Civil War in Congress: The Caning of Charles Sumner

One of the most remarkable events in Congressional history occurred on May 22, 1856. Senator Charles Sumner was caned (meaning beaten up by a cane) on the floor of the Senate. I'll type that again...a senator was caned by a representative from South Carolina on the floor of the Senate! The disagreements over the spread of slavery had come to blows!

Read this article and this article to get a better feel for this incident. In the comment section, explain why this caning happened AND how it represented the struggle facing all of America at this time.

Sojourner Truth: Ain't I A Woman?

Sojourner Truth (born Isabella Baumfree) is a fascinating figure during this time of mid-19th Century reform movements. Being a black woman who was born into slavery, she had an interest in several of the reform movements.  I didn't know her personally, but she seems like she would have been a cool chick.

For this week's blog, read her famous speech from 1851 called "Ain't I A Woman?" and watch poet Alice Walker read it as well.  It is a short, but powerful and humorous speech about the role of women in 1850's society.

In the comment section, discuss your take on the speech. What was Sojourner trying to say?

Remember The Alamo!:Remember The Alamo?

One of the most widely recognized American phrases is "Remember The Alamo!", but I am sure most Americans could not even name the decade in which this battle took place. But you guys can! Right? Right! (1830s of course!)

Anyway, many inaccuracies have crept into our collective remembrance of the Alamo. Check out this website on some of the most common misconceptions. In the comment sections, detail the one you found the most interesting. Also, discuss why Americans seem to prefer myth to reality.

Manifest Destiny: The Ugly Side

Last week we looked at the Oregon Trail, which a decidedly more positive element of Westward Expansion than this week's topic. Well...except for the growing hostilities between the emigrants and the native tribes.

This week we look at Mr. Polk's war: The War with Mexico. Since the earliest exploration days (remember Chapter 2, Cortes, etc?), Spain owned a MASSIVE amount of land in North America. Essentially everything from the southern tip of Central America all the way to Washington (the state, NOT D.C.) was known as Mexico. In 1821, Spain lost control of all this land. Soon, Americans were invited by the Mexican government to move into Texas to help cultivate the land. Well, the Americans quickly outnumbered the Mexicans which led to the Texan War For Independence (Sam Houston, Davy Crockett, The Alamo etc.)

Years later, James Polk promised to acquire the rest of the Mexican Territory and he accomplished this by going to war. This conflict is often overlooked in history classes, but it plays a key role in setting up the Civil War as well as expanding our border all the way to the Pacific Ocean. This war is also important because there was a large anti-war group in America who thought this was a totally unjust and immoral fight.  One such outspoken anti-war leader was a young Whig politician known as Abraham Lincoln.

For this week's blog, please visit this site and spend AT LEAST 30 minutes reading the various sections. There is a lot to digest, most of which won't be familiar to you, so soak it in. Don't rush through this. In the comment section, please list the 30 most important facts you learned about this conflict from this website. Conclude your comments with you analysis of the war: Was it justified? If Polk wanted this land so badly, could he have gotten it another way? Was war the only option?

Westward Ho!: The Oregon Trail

Our next chapter, Manifest Destiny, outlines the many reasons Americans expanded beyond the Mississippi River during the 1800s.  One of the most famous routes for westward travel was the Oregon Trail.  This land voyage was very difficult, but successfully traversed by countless pioneers hoping for a fresh start in the West.

For this week's blog, visit this website and read at least 10 of the articles you find. Familiarize yourself with the trail, who traveled on it, where it lead and what life was like for the migrants.  In the comment section, describe some of the more interesting findings you uncovered from your reading.

P.S. There is a section on this website where you can play the old Oregon Trail game (which was a mega hit when I was in 5th grade) online. It's kind of corny, but it does represent the decisions necessary for survival and highlights some of the historical places the pioneers would have traveled. It's fun, in a nostalgic sort of way, and you should take some time and play it!

John Q. Adams: His Father's Son

John Quincy Adams was an interesting guy. He is the only president to have married a lady who was not born in America. He was famous for skinny-dipping in the Potomac River in Washington D.C. He was the first son-of-a-former-president to become president himself. He's the only president to go back to the House of Representatives after he left the White House. He is also the second president to only serve one term.

If you remember, Monroe's presidency was named the "Era of Good Feelings" (even though beneath the surface there was quite a bit going on) and he won both terms with very little opposition. So, isn't it strange that someone with the rich heritage of JQA would only stay in office for only one term? Especially since he was definitely suited for the job and had a strong political career (he wrote the Monroe Doctrine) before he was elected president.

For this week's blog, search the internet for information about the presidency of John Q. Adams. Begin your search with the 1824 Election and continue on until the 1828 Election. For the comment section, discuss why you think JQA only served one term. What troubles did he face as president that cost him a chance at reelection?

The Missouri Compromise: A Devastating Solution

As America stretched further west, and new inventions made travel more efficient, a new problem arose: Would new territories have slaves or not?  Southerners of course wanted to expand slavery into new territories in order to spread their influence and maintain their economic system. Conversely, Northerners were beginning to abolish slavery (little by little) and they also did not rely on slave labor to progress their manufacturing economy (remember...they used girls and immigrant).  They feared more slave states would dominate the country, thus they would lose influence in Congress and national elections.

In 1819 America had 22 states: 11 free and 11 slave. When Missouri applied for statehood, the balance would have been thrown off making it 11 free and 12 slave. This would have given slave states more power in the Senate which scared the North. Northerners, who controlled the House of Representatives, wanted to block Missouri's admittance. So, thanks to Henry Clay the Missouri Compromise was reached.

Visit this website, this website and this website to learn more about this compromise. For the comment section consider the following questions: What were the pros and cons of this compromise? How did it lead to more conflict decades later? If you were in charge of settling this issue, what would you have done?