Tag Archives: Nullification

Wise Idea: “Fight in the Union”

South Carolina has voted for secession, but not all Southerners are certain to follow the Palmetto State’s lead. Henry A. Wise was Virginia’s governor from 1856 to 1860. Here the ex-governor explains his idea of fighting Black Republicanism within the … Continue reading

Posted in 150 Years Ago This Week, Secession and the Interregnum | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

War in the Fourth Estate

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

Posted in 150 Years Ago This Week, Secession and the Interregnum | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

If It Looks Like Nullification, …

… 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

Posted in 150 Years Ago This Week, Secession and the Interregnum, The election of 1860 | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

Henry Clay on Secession

Henry Clay was called the “Great Compromiser” because of his work in the U.S. Congress during the North-South crises, especially in 1820 and 1850. The correspondent in this article says that Clay, who died in 1852, would not have compromised … Continue reading

Posted in 150 Years Ago This Week, Secession and the Interregnum, The election of 1860, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Fire-Eater Plays Lexington

William Lowndes Yancey was a well-known Fire-Eater. Fire-Eaters were a group of Southerners who strongly supported states rights, slavery and the resumption of the slave trade, and eventually secession. On October 23, 1860 (about two weeks before the presidential election) … Continue reading

Posted in 150 Years Ago This Week, The election of 1860 | Tagged , , | 2 Comments