Category Archives: Secession and the Interregnum

In the aftermath of the 1860 election

Weed: Obey Constitution; Pay for Fugitives

Posted on December 8, 2010 by admin

Thurlow Weed was a political boss in the Whig party. He became a Republican and supported fellow New Yorker William Seward for the party’s presidential nomination in 1860. It is believed that one of the reasons that Seward lost the … Continue reading →

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What South Carolina Fears

Posted on December 7, 2010 by admin

From The New-York Times December 7, 1860: A CANDID VIEW OF SECESSION.; EXTRACT OF A PRIVATE LETTER FROM A LADY IN SOUTH CAROLINA RECEIVED IN THIS CITY. K_____, S.C., Saturday, Dec. 1, 1860. MY DEAR UNCLE: It is with different … Continue reading →

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War in the Fourth Estate

Posted on December 6, 2010 by admin

As the Daily News sites have noted the Charleston Mercury has been beating the drum for South Carolina’s secession, especially since Lincoln’s election. The Mercury was edited by Robert Barnwell Rhett, Jr., whose father was a well-known fire-eater. Robert Barnwell … Continue reading →

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Ex-President Pierce: Doughface Perspective

Posted on December 3, 2010 by admin

In the period leading up to the American Civil War “Doughface” was the disparaging term many Northerners used to describe Northerners who sympathized with the South and its interests. 150 years ago today Congress began its session in the midst … Continue reading →

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Yankee, (You Better) Go Home!

Posted on December 2, 2010 by admin

December 2, 1860. Congressmen from around the United States are accumulating in Washington, D.C. as they await the reconvening of Congress tomorrow, December 3rd. Some southern senators, such as Breckinridge from Kentucky, are speaking words of moderation and conciliation. Congressmen … Continue reading →

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Pondering Economics of Secession: Stalwart Giant vs. Infant

Posted on December 1, 2010 by admin

150 years ago today The New-York Times reacted to a bill in the Georgia Legislature that would place an extreme fine on commerce with the North. The editorial used the bill’s intent to predict the effect a hostile secession would … Continue reading →

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“You Must Take Sides”

Posted on November 29, 2010 by admin

In 1860 several states, including New York, declared November 29th Thanksgiving Day. One of the ways people celebrated Thanksgiving Day back then was by going to church and listening to long sermons by their preachers. On November 30th The New-York … Continue reading →

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Palmetto Flag Gets Hissed!

Posted on November 26, 2010 by admin

But Not in the Palmetto State From The New-York Times November 27, 1860: BALTIMORE, Md., Monday, Nov. 24. An association calling themselves the “Southern Volunteers,” displayed the Palmetto flag from their place of meeting to-day. A large crowd was attracted … Continue reading →

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If It Looks Like Nullification, …

Posted on November 23, 2010 by admin

… And It Acts Like Nullification In a section devoted to “Letters to the Editor” regarding the possible secession of southern states, The New-York Times included the following summary of an 1860 revision the Massachusetts government made to its Personal … Continue reading →

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Thanksgiving: Charleston 1860

Posted on November 22, 2010 by admin

From The New-York Times. November 22, 1860: CHARLESTON, Wednesday, Nov. 21. Thanksgiving passed off with remarkable quietness. The American Sunday School Union this morning unfurled a white banner, with a palmetto tree, five stars and an open Bible, and the … Continue reading →

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