little book of mine. As an apology I will give you an update on my life. My dear friend Mary-Jane's father left Mississippi and headed to California in search of gold about a year back. Two years ago gold was discovered in California and thousands of people decided to leave in search for it. Mary-Jane has told me how her father sent her a telegram a while ago, I enclosed it below:

Add caption

                                                         1849
   "Dear Loving Family,
My life here in California has become very chaotic. Its much different from how it is back home, everyone from the North and South are moving to Cali in search for the gold. The Californians realized that we needed a government to bring order to the chaos. A few months ago, they drafted constitution and asked the Union to admit California as a free state. This request became an uproar s it technically tips the balance in favor of the free states. As a man from the South, I think this idea is outrageous as all should. California should be a slave state as the land is so fertile and there is so much potential. As California might become a slave state, I think the Southerners should press for a stronger Fugitive Slave Act, the act that states how runaway slaves must be returned to their masters. Our property and our honor are at stake! We need to be doing something back                                                                                     home about this...
                                                                                 Love,
                                                                                       Your dear Husband and Loving Father"

         Mary-Jane came back a few weeks after that and told me how her father mailed another telegram, this time saying how a man named Henry Clay offered a compromise that had benefits to both the North and South. The compromise proposed that Congress declares California as a free state, in favor of the North. Although they did this, he also proposed that Congress would enforce a newer and much stricter Fugitive Slave Law, in favor of the South. The compromise also would let the people in the New Mexico and Utah territories decide the slavery issue by popular sovereignty. The last point of the compromise is that the slave trade in DC would be ended.
         Although the compromise was in favor of both free and slave states, I feel as if i was leaning more towards the free side, which I agree with, even though father would not. A few months after the proposal and a large debate in Congress, the Compromise of 1850 was passed. I feel as if the compromise is important because it is causing many southerners to organize boycotts and riots against northerners. Mary-Jane was telling me how her mother feels that even though the crisis was averted, she remains feeling like there will be many issues with the debate on slavery, I fully agree. I hope Congress can realize that slavery is causing too many problems and decides to positively act on the issue by eliminating slavery everywhere.

1851

Dear Diary,

        Mary Jane's mother and I's worry on the slavery issue within the Compromise of 1850 became true. The new Fugitive Slave Act, dealing with the runaway slaves, had become a very large issue with the northerners, who felt like it forced them to support the slave system. I personally agree with their outrage, I wish I myself lived in a northern state so I could take action in this. Lately I've been sharing many of these thoughts with Tommy. He tells me that he predicts something large is going to happen soon, something that will change the history of the United States. I told him I hoped it would be for the better, he agreed with me. I told him how I wished I could do something to help him escape, maybe even run away to a free state and find someone who wouldn't turn him in as the Fugitive Slave Act is enforcing.
         I heard daddy telling mother of the new news he received at work of how the Northerners passed something called "personal liberty laws", which annulled the Fugitive Act and allowed the state to arrest slave catchers for kidnapping. Those who opposed the Fugitive Slave Act of course included many northerners, free blacks, fugitives, and slaves like Tommy and his family. I heard that a couple months ago, a group of free blacks came into Pennsylvania in order to protect many fugitives from their Maryland master. This situation averted and led to the blacks killing the master. Much to me and Tommy's approval, none of the blacks were found guilty. I see this as great news and so does Tommy and his family. When father had to write about it in the papers he was biased towards the Southerners obviously and showed much remorse to the Maryland master. He was worried Tommy and his family would run away and he came to them in the middle of the night and screamed his head off, saying if they were to run away they would receive a thousand lashes. Daddy really scared me that night, I felt so bad for Tommy and I told him how tired I was of my father acting this way.

       - Florence

1852

Dear Diary,

       Enclosed is the paper from this week:

                Underground Railroad Emerges              

June 1851

Stop Runaway Slaves!                               

As Northern abolitionists and free blacks

continue to risk their lives in order to help

enslaved peoples escape, they continue

to create much tension with their idea of an 

"Underground Railroad". The way this said

 "Underground Railroad" works is by using

railroad terminology and a secret network of

"conductors" to lead slaves inside of wagons

and carts. They travel even hundreds of miles

to reach destinations such as the northern states

or Canada. The biggest reasoning of this

Underground Railroad's success is because of 

a fugitive named Harriet Tubman. After Tubman's

escape in 1849, she's been leading hundreds of        

slaves to escaping, causing a huge issue with

the South, as our economy could begin to 

suffer from the loss of our needed slaves. 

What continues is the look for Tubman, as 

planters have placed a large reward for her. 

                                                           Written by John Jacobs

Uncle Tom's Cabin, A Firsthand View on Slavery

Harriet Beecher Stowe, a Northern abolitionist, attempts to write a story condemning slavery. She tries to capture the "real and true life" behind a slave, for those who have not witnessed it firsthand. The slaves in the story have hard lives and are constantly frightned. This book has spread widely. selling almost 300,000 copies in its first year. Most Southerners find this book to be a false accountant of slaves, the book infuriates them. As a response, southerners are beginning to write their own novels, with the real outlook on a slave's life. The slaves in these novels, unlike the ones in Uncle Tom's Cabin. appear to be happy and carefree. They write of how the only types of slaves that runaway are obviously mentally ill, and with the right treatments it can be helped.

Written by William Smith

Political cartoon by: Shay Anderson

                                                                               

      When father came home with this newspaper, I read it eagerly. I arranged for Tommy and I to meet up like I usually do, by sliding a piece of parchment under the barn door. I didn't bother writing where or when to meet as he couldn't read, and it was typically always in the same place every time.
When he got there I read to him the newspaper and told him about Harriet Tubman and he Underground Railroad. I told him how even though I did not want to say goodbye, it might be a good idea for him to leave. He told me he would share the news with his parents but he insisted it was too dangerous and he didn't want to risk his or his family's life. I left in hopes his family might agree to leave. I wanted father to deal with having no slaves, I don't like his views and I feel like he deserves it. I also think Uncle Tom's Cabin is good propaganda and will cause more northerners to become more involved in the issue on slavery. The book is important to slaves like Tommy because it gives the honest, first-hand view on slavery. The book obviously isn't that popular in the south but I wish it was. Maybe if more masters got out of the mindset that their slaves are happy then maybe they could change their hostile views...
               
                                Love, 
                                   Florence 

Works Cited

        "The American Presidential Election of 1848." YouTube. YouTube, n.d. Web. 24 Jan. 2016.

 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PhTUlAHS4cM)

       "Useful 1920s-1930s Typefaces, Newspaper Resources, and Telegram Templates - Alternate

History Discussion Board." Useful 1920s-1930s Typefaces, Newspaper Resources, and Telegram

Templates - Alternate History Discussion Board. VBulletin, 2000. Web. 24 Jan. 2016.

(http://www.alternatehistory.com/discussion/showthread.php?t=249094)

       "UTC: History of the Book in the 19th Century U.S." UTC: History of the Book in the 19th

Century U.S. Michael Winship, 2007. Web. 24 Jan. 2016.

(http://utc.iath.virginia.edu/interpret/exhibits/winship/winship.html)

        "Underground Railroad: The William Still Story." PBS. PBS, n.d. Web. 24 Jan. 2016.

(http://www.pbs.org/black-culture/shows/list/underground-railroad/locations/)
     
        "Morally Right and Constitutionally Sound: Nullification of the Fugitive Slave Act | Tenth

Amendment Center." Tenth Amendment Center. The Tenth Amendment, 19 May 2014. Web. 24

Jan. 2016. (http://tenthamendmentcenter.com/2014/05/20/constitutionally-sound-nullification-of-the-

fugitive-slave-act/)

         "Underground Railway Vintage and Historic Cartoons." Underground Railway Vintage and

Historic Cartoons. CartoonStock, n.d. Web. 24 Jan. 2016.

(https://www.cartoonstock.com/vintage/directory/u/underground_railway.asp)