John Brown Raided the Federal Arsenal at Harper’s Ferry to Obtain Arms for a Slave Insurrection
Just after sundown on the evening of Sunday October 16, 1859 John Brown led a group of 21 men (16 white and 5 black) across the Potomac River from Maryland to Virginia. Their immediate objective was the capture of the cache of weapons stored at the U.S. Arsenal at Harpers Ferry. Brown's ultimate goal was to destroy the slave system of the South. The arms captured by ...
US Supreme Court Rules on the Dred Scott Case, a Slave Seeking Freedom. Court Found that Slaves Were Property, Not Citizens, thus Had No Rights.
In March 1857, in one of the most controversial events preceding the American Civil War (1861-65), the U.S. Supreme Court issued its decision in the case of Dred Scott v. Sanford. The case had been brought before the court by Dred Scott, a slave who had lived with his owner in a free state before returning to the slave state of Missouri. Having failed to purchase his ...
Abolitionist Frederick Douglass Gives Iconic “The Meaning of July Fourth for the Negro” Speech
Frederick Douglass (1818-95) was a prominent American abolitionist, author and orator. Born a slave, Douglass escaped at age 20 and went on to become a world-renowned anti-slavery activist. His three autobiographies are considered important works of the slave narrative tradition as well as classics of American autobiography. Douglass’ work as a reformer ranged from his abolitionist activities in the early 1840s to his attacks on Jim ...
Abolitionist, Sojourner Truth, Delivers “Ain’t I a Woman?” Speech at the Women’s Convention in Akron, Ohio
Sojourner Truth was a slave-turned abolitionist. She became a Methodist and was called to ministry. Truth delivered a speech entitled “Ain’t I a Woman?” in 1851 that demanded equality for women and African Americans. As a preacher, she said that Jesus overcame her hatred of white people. Her faith gave her the ability to love everyone. The speech was briefly reported in two contemporary newspapers, and ...
Seneca Falls Convention, One of the First Women’s Rights Conventions to be Held in American History, Begins
The American women's rights movement began with a meeting of reformers in Seneca Falls, New York, in 1848. Out of that first convention came a historic document, the 'Declaration of Sentiments,' which demanded equal social status and legal rights for women, including the right to vote. Purpose of the Convention The first convention for women's rights in the United States was held in Seneca Falls, New ...
First Major Revolt in the Austrian Revolution for Independence: University Students Demand a Constitution Guaranteeing their Rights
Emperor Ferdinand and his chief advisor Metternich directed troops to crush the demonstration. Peaceful student demonstrators were shot and killed causing the working class to join the demonstrations, developing an armed insurrection demanding Metternich's resignation. Ferdinand reluctantly complied and dismissed him, and tried to appease the people with a cleverly written constitution, but they rejected it. He later issued two manifestos which gave concessions to the people, ...
The Communist Manifesto, Written by Karl Marx with the Assistance of Friedrich Engels, is Published in London by the Communist League
Karl Marx, completes “The Communist Manifesto.” He not only advocates economic and political changes; he advocates moral and spiritual changes as well. He believes the family should be abolished, and that all children should be raised by a central authority. He expresses his attitude toward God by saying: “We must war against all prevailing ideas of religion, of the state, of country, of patriotism. The idea ...
Slavery Abolition Act: Slavery Abolished in the British Empire
On 3 August 1835, somewhere in the City of London, two of Europe’s most famous bankers came to an agreement with the chancellor of the exchequer. Two years earlier, the British government had passed the Slavery Abolition Act, which outlawed slavery in most parts of the empire. Now it was taking out one of the largest loans in history, to finance the slave compensation package required ...
The Importation of Slaves into the United States was Prohibited
WE Americans live in a society awash in historical celebrations. The last few years have witnessed commemorations of the bicentennial of the Louisiana Purchase (2003) and the 60th anniversary of the end of World War II (2005). Looming on the horizon are the bicentennial of Abraham Lincoln’s birth (2009) and the sesquicentennial of the outbreak of the Civil War (2011). But one significant milestone went strangely ...
John Adams Issues a Proclamation for a National Day of Humiliation, Fasting, and Prayer for the Protection & Blessings of the Almighty God for the new Nation
A national day of humiliation, fasting, and prayer was issued by President John Adams declaring May 9, 1798 the day of fasting for the nation. The proclamation reads below: AS the safety and prosperity of nations ultimately and essentially depend on the protection and blessing of Almighty God; and the national acknowledgment of this truth is not only an indispensable duty which the people owe to ...
