The Republic
March 1857
Letters to the editor
To whom it may concern:
John Brown is a n*****-loving traitor to his own kind. That abolitionists lift this murdering monster up as some kind of hero sickens me and shows what happens when religious fanatics gain too much political power. I can't believe you wasted good paper printing propoganda for this obvious Republican tool. I refuse to waste another 15 cents on this rag. Personally, I do hope John Brown tries to stir up trouble here in South Carolina. My fellow citizens and I would love nothing better than to stretch this fanatic's neck a bit.
C.D., Charleston, SC
To whom it may concern:
God bless John Brown. He is the warrior the Lord has raised up to end the evil stain on this land that is slavery. He is our David facing down the Southern Philistines. May God strike down the pro-slavery Southern Democrats so they wither on the vine and pass away.
A.C., Boston, MA
To whom it may concern:
I sincerely pray that President Buchanan's skills of diplomacy shall be able to heal the growing sectional rift in this country between the North and South. America has become a nation with a divided political system: the Republicans, exclusively Northern and antislavery, and the Democrats, Southerners who defend slavery and states' rights and Northerners who stress national unity and usually follow the Southern lead on slavery-related issues. I am thankful Buchanan and the Democrats won the presidency for if the Republican candidate, Charles Fremont, had won I fear the Southern states might have seceeded from the Union as they threatened to do. Hopefully Buchanan can find a compromise on the slavery issue that will be acceptable to both sides and help diffuse this and other tensions that threaten to ignite into open warfare.
TJ, Richmond, VA
U.S. News & Politics
Buchanan takes office
Can the former diplomat unify the nation?
At his inauguration, James Buchanan wasted little time clarifying his stand on the all-important slavery issue. Speaking to a crowd enjoying 1,200 gallons of ice cream furnished for the occasion, he declared slavery a matter for individual states and territories to decide. The new President said, "It is the imperative and indispensable duty of the government of the United States to secure to every resident inhabitant the free and independent expression of his opinion by his vote. This sacred right of each individual must be preserved. That being accomplished, nothing can be fairer than to leave the people of a territory free from all foreign interference to decide their own destiny for themselves, subject only to the Constitution of the United States."
The Inauguration followed one of the most contentious campaigns in U.S. history. Buchanan chose the traditional approach to presidential campaigning: He made almost no appearances and said nothing to the press, leaving the fight to his followers, known as "Buchaneers." While Republican candidate Charles Frémont did little active campaigning himself, an aspiring Republican from Illinois named Abraham Lincoln made dozens of speeches on Frémont's behalf.
Political dirty tricks were the norm. Democrats marked badges "Black Republican" depicting a runaway slave and made frequent jabs at Frémont's out-of-wedlock birth. Republicans countered with remarks about Buchanan's age and bachelorhood as well as the nickname "Ten-Cent Jimmy" after he unwisely said in public that he considered ten cents a day a fair wage for manual laborers.
But serious matters dominated: Buchanan asserted that individual states and territories should decide on their own the future of slavery within their borders. Frémont supporters countered that it was the duty of the federal government to prohibit it in all the territories of the United States. With such a national dialogue during the campaign, Buchanan counted on Southern votes while retaining some strength in the North -- especially in the lower northern tier. The Know-Nothing Party, a secretive, nativist third party that attracted Americans opposed to immigration and Catholicism, charged Frémont with being a Catholic, damaging his support. The upstart Know-Nothings ran surprisingly well and cut into Frémont's base. Finally, many voters were troubled by the charges of "Republican Radicalism" that Democrats successfully pinned on the new party.
With 174 Electoral Votes, Buchanan seemed to have won comfortably last November. However, it was a victory that was far from easy. He carried only four of fourteen Northern states and won his critical home state of Pennsylvania narrowly. Suspicions have been widespread that the winning margin was oiled with illegal payoffs. In addition, because it was a three-way race, he won with less than half the popular vote. His base of support was regional -- he won all of the Southern and border slave states with the exception of Maryland, which went to Know-Nothing candidate Fillmore. Only 1,200 voters in these states cast ballots for the Republican Frémont.
Despite this, there is hope that Buchanan is the perfect man for the presidency at this time. Buchanan is a smooth, pleasant career politician. Although he is a Northerner, Buchanan maintains friendships and ideological ties to the South.
Buchanan is the son of Irish immigrants who made a successful life for themselves as merchants in rural Pennsylvania. Buchanan graduated with honors from Dickinson College, where he studied law. His legal and political careers moved forward together. He became a successful attorney, and advanced from state legislator to national figure, including membership in both houses of Congress, ambassadorships, and a cabinet post. The ambitious Buchanan tried for the White House in 1844, 1848, and 1852 before finally achieving the goal last November.
Buchanan becomes the first bachelor to ever hold the Presidency. At one time, Buchanan had a romance with a woman named Ann Caroline Coleman. Ann's father was wealthy from the Pennsylvania iron trade and the young woman's family opposed the match with Buchanan. Some claimed that he was only interested in her money, but Buchanan himself was worth over $250,000 at the time. Local gossips then claimed that Buchanan was seeing another woman, and a distraught Ann Coleman broke off their engagement. A few days later she died. The Coleman family turned its grief and guilt on the young lawyer and forbade him to attend the funeral. The experience severely shook Buchanan; he vowed he would not marry another, and he has been true to his word, remaining single.
Supreme Court decides
High Court gives decision in Dred Scott case
Two days after the inauguration of President Buchanan, the United States Supreme Court has rendered its decision in the case of a slave named Dred Scott. Scott's owner, an army surgeon, had taken him to live in Illinois and Wisconsin Territory. Scott claimed that his residence in a free state and territory made him a free man. The Court has decided otherwise. It claims that the Constitution does not recognize slaves as citizens of the United States, and thus, they have "no rights which any white man was bound to respect," including the right to sue for their freedom in a federal court. A slave, the Court asserts, is property and nothing more, with no more rights than a horse or a chair. Ownership of such property was therefore protected and guaranteed by the Constitution. Since Scott had been a slave in Missouri, his living in Illinois and Wisconsin Territory could not affect his status as a slave.
The Court also stated its opinion that the Missouri Compromise is unconstitutional and that slavery can't be banned in the new territories nor in new states. Reaction has been swift and loud. Abolitionists, who have come to view the fight against slavery as a holy war, are enraged and vow to disobey the Scott decision. They claim that their cause is God's and therefore above man's laws. Most Southerners view the ruling as a vindication of their interpretation of the Constitution.
Some Republicans have insinuated that the decision on this case was influenced by Buchanan himself, who urged a Northern justice to join the Southern members of the Court. Some have even said that Buchanan was tipped off that the Court was about to decide in favor of the South, so he in turn put a clause in his inaugural address declaring that the Supreme Court was about to decide and urging "all good citizens" to obey the ruling that was to come.
International News
Brits face increased tensions in India
Major fires, possibly the result of arson broke out near Calcutta on January 24. This is one of several problems that the British controlled East India Company is having with the indigenous population.
In other incidents:
On February 26, the 19th Bengal Native Infantry (BNI) regiment refused to use new bullet cartridges that had been issued by the British for the use with the the Pattern of 1853 Enfield Percussion cap rifled musket. A rumour spread that the cartridges were greased with lard (pork fat) or tallow (beef fat) - highly offensive to Hindu and Muslim soldiers alike, who are forbidden by their religions to eat beef or pork respectively. Their Colonel confronted them angrily with artillery and cavalry on the parade ground, but then accepted their demand to withdraw the artillery, and cancel the next morning's parade.
On March 29, at the Barrackpore parade ground, near Calcutta, Mangal Pandey of the 34th BNI attacked and injured the adjutant Lt.Baugh with a sword after shooting at him, but instead hitting his horse. General John Hearsey came out to see him on the parade ground, and claimed later that Mangal Pandey was in some kind of "religious frenzy". He ordered a Jemadar Ishwari Prasad to arrest Mangal Pandey, but the jemadar refused. The whole regiment with the single exception of a Muslim soldier called Shaikh Paltu drew back from restraining or arresting Mangal Pandey. Pandey, in turn after failing to incite his comrades into an open and active rebellion, tried to take his own life by placing his musket to his chest, and pulling the trigger with his toe. He only managed to wound himself. He is scheduled to be court-martialled on April 6.
A rumour is being spread about an old Hindu prophecy that stated the East India Company's rule would end after a hundred years. Their rule in India began with the Battle of Plassey in 1757. It is said that Chapaties and Lotus Flowers are circulating around large parts of India, passed around by people from town to town and village to village, as a symbol of the prophecy and a sign of a coming revolt.