Documents & Speeches: The Antebellum Period

The Founding Documents | Ordinances of Secession

The Antebellum Period

January 1 – December 31, 1860

January 1 – December 31, 1861

January 1 – June 30, 1862
July 1 – December 31, 1862

January 1 - June 30, 1863

July 1 - December 31, 1863

January 1 - June 30, 1864

July 1 - December 31, 1864

January 1 - December 31, 1865

Reconstruction & Post War

• Late August 1619, the White Lion, an English privateer sailing under a Dutch letter of marque, arrived at Point Comfort, in what is now Hampton, Virginia. Aboard the vessel were “twenty and odd” Africans, who had been seized from the Portuguese slave ship São João Bautista while en route from the Kingdom of Ndongo (in present-day Angola) to Veracruz, Mexico. These individuals were subsequently traded to English colonists at Jamestown in exchange for provisions, marking a pivotal moment in the establishment of African slavery in English North America.
• December 1641, the Massachusetts Bay Colony adopted the "Body of Liberties," the first legal code in New England. It was written mainly by Nathaniel Ward, a Puritan minister and former lawyer, and helped shape early American law by combining English legal traditions with Puritan beliefs. One important and troubling part, Clause 91, allowed slavery in certain cases—such as people captured in war, those sold to colonists, or individuals who sold themselves—making it the first law in British North America to permit slavery.
• The Massachusetts Body of Liberties, December 1641
• December 5, 1705, the Massachusetts Bay Colony passed a law titled “An Act for the Better Preventing of a Spurious and Mixt Issue,” which banned interracial relationships and marriages between white individuals and people of African or Native American descent. The statute declared such unions “absolutely null and void” and imposed penalties on ministers and others who conducted or assisted in them. It also criminalized sexual relations between white people and Black or Indigenous individuals, with punishments that included fines, whipping, or expulsion from the colony. Additionally, the act levied a £4 tax on each enslaved person brought into Massachusetts.
• An Act for the Better Preventing of a Spurious and Mixt Issue, December 5, 1705
• About 1723, Crispus Attucks was born in or near Framingham, Massachusetts. His father was probably an African man who had been enslaved. His mother is believed to have been a Native American, possibly of the Natick Indians or another local Indigenous community.
• September 9, 1739, the Stono Rebellion—also called Cato’s Rebellion—began near the Stono River, South Carolina. Led by an enslaved man named Jemmy (or Cato), about 20 enslaved Africans, later growing to 60–100, attempted to reach Spanish Florida, where freedom was promised to those who converted to Catholicism. They raided a store, armed themselves, killed the shopkeepers, and marched south, recruiting others and killing white colonists. By day’s end, colonial militia confronted them. In the clash, 25 whites and 30–50 enslaved people died. The revolt was crushed within days; many rebels were executed or sold to the West Indies.
• October 2, 1750, William Brown of Framingham advertised a reward for the return of an escaped enslaved man described as "a Molatto Fellow... named Crispas." Most historians believe this was Crispus Attucks, indicating he escaped slavery shortly before that date and was never recaptured. He subsequently worked as a sailor, dockworker, and occasional whaler, spending much of the next two decades aboard merchant and whaling vessels sailing from Boston and other New England ports.
• Last Will and Testament of Peter Jefferson, October 13, 1757
• Last Will and Testament of John Wayles, April 15, 1760
• Codicil of John Wayles, February 12, 1773
• July 11, 1761, Phillis Wheatley arrived in Boston aboard the slave ship Phillis, owned by Timothy Fitch and commanded by Captain Peter Gwinn. Estimated to be seven or eight years old, she was offered for sale upon the ship's arrival and was soon purchased by John Wheatley for his wife, Susanna. They named her Phillis after the ship that brought her across the Atlantic and gave her the surname Wheatley.
• December 21, 1767, Phillis Wheatley published her first poem, On Messrs. Hussey and Coffin, in the Newport Mercury.
• 1770, Crispus Attucks was living as a free man, though his place of residence is unknown.
• March 5, 1770, The Boston Massacre. Crispus Attucks was among the crowd confronting soldiers of the British 29th Regiment of Foot outside the Old State House. Because of these conflicting accounts, historians cannot determine precisely what Attucks was doing immediately before the shooting. When the soldiers fired, Attucks was struck by two musket balls—one entering his chest and another lodging in his liver. He died almost instantly.
• March 8, 1770, Crispus Attucks and the other victims of the Boston Massacre received a public funeral attended by thousands of Bostonians. They were buried together in a common grave in the Granary Burying Ground, one of the largest public funerals held in colonial America.
• October 11, 1770, Phillis Wheatley's poem An Elegiac Poem, on the Death of the Celebrated Divine, and Eminent Servant of Jesus Christ, the Reverend and Learned George Whitefield was first printed as a broadside in Boston by Ezekiel Russell.
• September 1, 1773, first book, Poems on Various Subjects, Religious and Moral, was first published on September 1, 1773, in London. The volume was printed by Archibald Bell for the publishers A. Bell and C. Etherington and contained 39 poems.
• Thomas Jefferson: Summary View of the Rights of British America [extract], 1774
• Spring 1774,  Phillis Wheatley was manumitted by the Wheatley family, likely shortly before or after the death of Susanna Wheatley on March 3, 1774. No surviving record establishes the exact date of her emancipation.
• Abigail Smith Adams to John Adams, September 22, 1774
• Non-Intercourse Resolution of the First Continental Congress, October 20, 1774
• The Darien [Georgia] Resolutions, January 18, 1775
• Constitution of the Commonwealth of Virginia, June 29, 1776
• April 1, 1778, Phillis Wheatley married John Peters in Boston, Massachusetts. Peters, a free African American grocer, lawyer, and aspiring businessman. He was well educated, could read and write, and was active in Boston's Black community. Contemporary accounts describe him as ambitious and outspoken, but he struggled financially, and his business ventures were often unsuccessful. They had three children, all of whom died in infancy or early childhood.
• Alexander Hamilton to John Jay, March 14, 1779
• Early September 1784, John Peters was imprisoned for debt in Boston Gaol, where he remained when Phillis Wheatley died on December 5, 1784. The exact dates of his commitment and release are unknown, and surviving records indicate he was confined on multiple occasions during the following several years. The date and place of his death was not recorded.
• December 5, 1784, Phillis Wheatley Peters died in Boston, Massachusetts at about age 31.
• George Washington to William Drayton, November 20, 1786
• Speech of George Mason, August 22, 1787
• John Jay to the English Anti-slavery Society, 1788
• June 15, 1789, Josiah Henson was born enslaved on a working farm owned by Dr. Josiah McPherson, near Port Tobacco, Maryland.
• Tobias Lear to George Washington, April 5, 1791
• George Washington to Tobias Lear, April 12, 1791
• October 13, 1792, the cornerstone of the White House was laid. Its design was created by James Hoban, an Irish-born architect, who modeled it in part on Leinster House in Dublin. The building was constructed largely by enslaved and free African Americans, as well as European immigrants.
• September 18, 1793, President George Washington laid the cornerstone of the United States Capitol. Its design was created by Dr. William Thornton, whose neoclassical plan was chosen in a design competition. The Capitol was built using labor from enslaved African Americans, along with European craftsmen and free laborers.
• March 14, 1794, Eli Whitney patented the cotton gin. The machine mechanized the process of separating cotton fibers from seeds, which had previously been done by hand and was extremely labor-intensive. The cotton gin made it vastly easier and faster to process short-staple cotton, leading to a massive expansion of cotton production and greatly increased the demand for enslaved labor, as plantation owners expanded cotton cultivation across the American South.
• George Washington’s Advertisement for the Return of Oney Judge, May 24, 1796
• George Washington’s Advertisement for the Return of Oney Judge, May 25, 1796
• Last Will and Testament of George Washington, July 9, 1799
• August 30, 1800, Gabriel’s Rebellion.
• Last Will and Testament of Martha Washington, March 4, 1802
• June 12, 1806, Thomas Lincoln and Nancy Hanks were married by Reverend Jesse Head, a Methodist minister near Beechland, Washington County, Kentucky. Nancy was likely staying with Richard Berry Jr., a relative who acted as her guardian at the time.
• February 10, 1807, Sarah Lincoln was born at Sinking Spring Farm near Hodgenville, Hardin County, Kentucky to Thomas Lincoln and Nancy Hanks.
• An Act to Prohibit the Importation of Slaves, March 2, 1807
• Between late 1807 and early 1808, the widow of Dr. Josiah McPherson arranged for Josiah Henson to be sold at a public auction to Isaac Riley, a nearby farmer of Montgomery County, Maryland, separating him from his mother and siblings. He later becomes enslaved by Isaac Riley of Montgomery County, Maryland.
• June 3, 1808, Jefferson Finis Davis was born in Fairview, Kentucky to Samuel Emory Davis and Jane Cook.
• February 12, 1809, Abraham Lincoln was born in a one room log cabin on Sinking Spring Farm near Hodgenville, Kentucky to Thomas Lincoln and Nancy Hanks.
• January 8, 1811, German Coast Uprising began.
• January 10, 1811, German Coast Uprising ended.
• Late 1811, Thomas Lincoln moved with his family to the Knob Creek Farm, near Hodgenville, Kentucky. It is about 10 miles northeast of Sinking Spring Farm.
• Between 1811 and early 1812, Thomas Lincoln, son of Thomas Lincoln and Nancy Hanks was born on the Knob Creek Farm, near Hodgenville, Kentucky. He died as a baby, likely within a few days or months of birth.
• June 4, 1812, the United States House of Representatives passed "An Act declaring war between the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and the dependencies thereof and the United States of America and their Territories."
• June 17, 1812, the United States Senate "An Act declaring war between the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and the dependencies thereof and the United States of America and their Territories."
• June 18, 1812, President James Madison signed into law "An Act declaring war between the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and the dependencies thereof and the United States of America and their Territories," thus officially beginning the War of 1812.
• Speech of Congressman Daniel Webster: The Encouragement of Enlistments, January 14, 1814
• March 6, 1814, Sarah Knox Taylor, first wife of Jefferson Davis, was born in Fort Knox II, Vincennes County, Indiana to Major Zachary Taylor and Margaret Smith.
• December 15, 1814, the Hartford Convention convened in Hartford, Connecticut, marking the start of a series of meetings organized by New England Federalists. These gatherings were held in response to the War of 1812 and growing discontent with the federal government’s policies. Delegates from five New England states—Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New Hampshire, and Vermont—attended the convention. They strongly opposed the war, which had severely damaged the region’s economy, as well as the Democratic-Republican Party’s dominance in national politics. They also protested the embargoes and trade restrictions, which had crippled New England's commercial interests.
• Treaty of Ghent, December 24, 1814
• January 5, 1815, the Hartford Convention concluded. In its final report, the delegates proposed a series of constitutional amendments designed to curb what they saw as federal overreach and protect New England's political influence. Their recommendations included requiring a two-thirds majority in Congress to admit new states, declare war, or enact embargoes; abolishing the Three-Fifths Compromise, which increased Southern representation in Congress; limiting the presidency to a single term; and barring successive presidents from the same state. Although some participants raised the idea of secession, the official resolutions ultimately rejected such drastic action.
• Late 1816, partly due to continued land title problems and growing concerns about slavery in Kentucky, Thomas Lincoln moved his family to Spencer County, Indiana.
• Robert G. Harper to Elias B. Caldwell, August 20, 1817
• Around 1818, Frederick Douglass was born into slavery in Tuckahoe, Talbot County, Maryland. His first owner—and possibly his biological father—was Aaron Anthony.
• October 5, 1818, Nancy Hanks Lincoln died of milk sickness—a disease caused by consuming milk from cows that had eaten the toxic white snakeroot plant—in Spencer County, Indiana. She was likely buried the next day in Pigeon Creek Burial Ground.
• December 2, 1819, Thomas Lincoln married Sarah Bush Johnston, a widow with three children, in Elizabethtown, Kentucky. Following their marriage, Thomas brought Sarah and her children to his home in Spencer County, Indiana, where she became stepmother to his own children, Abraham and Sarah Lincoln.
• Thomas Jefferson to John Adams, December 10, 1819
• Enabling Act For Missouri, March 6, 1820
• Constitution of Missouri, July 19, 1820
• Diary of John Quincy Adams, February 24, 1820
• Letter of Thomas Jefferson to John Holmes, "we have the wolf by the ears . . ." April 22, 1820
• James W. Barbour to John J. Crittenden, May 31, 1820
• James Madison to the Marquis de Lafayette, November 25, 1820 
• Resolution for the Admission of Missouri, March 2, 1821
• Negro Seamen Act of South Carolina, 1822
• June 1822, Denmark Vesey’s Conspiracy.
• Miss Fanny —— to Congressman Daniel Webster, May 29, 1823
• Isaac Shelby to John J. Crittenden, June 16, 1823
• John A. Quitman to Colonel Platt Brush, August 23, 1823
• Henry Clay to John J. Crittenden, September 13, 1823
• George M. Bibb to John J. Crittenden, March 17, 1824
• George M. Bibb to John J. Crittenden, March 8, 1824
• Jefferson Davis to John C. Calhoun, July 7, 1824
• Jefferson Davis to Susannah Gartley Davis, August 2, 1824
• 1825, Josiah Henson became the overseer of Isaac Riley’s plantation and began preaching to fellow enslaved people, but despite his responsibilities, he remained enslaved.
• 1828, Josiah Henson is sent by his master to Kentucky, where he begins considering escape more seriously after experiencing greater restrictions and betrayal over his promised freedom.
• Missing Person Notice for Cornelius Sinclair, an 11 Year Old Coloured Boy, August 13, 1825
• Henry Clay to John J. Crittenden, August 22, 1825
• John J. Crittenden to Henry Clay, September 22, 1825
• 1826, Aaron Anthony died, and Frederick Douglass was inherited by Anthony’s son-in-law, Thomas Auld, of St. Michaels, Maryland. Douglass later described Thomas Auld as a cruel and hypocritical man, especially following his religious conversion. Around the same time, Douglass was sent to live with Hugh Auld, Thomas’s brother, in Baltimore, Maryland. Hugh’s wife, Sophia Auld, began teaching Douglass the alphabet but was soon ordered to stop—an event that ignited his determination to learn to read and write.
• Henry Clay to John J. Crittenden, March 10, 1826
• Rev. Ralph Randolph Gurley to Leonard Bacon, March 13, 1826
• Last Will and Testament of Thomas Jefferson, March 16, 1826
• Codicil to the Last Will and Testament of Thomas Jefferson, March 17, 1826
• May 7, 1826, Varina Anne Banks Howell was born at Natchez, Mississippi, to William Burr Howell and Margaret Louisa Kempe.
• Henry Clay to John J. Crittenden, May 11, 1826
• August 2, 1826, Sarah Lincoln married Aaron Grigsby in Spencer County, Indiana. The Grigsby and Lincoln families were neighbors and belonged to the same local farming community.
• John J. Crittenden to Henry Clay, September 3, 1827
• January 20, 1828, Sarah Lincoln Grigsby died at the age of 20 during childbirth in Spencer County, Indiana. The infant did not survive. Both were buried at Little Pigeon Baptist Church Cemetery near Lincoln City in Spencer County, Indiana. Aaron Grigsby died shortly after the death of Sarah, likely within the same year.
• April 22, 1828, the Tariff of 1828 was passed by the United States House of Representatives.
• May 15, 1828, the Tariff of 1828 was passed by the United States Senate.
• May 19, 1828, the Tariff of 1828was signed into law by President John Quincy Adams. 
• September 1, 1828, the provisions of the Tariff of 1828—widely known as the "Tariff of Abominations"— went into effect. Intended to protect American industries, particularly in the North, it sharply raised duties on imported goods to shield domestic manufacturers from foreign competition. Though lacking a clear, unified policy, the tariff was a complex and politically charged measure with broad economic consequences. It sparked intense Southern opposition, especially in South Carolina, where many considered it unconstitutional. The controversy led directly to the Nullification Crisis of 1832–1833, during which South Carolina attempted to invalidate federal tariff laws—prompting a strong response from President Andrew Jackson. The tariff deepened sectional divisions and added to the growing tensions that would ultimately lead to the Civil War.
• Salmon Brown to Owen Brown Sr., February 28, 1829
• Salmon Brown to Owen Brown Sr., June 18, 1829
• John A. Quitman to John F. H. Claiborne, January 8, 1830
• Salmon Brown to Owen Brown Sr., August 22, 1830
• John A. Quitman to John F. H. Claiborne, October 18, 1830
• October 1830, Josiah Henson escaped slavery with his wife and four children, making a dangerous journey on foot from Kentucky to Upper Canada (Ontario) via the Underground Railroad, where he spent the next 10 to 20 years of his life a prominent leader in the Black Canadian community, helping to found the Dawn Settlement and the British-American Institute in Dresden, Ontario—a vocational school for Black refugees from the U.S.
• John F. H. Claiborne to John A. Quitman, October 20, 1830
• John A. Quitman to John F. H. Claiborne, October 25, 1830
• To The Public, William Lloyd Garrison, January 1, 1831
• Last Will and Testament of James Monroe, May 16, 1831
• Codicil to the Last Will and Testament of James Monroe, June 17, 1831
• John A. Quitman to John F. H. Claiborne, July 31, 1831
• John A. Quitman to John F. H. Claiborne, August 6, 1831
• August 21, 1831, Nat Turner’s Rebellion began.
• August 23, 1831, Nat Turner’s Rebellion ended.
• Single Negroes.—At Private Sale: January 2, 1832
• Abraham Lincoln's Address to the People of Sangamon County, March 9, 1832
• April 5, 1832, Black Hawk’s Crossing: Black Hawk led his “British Band” of approximately 2,000 people—including 400 to 500 warriors on horseback, along with women, children, and elderly men—across the Mississippi River into Illinois near the mouth of the Iowa River. He declared that his intent was to raise corn along the Rock River, a region historically inhabited by his people. Though framed as a peaceful return to ancestral lands, the crossing was perceived by American authorities as an invasion, setting the stage for the conflict known as the Black Hawk War.
• Abraham Lincoln and the Black Hawk War
• Abraham Lincoln's Receipt for Arms, April 28, 1832
• “Public Meeting” Handbill, before July 10, 1832
• John A. Quitman to the Citizens of Adams County, Mississippi, July 17, 1832
• Public Meeting, published July 20, 1832
• John A. Quitman: To the Electors of Adams County, a few days after July 20, 1832
• John A. Quitman to His Brother, July 23, 1832
• John A. Quitman to James K. Cook, August 28, 1832
• South Carolina Nullification Ordinance of 1832 - November 24, 1832
• Andrew Jackson’s Proclamation Regarding the Nullifying Laws of South Carolina, December 10, 1832
• 1833, Abraham Lincoln and his friend, William F. Berry opened “Berry and Lincoln,” a store and tavern in New Salem, Sangamon County, Illinois.
• 1833, Thomas Auld rented Frederick Douglass to Edward Covey, a notorious “slave breaker,” for one year near St. Michaels, Maryland. Covey’s brutal treatment led to a physical confrontation with Douglass that became a pivotal act of resistance in his life.
• January 6, 1833, Abraham Lincoln and William F. Berry, co-owners of the Berry & Lincoln General Store in New Salem, Illinois, received a retail liquor license from the Sangamon County commissioners. Their store offered a range of goods, including alcohol. The license allowed them to sell spirits in quantities of a half-pint or more for an annual fee of $7.00.
• Letter of Andrew Jackson to Martin Van Buren on the Nullification Crisis - January 13, 1833
• John A. Quitman to His Sister, May 21, 1833
• Felix Huston to John A. Quitman, June 16, 1833
• Abraham Lincoln to Eli C. Blankenship, August 10, 1833
• John Brown to Frederick Brown, October 26, 1833
• Diary of Gerrit Smith, July 8, 1834
• Diary of Gerrit Smith, July 12, 1834
• John Brown to Frederick Brown, November 21, 1834
• Last Will and Testament of James Madison, April 15, 1835
• Codicil to the Last Will and Testament of James Madison, April 15, 1835
• June 17, 1835, Jefferson Davis married Sarah Knox Taylor, daughter of General Zachary Taylor and Margaret Smith, at the home of her aunt, near Louisville, Kentucky.
• Diary of Gerrit Smith, August 29, 1835
• Angelina E. Grimké to William Lloyd Garrison, August 30, 1835
• Diary of Gerrit Smith, September 2, 1835
• September 15, 1835, Sarah Knox (nee Taylor) Davis died in St. Francisville, Louisiana, likely from malaria or yellow fever, just three months after her marriage to Jefferson Davis.
• George Thompson to the Editor of the Boston Daily Atlas, September 30, 1835
• John A. Quitman to his brother, October 17, 1835
• Diary of Gerrit Smith, October 25, 1835
• Gerrit Smith to Rev. Ralph Randoln Gurley, November 24, 1835
• Major General Sam Houston to General John A. Quitman, February 12, 1836
• John C. Calhoun: Speech On the Reception of Abolition Petitions, February 6, 1837
• Cadet William T. Sherman to John Sherman, December 6, 1837
• Speech of William Ellery Channing, December 8, 1837
• Wendell Phillips' Freedom Speech, December 8, 1837
• Gerrit Smith to Samuel Simon Schmucker, 1838
• September 3, 1838, Frederick Douglass escaped from slavery in Baltimore, disguised as a sailor and carrying borrowed papers from a free Black seaman.
• September 4, 1838, Frederick Douglass arrived in New York City. His journey to freedom took less than 24 hours, involving travel by train, steamboat, and ferry. Upon arrival, abolitionist and Underground Railroad operative David Ruggles provided shelter for Douglass in his boarding house. Ruggles, helped him continue on to New Bedford, Massachusetts, where he settled and began his public life as an abolitionist.
• Cadet William T. Sherman to John Sherman, September 15, 1838
• Cadet William T. Sherman to John Sherman, October 15, 1838
• Nathaniel Peabody Rogers: Reverend Ralph Randolph Gurley, December 8, 1838
• Cadet William T. Sherman to John Sherman, January 9, 1839
• John Brown to Mary Ann Day Brown, January 23, 1839
• Jefferson Davis to George W. Jones, February 9, 1839
• Cadet William T. Sherman to John Sherman, April 13, 1839
• July 1, 1839, Amistad Rebellion.
• Cadet William T. Sherman to John Sherman, August 31, 1839
• Cadet William T. Sherman to John Sherman, January 14, 1840
• Thomas W. Gilmer to Congressman Robert M. T. Hunter, March 11, 1840
• Levi Burnell to Owen Brown Sr, April 3, 1840
• John Brown to his Family, April 27, 1840
• June 20, 1840, Samuel F. B. Morse was granted his first U.S. patent for the telegraph and Morse Code.
• Jefferson Davis to William Allen, July 24, 1840
• Records of John Brown at Oberlin College, April 1 - August 28, 1840
• 2nd Lieut. William T. Sherman to John Sherman, January 16, [1841]
• John Brown to John Brown Jr., January 18, 1841
• 2nd Lieut. William T. Sherman to John Sherman, March 30, 1841
• 2nd Lieut. William T. Sherman to John Sherman, July 14, 1841
• 2nd Lieut. William T. Sherman to John Sherman, October 11, 1841
• November 7, 1841, Creole Rebellion.
• 1st Lieut. William T. Sherman to John Sherman, February 15, 1842
• October 1842, George Latimer, a 26-year-old enslaved man escaped from slavery in Norfolk, Virginia with his pregnant wife, Rebecca, and traveled north to Boston, seeking freedom.
• John Brown to the New England Woolen Company, October 17, 1842
• John Brown to George Kellogg, Esq., October 17, 1842
• October 20, 1842, George Latimer was recognized in Boston by someone who knew his owner, James B. Gray, a slaveholder and merchant from Norfolk. Gray had come to Boston to reclaim Latimer under the Fugitive Slave Clause of the U.S. Constitution. Boston authorities arrested Latimer under the authority of the 1793 Fugitive Slave Act, which allowed slaveholders to capture escaped enslaved people even in free states.
• November 17, 1842, George Latimer was freed. Under public pressure and fearing violence or unrest, James B. Gray agreed to sell George Latimer’s freedom. Abolitionists raised $400 to purchase Latimer's emancipation.
• 1st Lieut. William T. Sherman to John Sherman, May 23, 1843
• John Brown to Jon Brown Jr., July 24, 1843
• Robert Tooms to Congressman Howell Cobb, January 1, 1844
• Speech of Jefferson Davis, January 3, 1844
• John Brown to John Brown Jr., January 11, 1844
• 1st Lieut. William T. Sherman to John Sherman, January 19, 1844
• John W. H. Underwood to Congressman Howell Cobb, February 2, 1844
• Thomas Ritchie to Congressman Howell Cobb, February 8, 1844
• John Brown to Mary Ann Day Brown, March 7, 1844
• Jefferson Davis to Sen. William Allen, March 25, 184
• Jefferson Davis to Martin Van Buren, March 25, 1844
• Jefferson Davis to Martin Van Buren, March 25, 1844
• Henry Clay to the Editors of the National Intelligencer, April 17, 1844
• Thomas Ritchie to Congressman Howell Cobb, May 6, 1844
• Congressman Alexander H. Stephens to James Thomas, May 17, 1844
• Thomas Ritchie to Congressman Howell Cobb, May 23, 1844
• John Brown to John Brown Jr., June 22, 1844
• Alexander H. Stephens to James Thomas, July 16, 1844
• 1st Lieut. William T. Sherman to John Sherman, October 24, 1844
• Jefferson Davis to John A. Quitman, December 11, 1844
• Wood Hinton to Congressman Howell Cobb, January 7, 1845
• Robert Toombs to Congressman Alexander Stephens, January 24, 1845
• J. W. Burney to Howell Cobb, January 31, 1845
• Alexander H. Stevens to James Thomas, February 11, 1845
• Junius Hillyer to Howell Cobb, February 15, 1845
• Robert Toombs to Alexander H. Stephens, February 16, 1845
• February 26, 1845, Jefferson Davis married Varina Anne Banks Howell at the home of her parents, The Briars, in Natchez, Mississippi.
• George D. Phillips to Howell Cobb, February 25, 1845
• Alexander H. Stephens to Howell Cobb, February 27, 1845
• Joint Resolution of the Congress of the United States for the Annexation of Texas, March 1, 1845
• James Fenwick Brent to John A. Quitman, March 19, 1845
• John A. Quitman to James Fenwick Brent, March 22, 1845
• 1st Lieut. William T. Sherman to John Sherman, April 4, 1845
• Washington’s Runaway Slave, published May 22, 1845
• John Brown to John Brown Jr., May 23, 1845
• John Brown to his Son, May 30, 1845
• Joshua R. Giddings to Oran Follett, June 2, 1845
• Joint Resolution of the Congress of the Republic of Texas, June 23, 1845
• “Cato” to John Jenkins, published June 30, 1845
• Jefferson Davis to John Jenkins, July 5, 1845
• Jefferson Davis, published July 11, 1845
• Annexation by John L. O'Sullivan, the 1st use of "Manifest Destiny," July/August, 1845
• 1st Lieut. William T. Sherman to John Sherman, August 29, 1845
• Congressman Jefferson Davis to George Bancroft, December 12, 1845
• William B. Woffard to Howell Cobb, December 14, 1845
• Speech of Congressman Jefferson Davis, December 19, 1845
• George D. Phillips to Howell Cobb, December 30, 1845
• 1st Lieut. William T. Sherman to John Sherman, January 4, 1846
• Gov. Albert G. Brown to Congressman Jefferson Davis, January 11, 1846
• John Brown to John Brown Jr., January 27, 1846
• Congressman Jefferson Davis to John Jenkins, January 30, 1846
• Samuel Gridley Howe to Dr. Henry Ingersoll Bowditch, February 3, 1846
• Congressman Alexander H. Stephens to Gov. George W. Crawford, February 3, 1846
• Speech of Congressman Jefferson Davis, February 6, 1846
• Junius Hillyer to Howell Cobb, February 15, 1846
• Congressman Robert Toombs to Gov. George G. Crawford, February 16, 1846
• Salmon P. Chase to William H. Collins, February 18, 1846
• George D. Phillips to Howell Cobb, February 21, 1846
• Gov. Albert G. Brown to Congressman Jefferson Davis, March 3, 1846
• Congressman Jefferson Davis on the Bill to Raise a Regiment of Mounted Riflemen, March 8, 1846
• John Brown to John Brown Jr., March 24, 1846
• Congressman Jefferson Davis on the Bill to Raise Two Regiments of Riflemen, March 27, 1846
• 1st Lieut. William T. Sherman to John Sherman, April 1846
• Howell Cobb to Mary Ann Lamar Cobb, April 3, 1846
• Congressman Jefferson Davis’ Speech on the Oregon Question, April 17, 1846
• Congressman Jefferson Davis’ Substitute Bill on the Oregon Question, April 22, 1846
• John P. King to Howell Cobb, May 7, 1846
• Howell Cobb to Mary Ann Lamar Cobb, May 10, 1846
• Congressman Jefferson Davis on the War with Mexico, May 12, 1846
• Thomas R. R. Cobb to Howell Cobb, May 12, 1846
• May 13, 1846, the both the Senate and House of Representatives passed "An Act providing for the Prosecution of the Existing War between the United States and the Republic of Mexico," and President James K. Polk signed it into law.
• Albon Chase to Howell Cobb, May 20 , 1846
• William Hope Hull to Howell Cobb, May 22, 1846
• Jefferson Davis’ Remarks on the Resolution of Thanks to Gen. Zachary Taylor, May 28, 1846
• Jefferson Davis’ Remarks on the Bill Making Alterations in the Pay Dept. of the Army, May 30, 1846
• Howell Cobb to Mary Ann Lamar Cobb, June 4, 1846
• John Brown to Ruth and John Brown Jr., June 6, 1846
• John B. Lamar to Howell Cobb, June 8, 1846
• Jefferson Davis to the People of Mississippi, July 13, 1846
• Howell Cobb to Mary Ann Cobb Lamar Howell, June 14, 1846
• John B. Lamar to Howell Cobb, June 24, 1846
• Charles J. McDonald to Howell Cobb, July 7, 1846
• James F. Cooper to Howell Cobb, July 8, 1846
• The Wilmot Proviso, August 8, 1846
• Rev. Samuel H. Cox to the New York Evangelist, August 8, 1846
• Col. Jefferson Davis to Robert J. Walker, August 24, 1846
• Gov. Albert G. Brown to Col. Jefferson Davis, August 29, 1846
• Samuel Gridley Howe to Charles Sumner, September 1846
• September 10, 1846, Elias Howe patented his design for the first practical and successful lock stitch sewing machine.
• Statement of Capt. Douglas Hancock Regarding the Battle of Monterrey, September 21, 1846.
• Statement of Lieut. Carnot Posey Regarding the Assault on Monterrey’s Southeastern Fort, September 21, 1846.
• Speech of Samuel Gridley Howe, September 24, 1846
• Col. Jefferson Davis to Brig. Gen. John A. Quitman, September 26, 1846
• Col. Jefferson Davis to Brig. Gen. John A. Quitman, Undated
• Major Alexander B. Bradford* to Colonel Jefferson Davis, September 26, 1846
• Samuel Gridley Howe to the Committee of Vigilance, September 26, 1846
• John Brown to Mary Ann Day Brown, September 28, 1846
• Col. Jefferson Davis’ Memoranda of the Transactions in Connexion with the Capitulation of Monterey, Capital of Nueva Leon, Mexico, October 7, 1846
• Gerrit Smith to Stephen C. Phillips, October 13, 1846
• William H. Seward to Frances Miller Seward, October 18, 1846
• Salmon P. Chase to Joshua R. Giddings, October 20, 1846
• John Brown to Owen Brown Sr., October 29, 1846
• Frederick Douglass to Rev. Samuel H. Cox, October 30, 1846
• Samuel Gridley Howe to Charles Sumner, November 1846
• Honor To Our Volunteers, November 6, 1846
• Samuel Gridley Howe to Charles Sumner, November 3, 1846
• Samuel Gridley Howe to Charles Sumner, November 7, 1846
• Samuel Gridley Howe to Charles Sumner, November 9, 1846
• 1st Lieut. William T. Sherman to Mary Elizabeth Sherman Reese, November 10, 1846
• John H. Lumpkin to Howell Cobb, November 13, 1846
• Jefferson Davis to John Jenkins, November 16, 1846
• Amos Tuck to Rev. James C. Boswell and Samuel A. Haley, November 20, 1846
• Gerrit Smith to Edumund Quincy, November 23, 1846
• Samuel P. Chase to Charles Sumner, November 26, 1846
• John Brown to Owen Brown Sr,, December 10, 1846
• Thomas W. Higginson, 1847
• A Slave of George Washington! published January 1, 1847
• John Brown to Ruth Brown, January 5, 1847
• Jefferson Davis to the Editor of the Washington Union, January 6, 1847
• No Union With Slaveholders! published February 12, 1847
• Samuel Gridley Howe to Charles Sumner, March 1847
• John Brown to John Brown Jr., March 12, 1847
• Sen. John C. Calhoun to Duff Green, March 28, 1847
• John Brown to Owen Brown Sr., April 2, 1847
• Samuel Gridley Howe to Charles Sumner, April 8, 1847
• Sen. John C. Calhoun to M. A. Allan Brown, April 9, 1847
• Sen. John C. Calhoun to Thomas G. Clemson, April 11, 1847
• John Brown to John Brown Jr., April 12, 1847
• Sen. John C. Calhoun to Duff Green, April 17, 1847
• Gov. Albert G. Brown to William L. Marcy, April 20, 1847
• Samuel P. Chase to Charles Sumner, April 24, 1847
• Edward J. Harden to Howell Cobb, May 3, 1847
• Lieut. Col. George Talcott to William L. Marcy, May 5, 1847
• Sen. John C. Calhoun to Thomas G. Clemson, May 6, 1847
• Col. Jefferson Davis to C. S. Tarpley and others, May 7, 1847
• William L. Marcy to Gov. Albert G. Brown, May 11, 1847
• Gov. Albert G. Brown to Col. Jefferson Davis, May 17, 1847
• James K. Polk to Brig. Gen. Jefferson Davis, May 19, 1847
• Wilson Hemingway to Col. Jefferson Davis, May 21, 1847
• Committee of Invitation to the 1st Mississippi Rifles, May 31, 1847
• Sen. John C. Calhoun to Anna Calhoun Clemson, June 10, 1847
• Sen. John C. Calhoun to Duff Green, June 10, 1847
• Brig. Gen. Jefferson Davis to John M. Chilton and others, June 11, 1847
• Brig. Gen. Jefferson Davis to the Committee of Invitation, June 11, 1847
• Sen. John C. Calhoun to Thomas G. Clemson, June 15, 1847
• Reception in honor of the First Regiment Mississippi Volunteers, War with Mexico at Natchez, Mississippi, June 15, 1847
• Colonel Bingaman’s Address, June 15, 1847
• Salmon P. Chase to Joshua Leavitt, June 16, 1847
• Jefferson Davis to James K. Polk, June 20, 1847
• Thomas R. R. Cobb to Howell Cobb, June23, 1847
• Salmon P. Chase to John Thomas, June 24, 1847
• Jefferson Davis to Joseph B. Cobb and others, June 29, 1847
• Jefferson Davis to William L. Marcy, June 29, 1847
• Julia Ward How to Louisa Ward Crawford, July 1, 1847
• Sen. John C. Calhoun to Thomas G. Clemson, July 8, 1847
• John Brown to John Brown Jr., July 9, 1847
• Salmon P. Chase to Preston King, July 15, 1847
• Col. Jefferson Davis to Stephen Cocke, July 15, 1847
• William L. Marcy to Col. Jefferson Davis, July 16, 1847
• A. McWillie and others to Jefferson Davis, July 16, 1847
• Sen. John C. Calhoun to Thomas G. Clemson, July 24, 1847
• Julia Ward How to Louisa Ward Crawford, August 1847
• Col. Jefferson Davis to John Jenkins, August 4, 1847
• August 10, 1847, Jefferson Davis was appointed to the United States Senate by Mississippi Governor, Albert G. Brown, fill the vacancy caused by the death of Senator Jessie Speight.
• Gov. Albert G. Brown to Col. Jefferson Davis, August 10, 1847
• Sen. John C. Calhoun to Anna Calhoun Clemson, August 13, 1847
• Col. Jefferson Davis to Gov. Albert G. Brown, August 15, 1847
• Jefferson Davis to A. McWillie and others, August 19, 1847
• Isaac E. Holmes to Howell Cobb, August 21, 1847
• John Brown to Ruth Brown, September 1, 1847
• Sen. John C. Calhoun to Thomas G. Clemson, September 6, 1847
• Col. Jefferson Davis to Charles J. Searles, September 19, 1847
• Col. Jefferson Davis to Gov. Albert G. Brown, September 20, 1847
• Jefferson Davis to John Jenkins, September 21, 1847
• Salmon P. Chase to Charles Sumner, September 22, 1847
• Jefferson Davis to Caleb Goldsmith Forshey, September 24, 1847
• Sen. Jefferson Davis to Gov. Albert G. Brown, October 3, 1847
• Sen. John C. Calhoun to Thomas G. Clemson, October 24, 1847
• Sen. John C. Calhoun to Waddy Thompson Jr., October 29, 1847
• John Brown to Owen Brown Sr., November 1, 1847
• Maj. Gen. Zachary Taylor to Sen. Henry Clay, November 4, 1847
• Sen. John C. Calhoun to Duff Green, November 9, 1847
• Sen. John C. Calhoun to Duff Green, November 13, 1847
• Sen. Henry Clay to Susan Jacob Clay, November 13, 1847
• Robert Toombs to James Thomas, November 19, 1847
• William C. Preston to Sen. Henry Clay, November 28, 1847
• Luther J. Glenn to Howell Cobb, December 1, 1847
• Salmon P. Chase to Charles Sumner, December 2, 1847
• John Brown to Owen Brown Sr., December 2, 1847
• Hopkins Holsey to Howell Cobb, December 3, 1847
• December 6, 1847, Jefferson Davis took his seat in the United States Senate at the opening of the 30th Congress.
• Sen. John C. Calhoun to Thomas G. Clemson, December 10, 1847
• Sen. John C. Calhoun to Andrew Pickens Calhoun, December 11, 1847
• The "Spot" Resolutions, Abraham Lincoln, December 22, 1847
• Lewis Cass to A. P. O. Nicholson, "The Nicholson Letter," December 24, 1847
• Sen. John C. Calhoun to Anna Calhoun Clemson, December 26, 1847
• Maj. Gen. Zachary Taylor to Sen. Henry Clay, December 28, 1847
• Hopkins Holsey to Howell Cobb, December 31, 1847
• Samuel Gridley Howe to Horace Mann, 1848
• Speech of Sen. John C. Calhoun on His Resolutions in Reference on the War with Mexico Delivered in the United States Senate, January 4, 1848
• January 11, 1848, the Legislature of Mississippi officially elected Jefferson Davis to the United States Senate to fill the vacancy caused by the death of Senator Jessie Speight and complete his term.
• Sen. Henry Clay to James Clay, January 16, 1848
• John Brown to Owen Brown Sr., January 16, 1848
• Salmon P. Chase to Charles Sumner, January 16, 1848
• Congressman Amos Tuck’s Speech on the Reference of the President James K. Polk’s Message, January 19, 1848
• Joseph Henry Lumpkin to Howell Cobb, January 21, 1848
• January 24, 1848, James Wilson Marshall reported finding gold while constructing a mill for Johann “John” Sutter in what is today known as Coloma, California. Starting the California Gold Rush.
• Sen. Henry Clay to James Clay, February 1, 1848
• Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, February 2, 1848
• Sen. John C. Calhoun to Thomas G. Clemson, February 4, 1848
• Lother J. Glenn to Howell Cobb, February 12, 1848
• Sen. Henry Clay to Henry T. Duncan, February 15, 1848
• Lucius Q. C . Lamar to Congressman Howell Cobb, February 15, 1848
• Sen. Henry Clay to Leslie Combs, February 18, 1848
• Salmon P. Chase to Charles Sumner, February 19, 1848
• Sen. John C. Calhoun to Anna Calhoun Clemson, February 20, 1848
• Sen. Henry Clay to James Clay, February 21, 1848
• Sen. John C. Calhoun to Andrew Pickens Calhoun, February 23, 1848
• Henry L. Benning to Howell Cobb, February 23, 1848
• John McLean to Sen. Henry Clay, March 1, 1848
• Sen. John C. Calhoun to Anna Calhoun Clemson, March 7, 1848
• Sen. John C. Calhoun to Thomas G. Clemson, March 7, 1848
• Horace Mann: Letter Accepting the Nomination for the ThirtiethCongress, Made by the Whig Convention of the 8th District of Massachusetts, March 21, 1848
• Sen. John C. Calhoun to Thomas G. Clemson, March 22, 1848
• Salmon P. Chase to Charles Sumner, March 25, 1848
• Sen. John C. Calhoun to Thomas G. Clemson, April 1, 1848
• Samuel Gridley Howe to Horace Mann, April 2, 1848
• Sen. John C. Calhoun to Thomas G. Clemson, April 13, 1848
• April 15, 1848, 77 enslaved African Americans attempted the largest recorded escape from slavery in U.S. history. fleeing Washington, D.C., aboard the schooner Pearl. Organized by white abolitionists Daniel Drayton and Edward Sayres, the plan was to sail down the Potomac River and up the Chesapeake Bay to freedom in the North.
• Sen. John C. Calhoun to James Edward Calhoun, April 15, 1848
• Sen. Henry Clay to Samuel Haight, April 15, 1848
• Robert Toombs to James Thomas, April 16, 1848
• Sen. John C. Calhoun to Andrew Pickens Calhoun, April 16, 1848
• On April 17, 1848, the Pearl, delayed by bad weather, was captured near the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay. The 77 escapees were returned to Washington, D.C., where many were sold into the Deep South. The incident sparked pro-slavery riots and heightened sectional tensions over slavery in the nation's capital.
• Samuel Gridley Howe to Horace Mann, April 28, 1848
• Sen. John C. Calhoun to Anna Calhoun Clemson, April 28, 1848
• General Zachary Taylor to Sen. Henry Clay, April 30, 1848
• Sen. John C. Calhoun to Thomas G. Clemson, May 13, 1848
• Sen. John C. Calhoun to James Edward Calhoun, May 22, 1848
• Henry Clay to Henry White, May 23, 1848
• Charles F. Adams to Henry Clay, May 24, 1848
• Sen. John C. Calhoun to Thomas G. Clemson, May 26, 1848
• Thomas W. Thomas to Howell Cobb, May 27, 1848
• Thomas R. R. Cobb to Howell Cobb, May 31, 1848
• Salmon P. Chase to Samuel E. Sewall, May 27, 1848
• Salmon P. Chase to Charles Sumner, June 5, 1848
• Thomas W. Thomas to Howell Cobb, June 5, 1848
• David Graham to Henry Clay, June 9, 1848
• Willis Hall to Henry Clay, June 1848
• Salmon P. Chase to Sen. John P. Hale, June 15, 1848
• James C. Dobbin to Howell Cobb, June 15, 1848
• Salmon P. Chase to Charles Sumner, June 20, 1848
• William Coffee Daniell to Howell Cobb, June 20, 1848
• Henry R. Jackson to Howell Cobb, June 21, 1848
• Henry Clay to James Harlan of Kentucky, June 22, 1848
• Sen. John C. Calhoun to Anna Calhoun Clemson, June 23, 1848
• Sen. John C. Calhoun’s Speech on the Oregon Bill, June 27, 1848
• Thomas Smith to Howell Cobb, June 27, 1848
• Henry Clay to a Committee of Louisville Kentucky, June 28, 1848
• William C. Daniell to Howell Cobb, July 1, 1848
• July 4, 1848, the corner stone of the Washington Monument was laid during a grand ceremony attended by President James K. Polk, members of Congress, and a large crowd.
• Sen. Henry Clay to George William Curtis, July 4, 1848
• Thomas W. Thomas to Howell Cobb, July 7, 1848
• Sen. John C. Calhoun to James Edward Calhoun, July 9, 1848
• James Jackson to Howell Cobb, July 9, 1848
• Salmon P. Chase to Seabury Ford, July 11, 1848
• Salmon P. Chase to Eli Nicols, July 11, 1848
• Salmon P. Chase to Charles Sumner, July 11, 1848
• John B. Lamar to Howell Cobb, July 12, 1848
• Sen. Henry Clay to Susan Allibone, July 19, 1848
• Maj. Gen. Winfield Scott to Sen. Henry Clay, July 19, 1848
• Sen. John C. Calhoun to Thomas G. Clemson, July 23, 1848
• Sen. John C. Calhoun to Thomas Clemson, July 23, 1848
• Sen. Henry Clay to James Harlan, August 5, 1848
• Samuel Gridley Howe to Horace Mann, August 8, 1848
• Sen. John C. Calhoun to Thomas Clemson, August 11, 1848
• John H. Lumpkin to Howell Cobb, August 22, 1848
• Sen. Henry Clay to Nicholas Dean, August 24, 1848
• Alexander H. Stephens to the Editor of the Federal Union, August 30, 1848
• Speech of Daniel Webster at Marshfield, Massachusetts, September 1, 1848
• George Fries to Howell Cobb, September 4, 1848
• Ausburn Birdsall to Howell Cobb, September 8, 1848
• Sen. Henry Clay to Henry White, September 10, 1848
• Richard French to Howell Cobb, September 10, 1848
• Sen. Henry Clay to Daniel Ullman, September 16, 1848
• Sen. Henry Clay to James Lynch and Others, September 20, 1848
• George S. Houston to Howell Cobb, September 23, 1848
• Alexander H. Stephens to John J. Crittenden, September 26, 1848
• Congressman Robert Toombs to Gov. John J. Crittenden, September 27, 1848
• Alfred Iverson to Howell Cobb, October 17, 1848
• James F. Cooper to Howell Cobb, October 20, 1848
• George S. Houston to Howell, Cobb, October 23, 1848
• Thomas D. Harris to Howell, Cobb, October 29, 1848
• Howell Cobb to A Committee of Citizens in Charleston, S. C., November 4, 1848
• Robert Toombs to John J. Crittenden, November 9, 1848
• John Forsyth Jr. to Howell Cobb, November 10, 1848
• Gen. Zachary Taylor to Sen. Henry Clay, November 17, 1848
• Samuel Gridley Howe to Stephen Fairbanks, November 17, 1848
• December 1848, Ellen (an enslaved woman passing as a white man) and William Craft (an enslaved man, in the role of his wife’s servant) begin their escape northward from Macon, Georgia by traveling by train and steamboat.
• Joel Tanner Hart to Sen. Henry Clay, December 4, 1848
• December 25, 1848, Ellen and William Craft arrive in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
• 1849, Josiah Henson published his first memoir, The Life of Josiah Henson, Formerly a Slave, Now an Inhabitant of Canada, edited by Samuel A. Eliot, which brought him wider public recognition.
• Sen. Henry Clay to James B. Clay, January 2, 1849
• Sen. John C. Calhoun: The Address of the Southern Delegates in Congress to their Constituents, January 15, 1849
• Salmon P. Chase to Edward S. Hamilin, January 16, 1849
• Salmon P. Chase to Edward S. Hamilin, January 17, 1849
• Salmon P. Chase to Edward S. Hamilin, January 19, 1849
• Salmon P. Chase to Edward S. Hamilin, January 20, 1849
• Salmon P. Chase to Edward S. Hamilin, January 20, 1849
• Salmon P. Chase to Ahaz Merchant, January 23, 1849
• Sen. John C. Calhoun to Anna Maria Calhoun Clemson, January 24, 1849
• Salmon P. Chase to Edward S. Hamilin, January 24, 1849
• Sen. Henry Clay to James Harlan, January 26, 1849
• Salmon P. Chase to Edward S. Hamilin, January 26, 1849
• Salmon P. Chase to Edward S. Hamilin, January 27, 1849
• Salmon P. Chase to Edward S. Hamilin, January 29, 1849
• Sen. Henry Clay to Thomas B. Stevenson, January 31, 1849
• John Brown to Owen Brown Sr., February 5, 1849
• Salmon P. Chase to Thomas Stanley Matthews, February 26, 1849
• Salmon P. Chase to Edward S. Hamlin, February 27, 1849
• Sen. Henry Clay to James B. Clay, March 3, 1849
• Sen. Henry Clay to Gen. Leslie Combs, March 7, 1849
• March 10, 1849, Abraham Lincoln applied for a patent for a device designed to lift boats over shallow water or shoals using inflatable bellows attached to the sides of the vessel.
• Sen. Henry Clay to James Harlan, March 13, 1849
• March 23, 1849, Henry "Box" Brown made a daring escape from slavery in Richmond, Virginia, by having himself shipped in a small wooden crate labeled “dry goods.” The box, measuring just 3 feet long, 2 feet wide, and 2.5 feet high, was sent via express mail and carried him to freedom.
• March 24, 1849, after a grueling 27-hour journey by wagon, railroad, steamboat, and ferry, Henry "Box" Brown arrived safely in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He emerged from his wooden crate before astonished members of the Philadelphia Anti-Slavery Society, including prominent abolitionists William Still and James Miller McKim.
• Salmon P. Chase to Joshua R. Giddings, April 4, 1849
• Sen. John C. Calhoun to Anna Calhoun Clemson, April 10, 1849
• Sen. Henry Clay to Rodney Dennis, April 15, 1849
• Sen. John C. Calhoun to John H. Means, April 13, 1849
• Salmon P. Chase to Milton & C. E. Sutliff, April 30, 1849
• Salmon P. Chase to James H. Smith, May 8, 1849
• Salmon P. Chase to W. G. Kephart, May 8, 1849
• May 22, 1849, Abraham Lincoln was granted the patent No. 6,469, under the title "Buoying Vessels Over Shoals." Lincoln remains the only U.S. President to hold a patent.
• Samuel Gridley Howe to Horace Mann, May 25, 1849
• Sen. John C. Calhoun to Anna Maria Calhoun Clemson, June 15, 1849
• Salmon P. Chase to George Reber, June 19, 1849
• Sen. Henry Clay to Nicholas Dean, June 21, 1849
• Sen. John C. Calhoun to Andrew Pickens Calhoun, June 23, 1849
• Gerrit Smith’s Resolutions Presented at the Convention of the New York Liberty Party, July 3, 1849
• Sen. John C. Calhoun to Andrew Pickens Calhoun, July 24, 1849
• Salmon P. Chase to Benjamin F. Butler, July 26, 1849
• Sen. John C. Calhoun to Abraham W. Venable, August 1849
• Sen. John C. Calhoun to Duff Green, August 4, 1849
• Sen. John C. Calhoun to Thomas G. Clemson, August 24, 1849
• John Brown to John Brown Jr., August 29, 1849
• September 1849, Narrative of the Life of Henry Box Brown, Written by Himself was published by Charles Hamilton in Boston, Massachusetts. Brown’s account joined a growing collection of slave narratives released in the mid-19th century, aimed at revealing the brutal realities of slavery and advancing the cause of the abolitionist movement.
• Salmon P. Chase to Charles Sumner, September 2, 1849
• Salmon P. Chase to Charles Sumner, September 15, 1849
• Thomas Wentworth Higginson, September 18, 1849
• Salmon P. Chase to Charles Sumner, Septenber 19, 1849
• John Brown to John Brown Jr., September 21, 1849
• Sen. Henry Clay to James B. Clay, October 2, 1849
• Sen. John C. Calhoun to Anna Maria Calhoun Clemson, October 14, 1849
• Sen. Henry Clay to James B. Clay, October 15, 1849
• Sen. John C. Calhoun to Andrew Pickens Calhoun, October 22, 1849
• Sen. John C. Calhoun to Sen. Herschel V. Johnson, November 1, 1849
• Sen. John C. Calhoun to Congressman Armistead Burt, November 5, 1849
• John Brown to John Brown Jr., November 9, 1849
• Sen. John C. Calhoun to Andrew Pickens Calhoun, December 2, 1849
• Sen. Henry Clay to James B. Clay, December 4, 1849
• Sen. John C. Calhoun to James H. Hammond, December 7, 1849
• Sen. John C. Calhoun to Thomas G. Clemson, December 8, 1849
• Salmon P. Chase to Charles Sumner, December 14, 1849
• Sen. Henry Clay to Susan Jacob Clay, December 15, 1849
• Sen. Salmon P. Chase to Edward S. Hamlin, December 17, 1849
• Col. Braxton Bragg to Elisa Ellis Bragg, December 19, 1849
• Sen. Salmon P. Chase to Edward S. Hamlin, December 21, 1849
• Sen. Henry Clay to Leslie Combs, December 22, 1849
• Sen. Henry Clay to Thomas H. Clay, December 25, 1849
• Sen. Henry Clay to Lucretia Hart Clay, December 28, 1849
• Sen. Henry Clay to James B. Clay, December 29, 1849
• Sen. John C. Calhoun to Anna Maria Calhoun Clemson, December 31, 1849
• Samuel Gridley Howe to Charles Sumner, probably 1850
• Sen. Salmon P. Chase to Edward S. Hamlin, January 2, 1850
• Sen. John C. Calhoun to James H. Hammond, January 4, 1850
• Congressman Horace Mann, January 5, 1850
• Congressman Horace Mann to E. W. Clap, Undated
• Congressman Horace Mann, January 7, 1850
• Sen. Henry Clay to Thomas Clay, January 8, 1850
• Charles Sumner to Lord Morpeth, January 8, 1850
• Charles Sumner to George Sumner, Jan. 8, 1850
• Congressman Horace Mann, January 11, 1850
• Sen. Salmon P. Chase to Edward S. Hamlin, January 12, 1850
• Sen. John C. Calhoun to Andrew Pickens Calhoun, January 12, 1850
• Sen. Henry Clay to Thomas Clay, January 12, 1850
• Congressman Horace Mann to E. W. Clap, January 12, 1850
• Resolution of Sen. Sam Houston: January 14, 1850
• Sen. John J. Crittenden to Orlando Brown, January 14, 1850
• Sen. Salmon P. Chase to Edward S. Hamlin, January 17, 1850
• Sen. Henry Clay to “General” Elijah Combs, January 22, 1850
• Petition to the Senate and Assembly of the State of New York delivered by Gerrit Smith, January 22, 1850
• Sen. Henry Clay to James Harlan, January 24, 1850
• Charles Sumner to Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Jan. 24, 1850
• Sen. Daniel Webster to Peter Harvey, January 27, 1850
• William L. Marcy to Sen. Daniel S. Dickinson, January 27, 1850
• Sen. Salmon P. Chase to Charles Sumner, January 28, 1850
• Congressman Horace Mann, January 28, 1850
• Gideon Welles to Sen. Daniel S. Dickinson, January 28, 1850
• Congressman Albert G. Brown’s Speech on Slavery, and on the action of the Administration in relation to California and New Mexico, January 30, 1850
• Sen. Salmon P. Chase to Edward S. Hamlin, February 2, 1850
• Sen. Henry Clay to Daniel Ullman, February 2, 1850
• Congressman Horace Mann, February 4, 1850
• Sen. John C. Calhoun to Thomas G. Clemson, February 6, 1850
• Congressman Horace Mann, February 6, 1850
• Congressman Horace Mann to E. W. Clapp, February 6, 1850
• Congressman Horace Mann, February 7, 1850
• Congressman Albert G. Brown’s Squatter Sovereignty Speech, February 12, 1850
• Sen. John C. Calhoun to James H. Hammond, February 14, 1849
• Congressman Horace Mann, February 14, 1850
• Sen. Henry Clay to Daniel Ullman, February 15, 1850
• Sen. Daniel Webster to Rev. William H. Furness, February 15, 1850
• William S. Yancey to Sen. Daniel S. Dickinson, February 15, 1850
• Sen. John C. Calhoun to James H. Hammond, February 16, 1850
• Sen. Daniel Webster to Edward Everett, February 16, 1850
• Sen. Daniel Webster to Porter Wright, February 17, 1850
• Sen. Salmon P. Chase to Charles Sumner, February 18, 1850
• Congressman Horace Mann, February 18, 1850
• Charles Sumner to George Sumner, February 18, 1850
• Congressman Horace Mann, February 19, 1850
• Charles Sumner to William Jay, February 19, 1850
• Congressman Horace Mann, February 20, 1850
• John H. McHenry to Sen. Robert M. T. Hunter, February 21, 1850
• Sen. Daniel Webster to Peter Harvey, February 22, 1850—2 p.m.
• No Union With Slaveholders! published February 22, 1850
• Sen. John C. Calhoun to Anna Calhoun Clemson, February 24, 1850
• Sen. John C. Calhoun’s Resolutions, March, 1850
• George M. Dallas to Sen. Daniel S. Dickinson, March 1, 1850
• Congressman Horace Mann, March 1, 1850
• Judge Greene C. Bronson to Sen. Daniel S. Dickinson, March 1, 1850
• Sen. John C. Calhoun’s Speech on the Slavery Question, March 4, 1850
• Congressman Horace Mann, March 4, 1850
• Congressman Horace Mann, March 5, 1850
• Sen. Henry Clay to James Clay, March 6, 1850
• Daniel Webster’s Speech on the Constitution and the Union, March 7, 1850
• Congressman Horace Mann, March 8, 1850
• D. Keyes and Others to Sen. Henry Clay, March 8, 1850
• Sen. John C. Calhoun to Thomas G. Clemson, March 10, 1850
• Congressman Horace Mann, March 10, 1850
• Sen. William H. Seward's "Higher Law" Speech, March 11, 1850
• Theodore Parker to Congressman Horace Mann, March 11, 1850
• Samuel T. Armstrong to Sen. Daniel Webster, March 12, 1850
• Richard Rush to Sen. James M. Mason, March 12, 1850
• Sen. Henry Clay to James Clay, March 13, 1850
• Congressman Horace Mann, March 13, 1850
• Congressman Horace Mann, March 14, 1850
• Sen. Salmon P. Chase to Charles Sumner, March 15, 1850
• Sen. Salmon P. Chase to Edward S. Hamlin, March 16, 1850
• Sen. Henry Clay to James Harlan, March 16, 1850
• Sen. Henry Clay to James Clay, March 16, 1850
• Sen. Daniel Webster to John Taylor, March 17, 1850
• Sen. Daniel Webster to George Ticknor, March 17, 1850
• Sen. Daniel Webster to Rev. Dr. Roswell D.  Hitchcock, March 17, 1850
• Charles Sumner to William Jay, March 18, 1850
• Charles Sumner to George Sumner, March 18, 1850
• Congressman Horace Mann to Samuel Downer, March 21, 1850
• Congressman Horace Mann to Samuel Downer, March 1850
• Senator Henry Clay to James Harlan, March 22, 1850
• Richard K. Crallé to Sen. Robert M. T. Hunter, March 23, 1850
• Charles Sumner to William Jay, March 23, 1850
• Sen. Salmon P. Chase to Charles Sumner, March 24, 1850
• Senator Henry Clay to James B. Clay, March 25, 1850
• Sen. John J. Crittenden to Gov. Thomas Metcalf, March 25, 1850
• Speech of Salmon P. Chase, March 26-7, 1850
• Sen. Daniel S. Dickinson to Henry S. Randall, March 27, 1850
• Sen. Daniel Webster to Peter Harvey, March 28, 1850
• Charles L. Vose and Others to Sen. Daniel Webster, March 28, 1850
• William O. Goode to Sen. Robert M. T. Hunter, March 29, 1850
• Congressman Charles S. Morehead to Sen. John J. Crittenden, March 30, 1850
• Sen. Daniel Webster to Daniel Fletcher Webster, March 31, 1850
• Congressman Charles S. Morehead to Sen. John J. Crittenden, March 31, 1850
• Sen. Daniel Webster to Franklin Haven, about March 31, 1850
• Congressman Horace Mann, April 1 1850
• Sen. Daniel S. Dickinson to Lydia Knapp Dickinson, April 2, 1850
• Congressman Horace Mann, April 2 1850
• Sen. Salmon P. Chase to Charles Sumner, April 4, 1850
• Congressman Horace Mann, April 6 1850
• Sen. Daniel Webster to Peter Harvey, April 7, 1850
• John R. Thompson to Robert M. T. Hunter, April 9, 1850
• Charles Sumner to William Jay, April 9, 1850
• John Brown to John Jr. and Wealthy C. Brown, April 12, 1850
• Sen. Salmon P. Chase to Charles Sumner, April 13, 1850
• Sen. Daniel Webster to Peter Harvey, April 13, 1850
• Samuel Kettell to James S. Pike, April 15, 1850
• Charles Sumner to George Sumner, April 15, 1850
• Sen. Salmon P. Chase to Edward S. Hamilin, April 16, 1850
• Henry Carter to James S. Pike, April 17, 1850
• Sen. Daniel Webster to Fletcher Webster, April 18, 1850
• Daniel Webster to Isaac Hill, April 20, 1850
• William O. Goode to Sen. Robert M. T. Hunter, April 20, 1850
• Samuel Kettell to James S. Pike, April 22, 1850
• Sen. Daniel S. Dickinson to Lydia Knapp Dickinson, April 23, 1850
• Sen. Daniel S. Dickinson to Lydia L. Dickinson, April 23, 1850
• Sen. Daniel Webster to Fletcher Webster, April 24, 1850—10 a.m.
• Congressman Horace Mann to Theodore Parker, April 24 1850
• Horace Greeley to James S. Pike, April 24, 1850
• William C. Bouck to Sen. Daniel S. Dickinson, April 24, 1850
• Congressman Robert Toombs to Sen. John J. Crittenden, April 25, 1850
• Samuel Kettell to James S. Pike, April 25, 1850
• William Schouler to James S. Pike, April 25, 1850
• John Brown to John Jr. and Wealthy C. Brown, April 25, 1850
• Horace Greeley to James S. Pike, April 27, 1850
• Horace Greeley to James S. Pike, April 28, 1850
• Sen. Daniel Webster's Remarks at Boston, Massachusetts, April 29, 1850
• Sen. John J. Crittenden to Albert T. Burnley, April 29, 1850
• Sen. John J. Crittenden to Orlando Brown, April 30, 1850
• Sen. Daniel Webster to Professor Stuart, April 31, 1850
• May 1850, Shadrach Minkins, escaped from slavery and arrived in Boston, Massachusetts.
• Horace Greeley to James S. Pike, May 1, 1850
• Horace Greeley to James S. Pike, May 2, 1850
• Beautiful Scene In Washington, May 2, 1850
• William Tecumseh Sherman & Ellen Boyle Ewing’s Marriage Announcement, May 3, 1850
• Sen. Salmon P. Chase to Charles Sumner, May 6, 1850
• Theodore Parker to Congressman Horace Mann, May 6, 1850
• Robert P. Letcher to Sen. John J. Crittenden, May 6, 1850
• Speech of Congressman Robert C. Winthrop, May 8, 1850
• Sen. Daniel Webster to Peter Harvey, May 11, 1850—6 a.m.
• William O. Goode to Sen. Robert M. T. Hunter, May 11, 1850
• Congressman Albert G. Brown to His Constituents, May 13, 1850
• Charles Sumner to John Jay, May 13, 1850
• Horace Greeley to James S. Pike, May 16, 1850
• William Schouler to James S. Pike, May 17, 1850
• Sen. Daniel Webster to Franklin Haven, May 18, 1850
• Sen. John J. Crittenden to Orlando Brown, May 18, 1850
• Congressman Horace Mann, May 18, 1850
• Sen. Daniel Webster to Peter Harvey, May 19, 1850
• Citizens of New York, Kings, Queens, Richmond & Westchester Counties to Sen. Daniel S. Dickinson, May 20, 1850
• Charles Sumner to Lord Morpeth, May 21, 1850
• Charles Sumner to John Bigelow, May 22, 1850
• Sen. Salmon P. Chase to Charles Sumner, May 25, 1850
• James B. Clay to Senator Henry Clay, May 26, 1850
• Sen. Salmon P. Chase to Edward S. Hamlin, May 27, 1850
• Senator Henry Clay to James B. Clay, May 27, 1850
• Speech of Theodore Parker at the New England Anti-Slavery Convention, May 29, 1850
• Charles A. Dana to James S. Pike, May 29, 1850
• Sen. Lewis Cass to Sen. Daniel S. Dickinson, May 1, 1850
• Sen. Daniel S. Dickinson to the Citizens of New York, Kings, Queens, Richmond & Westchester Counties, June 1, 1850
• Charles Sumner to William Jay, June 1, 1850
• Sen. Daniel Webster to Professor Stuart, June 3, 1850
• Sen. Daniel S. Dickinson to Lydia Knapp Dickinson, June 3, 1850
• Sen. Lewis Cass to the Committee, June 4, 1850
• Mr. A. W. Venables to Sen. Daniel Webster, June 7, 1850
• Sen. John J. Crittenden to Orlando Brown, June 7, 1850
• Sen. Daniel S. Dickinson to Lydia L. Dickinson, June 8, 1850
• Samuel Gridley Howe to Horace Mann, June 8, 1850
• Sen. Daniel Webster to Robert C. Winthrop, June 9 1850
• Congressman Horace Mann, June 9, 1850
• Congressman Horace Mann to Samuel Downer, June 13, 1850
• Congressman Albert G. Brown’s Speech on the Admission of California, June 13, 1850
• Congressman Frederick P. Stanton to the Committee, June 14, 1850
• James Buchanan to Charles O'Conor, J. Addison Thomas, Robert J. Dillon, Esqs., and others, June 14, 1850
• George M. Dallas to  Charles O'Conor, Geo. Douglas, J. Addison Thomas, Schuyler Livingston, &c., &c., &c., Committee, June 14, 1850
• Sen. Henry S. Foote to Messrs. Geo. Douglas, Schuyler Livingston, and others, constituting a Committee of Gentlemen, June 15, 1850
• Reuben H. Walworth to Messrs. George Douglas, Charles O'Conor, and others, Committee, &c., June 15, 1850
• Isaac Toucey to George Douglas, Schuyler Livingston, Esqs., and others, Committee, &c., June 15, 1850
• Sen. Daniel Webster to Edward Curtis, June 16, 1850—6 a.m.
• Sen. Daniel Webster’s Speech on the Compromise Bill, June 17, 1850
• Congressman Horace Mann, June 17, 1850
• William L. Marcy to Messrs. Geo. Douglas, C. O'Conor, and others, Committee, June 17, 1850
• Sen. Daniel Webster to Edward Curtis, June 18, 1850—8 a.m.
• Congressman Horace Mann, June 18, 1850
• Sen. Daniel Webster to Franklin Haven, June 19, 1850
• Louis McLane to George Douglas, Schuyler Livingston & others, a Committee to Superintend the Public Dinner given to the Hon. D. S. Dickinson, June 19, 1850
• Eliza Bancroft Davis to James S. Pike, June 19, 1850
• Samuel Gridley Howe to Charles Sumner, June 20, 1850
• Sen. Salmon P. Chase to Charles Sumner, June 22, 1850
• Sen. Daniel Webster to Fletcher Webster, June 23, 1850—10:30
• Israel Washburn Jr. to James S. Pike, June 24, 1850
• Charles Sumner to George Sumner, June 25, 1850
• Congressman Horace Mann to Samuel Downer, June 28, 1850
• Congressman Horace Mann, July 1, 1850
• William F. Gordon  to Sen. Robert M. T. Hunter, July 2, 1850
• Samuel Gridley Howe to Theodore Parker, July 5, 1850
• Congressman Horace Mann, July 9, 1850
• Charles Sumner to Richard Cobden, July 9, 1850
• Samuel Gridley Howe to Charles Sumner, July 9, 1850
• Congressman Horace Mann, July 10, 1850
• Sen. Daniel Webster to Franklin Haven, July 11, 1850—8:00 a.m.
• Sen. Daniel Webster to Franklin Haven, July 12, 1850
• Congressman Horace Mann, July 12, 1850
• Sen. Henry Clay to Mary Mentelle Clay, July 13, 1850
• Sen. Daniel S. Dickinson to Lydia L. Dickinson, July 13, 1850
• Sen. Daniel Webster to Franklin Haven, July 16, 1850
• Sen. John J. Crittenden to Albert T. Burnley, July 19, 1850
• Congressman Albert G. Brown’s Speech on the Delegate from New Mexico, July 19, 1850
• Congressman Horace Mann, July 20, 1850
• Sen. Daniel Webster to Peter Harvey, July 21, 1850
• Sen. Daniel Webster to Richard M. Blatchford, July 21, 1850
• Congressman Horace Mann, July 21, 1850
• Daniel Webster to Daniel Fletcher Webster, July 23, 1850
• Daniel Webster to Franklin Haven, July 23, 1850
• Sen. John J. Crittenden to Ann Mary Crittenden Coleman, July 23, 1850
• Congressman Horace Mann, July 23, 1850
• John Davis to Sen. Daniel S. Dickinson, July 25, 1850
• Congressman Albert G. Brown’s Speech on Homesteads, July 26, 1850
• Congressman Horace Mann, July 27, 1850
• Sen. Daniel S. Dickinson to Lydia Knapp Dickinson, July 29, 1850
• Congressman Horace Mann, July 29, 1850
• Congressman Horace Mann to Samuel Downer, July 31, 1850
• Samuel Gridley Howe to Theodore Parker, August 2, 1850
• Samuel Gridley Howe to Charles Sumner, August 2, 1850
• Congressman Horace Mann, August 5, 1850
• Senator Henry Clay to Thomas H. Clay, August 6, 1850
• Daniel Webster to Peter Harvey, August 7, 1850
• Congressman Horace Mann, August 7, 1850
• Albert G. Brown’s Speech on the Texas Boundary, August 8, 1850
• Congressman Horace Mann to Samuel Downer, August 9, 1850
• Daniel Webster to Professor Stuart, August 10, 1850
• Samuel Gridley Howe to Charles Sumner, August 11, 1850
• Congressman Horace Mann to Samuel Downer, August 11 & 12, 1850
• William P. Duval to Sen. Robert M. T. Hunter, August 13, 1850
• Sen. Salmon P. Chase to Charles Sumner, August 14, 1850
• Sen. Salmon P. Chase to Edward S. Hamlin, August 14, 1850
• Senator Henry Clay to Thomas H. Clay, August 15, 1850
• Congressman Horace Mann, August 15, 1850
• Congressman Horace Mann to Samuel Downer, August 15, 1850
• Deming Jarves to Daniel Webster, August 17, 1850
• Congressman Horace Mann, August 18, 1850
• Littleton Waller Tazewell to Sen. Robert M. T. Hunter, August 18, 1850
• Congressman Horace Mann, August 19, 1850
• Congressman Horace Mann, August 20, 1850
• Samuel Gridley Howe to Charles Sumner, August 20, 1850
• Congressman Horace Mann to Samuel Downer, August 21, 1850
• Horace Greeley to James S. Pike, August 22, 1850
• Sen. Salmon P. Chase to Edward S. Hamlin, August 22, 1850
• Sen. Truman Smith to James S. Pike, August 22, 1850
• Congressman Horace Mann, August 23, 1850
• Congressman Horace Mann to Samuel Downer, August 25, 1850
• Congressman Horace Mann to Samuel Downer, August 28, 1850
• Congressman Horace Mann, August 28, 1850
• Congressman Horace Mann, August 29, 1850
• Congressman Albert G. Brown’s Speech on the Slavery Question, August 29, 1850
• Congressman Horace Mann, September 1, 1850
• Congressman Horace Mann, September 2, 1850
• Charles Sumner to John Bigelow, September 2, 1850
• Charles Sumner to Horace Mann, September 3, 1850
• Congressman Horace Mann, September 4, 1850
• Charles Sumner to William Jay, September 5, 1850
• Senator Henry Clay to Thomas H. Clay, September 6, 1850
• Senator Henry Clay to Susan Jacob Clay, September 6, 1850
• Congressman Horace Mann, September 6, 1850
• Samuel Gridley Howe to Charles Sumner, September 7, 1850
• Sen. Salmon P. Chase to Charles Sumner, September 8, 1850
• Congressman Horace Mann, September 8, 1850
• An Act proposing to the State of Texas the Establishment of her Northern andWestern Boundaries, the Relinquishment by the said State of all Territoryclaimed by her exterior to said boundaries, and of all her Claims upon theUnited States, and to establish a territorial Government for New Mexico, September 9, 1850
• An Act for the admission of the State of California into the Union, September 9, 1850
• An Act to establish a Territorial Government for Utah, September 9, 1850
• James Buchanan to Sen. Daniel S. Dickinson, September 9, 1850
• Congressman Horace Mann, September 9, 1850
• Theodore Parker to Congressman Horace Mann, September 9, 1850
• J. M. Kenney to Sen. Daniel S. Dickinson, September 9, 1850
• Charles Sumner to Mr. Wilson, September 9, 1850
• Daniel Webster to Peter Harvey, September 10, 1850
• Congressman Horace Mann, September 10, 1850
• Congressman Horace Mann to Samuel Downer, September 10, 1850
• Congressman Albert G. Brown’s Speech on the Ewing Investigation, September 11, 1850
• Daniel Webster to Franklin Haven, September 12, 1850
• Congressman Horace Mann, September 12, 1850
• Daniel Webster to Peter Harvey, September 13, 1850
• Congressman Horace Mann to Samuel Downer, September 13, 1850
• Congressman Horace Mann to Samuel Downer, September 13, 1850
• Congressman Horace Mann, September 13, 1850
• Congressman Horace Mann, September 14, 1850
• Congressman Horace Mann, September 15, 1850
• Daniel Webster to Peter Harvey, September 16, 1850
• Congressman Horace Mann, September 16, 1850
• Congressman Horace Mann, September 17, 1850
• The Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 - September 18, 1850
• John J. Crittenden on the Constitutionality of the Fugitive Slave Bill, September 18, 1850
• Congressman Horace Mann, September 19, 1850
• An Act to suppress the Slave Trade in the District of Columbia, September 20, 1850
• Congressman Horace Mann, September 20, 1850
• Congressman Horace Mann to Rev. Samuel J. May, September 21, 1850
• Congressman Horace Mann, September 21, 1850
• Congressman Horace Mann, September 23, 1850
• Congressman Horace Mann to Samuel Downer, September 24, 1850
• Congressman Horace Mann, September 25, 1850
• Samuel Gridley Howe to Charles Sumner, September 26, 1850
• Daniel Webster to Franklin Haven, September 27, 1850—7 a.m.
• Daniel Webster to Sen. Daniel S. Dickinson, September 27, 1850
• Robert Seldon Garnett to Sen. Robert M. T. Hunter, September 27, 1850
• Daniel Webster to a Committee of Gentlemen from New York, October 1850
• Sir Henry Lytton Bulwer to Sen. Robert M. T. Hunter, October 1, 1850
• Daniel Webster to Fletcher Webster, October 2, 1850
• Charles Sumner to John Bigelow, October 4, 1850
• Sen. Daniel S. Dickinson to Daniel Webster, October 5, 1850
• Daniel Webster to Millard Fillmore, October 14, 1850
• Sen. Daniel S. Dickinson to Mr. H. W. Rogers, October 15, 1850
• Charles Sumner to Congressman Charles Allen, October 15, 1850
• Sen. Stephen A. Douglas to Sen. Daniel S. Dickinson, October 20, 1850
• Robert P. Letcher to John J. Crittenden, October 20, 1850
• Samuel Gridley Howe to Charles Sumner, October or November 20, 1850
• Charles Sumner to George Sumner, October 22, 1850
• John Knight to William Craft, October 22, 1850 - 11 p.m.
• Elwood Fisher to Sen. Robert M. T. Hunter, October 22, 1850
• Daniel Webster to Fletcher Webster, October 24, 1850
• John A. Dix to Sen. Daniel S. Dickinson, October 25, 1850 - 11 p.m
• Gerrit Smith: Preaching Politics, October 26, 1850
• Elwood Fisher to Sen. Robert M. T. Hunter, October 29, 1850
• Charles Sumner to Congressman Horace Mann, October 30, 1850
• Speech of Congressman Albert G. Brown, November 2, 1850
• Daniel Webster to Richard M. Blatchford, November 3, 1850—6 p.m.
• John Brown to John Brown Jr., November 4, 1850
• Daniel Webster to Millard Fillmore, November 5, 1850
• Charles Sumner: Our Immediate Antislavery Duties, November 6, 1850
• Gov. John B. Floyd to Sen. Robert M. T. Hunter, November 8, 1850
• Daniel Webster to Mr. Colby, November 11, 1850
• Daniel Webster to Millard Fillmore, November 13, 1850
• Daniel Webster to Josiah Randall & Others, November 14, 1850
• Daniel Webster to Mr. F. S. Lathrop & Others, November 14, 1850
• Congressman Horace Mann to Mr. and Mrs. George Combe, November 15, 1850
• Congressman Horace Mann to Mr. C. Pierce, Esq., November 15, 1850
• Sen. Salmon P. Chase to Milton Sutliff, November 17, 1850
• Sen. Salmon P. Chase to Charles Sumner, November 18, 1850
• Robert J. Breckinridge to John J. Crittenden, November 23, 1850
• Charles Sumner to George Sumner, November 26, 1850
• John Brown to Mary Ann Day Brown, November 28, 1850
• John Brown to his Children, December 4, 1850
• Democratic Members of the New York Legislature to Sen. Daniel S. Dickinson, December 5, 1850
• John Brown to John Brown Jr., December 6, 1850
• Daniel Webster to Dr. John C. Warren, December 7, 1850
• Daniel Webster to Richard M. Blatchford, December 10, 1850
• Charles Francis Adams Sr. to Charles Sumner, December 10, 1850
• Proclamation of Millard Fillmore Declaring the Act of 1850,Respecting the Boundaries of Texas, to be in Force, December 13, 1850
• Sen. Salmon P. Chase to Charles Sumner, December 14, 1850
• George E. Baker to Mrs. Mary Peabody Mann, Undated, before December 14, 1850
• Congressman Horace Mann to George E. Baker, Esq., December 14, 1850
• Charles Sumner to Charles Francis Adams Sr., December 15, 1850
• Sir Henry Lytton Bulwer to Sen. Robert M. T. Hunter, December 19, 1850
• Sen. Salmon P. Chase to Milton Sutliff, December 20, 1850
• Sen. Salmon P. Chase to Edward S. Hamilin, December 21, 1850
• Congressman Horace Mann to Samuel Downer, December 22, 1850
• Senator Henry Clay to James B. Clay, December 23, 1850
• Sen. Daniel Webster to Sen. Daniel S. Dickinson, December 28, 1850
• Samuel Gridley Howe to Horace Mann, December 29, 1850
• Theodocia Gilbert to William Still, 1851
• Congressman Horace Mann to E. W. Clapp, January 5, 1851
• Congressman Horace Mann to George Combe, January 6, 1851
• Sen. Salmon P. Chase to Milton Sutliff, January 7, 1851
• Charles Sumner to John Bigelow, January 11, 1851
• Sen. Salmon P. Chase to Edward S. Hamilin, January 15, 1851
• Sen. Salmon P. Chase to Milton Sutliff, January 16, 1851
• January 17, 1851, Thomas Lincoln died at his home near Lerna, Illinois, where he had lived with his second wife, Sarah Bush Lincoln. Abraham Lincoln did not attend the funeral, likely due to emotional distance in their relationship, as well as possible political or professional commitments. Thomas was buried in Shiloh Cemetery, near Farmington, just outside Charleston, Illinois.
• John Brown to Mary Ann Day Brown, January 17, 1851
• John Brown to Mary Ann Day Brown, January 17, 1851
• Charles Sumner to John Bigelow, January 21, 1851
• Samuel Gridley Howe to Horace Mann, January 23, 1851
• Sen. Daniel S. Dickinson to Democratic Members of the New York Legislature, January 20, 1851
• Samuel Gridley Howe to Horace Mann, January 31, 1851
• Samuel Gridley Howe to Horace Mann, February 1851
• Sen. Salmon P. Chase to Edward S. Hamlin, February 1851
• Daniel Webster to Millard Fillmore, February 3, 1851
• Seth Conklin to William Still, February 3, 1851
• Samuel Gridley Howe to Horace Mann, February 6, 1851
• Daniel Webster to Sen. Daniel S. Dickinson, February 7, 1851
• Congressman Horace Mann to E. W. Clapp, February 10, 1851
• Henry A. Wise to Sen. Robert M. T. Hunter, February 13, 1851
• Willis P. Bocock to Sen. Robert M. T. Hunter, February 13, 1851
• William M. Richards and Others to Daniel Webster, February 14, 1851
• Daniel Webster to Mr. Plumer, February 14, 1851
• Congressman Horace Mann to Sen. Charles Sumner, February 14, 1851
• February 15, 1851, Shadrach Minkins, a fugitive slave, was arrested at Taft's Cornhill Coffee House, at the corner of Court Street and Court Square in Boston, Massachusetts where he worked as a waiter, by two United States marshals, who posed as customers.
• Samuel Gridley Howe to Horace Mann, February 18, 1851
• Seth Conklin to William Still, February 18, 1851
• February 21, 1851, Thomas Sims, an enslaved man on James Potter’s Coleraine plantation on the Savannah River, escaped and stowed away on the ship M. & J. C. Gilmore.
• Sen. Salmon P. Chase to Charles Sumner, February 26, 1851
• Congressman Horace Mann, March 1, 1851
• March 6, 1851, the crew of the M. & J. C. Gilmore discovered Thomas Sims aboard the ship and locked him up in a cabin. Sims escaped before authorities came.
• Sen. Henry Clay to Lucretia Hart Clay, March 8, 1851
• Daniel Webster to Richard M. Blatchford, March 9, 1851
• Levi Coffin to William Still, March 10, 1851
• Daniel Webster to Fletcher Webster, March 12, 1851
• Daniel Webster to Richard M. Blatchford, March 12, 1851
• John Brown to Henry Thompson, March 15, 1851
• Daniel Webster to Messrs. Richards and others, March 21, 1851
• Daniel Webster to Edward Everett, March 21, 1851
• John Brown to John Brown Jr., March 24, 1851
• Sen. Robert M. T. Hunter to George N. Sanders, March 27, 1851
• Daniel Webster to Richard M. Blatchford, March 28, 1851
• Rev. N. R. Johnston to William Still, March 31, 1851
• Congressman Horace Mann to Charles Sumner, April 1851
• Samuel Gridley Howe to Horace Mann, Wednesday, April 1851 – 10 p.m.
• Samuel Gridley Howe to Horace Mann, Friday Evening, April 1851
• Samuel Gridley Howe to Theodore Parker, Thursday, April 1851
• Charles Mason to Sen. Robert M. T. Hunter, April 5, 1851
• Daniel Webster to Peter Harvey, April 7, 1851
• Levi Coffin to William Still, April 10, 1851
• Robert J. Breckinridge to John J. Crittenden, April 12, 1851
• Daniel Webster to Richard M. Blatchford, April 13, 1851
• Gerrit Smith: The True Office of Civil Government, April 14, 1851
• Daniel Webster to Millard Fillmore, April 15, 1851
• Daniel Webster to George G. Smith and Others, April 15, 1851
• Charles Sumner to Theodore Parker, April 19, 1851
• John J. Crittenden to Robert J. Breckinridge, April 21, 1851
• David Henshaw to Daniel Webster, April 21, 1851
• Diary of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, April 24, 1851
• Sen. Charles Sumner to Henry Wilson, April 25, 1851
• George Stillman Hillard to Sen. Charles Sumner, April 25, 1851
• Diary of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, April 27, 1851
• Sen. Salmon P. Chase to Sen. Charles Sumner, April 28, 1851
• Sen. Henry Clay to Adam Beatty, April 28, 1851
• Sen. Charles Sumner to George Sumner, April 29, 1851
• Daniel Webster to Millard Fillmore, April 29, 1851
• Daniel Webster to Richard M. Blatchford, April 29, 1851
• Daniel Webster to Richard M. Blatchford, April 30, 1851—2:30 p.m.
• Daniel Webster to Richard M. Blatchford, May 1851
• Daniel Webster to Edward Curtis, Tuesday, two o’clock, 1851
• Daniel Webster to Richard M. Blatchford, May 2, 1851
• Sen. Charles Sumner to John Bigelow, May 2, 1851
• Robert J. Breckinridge to John J. Crittenden, May 3, 1851
• Daniel Webster to Richard M. Blatchford, May 4, 1851—8 a.m.
• Daniel Webster to Richard M. Blatchford, May 5, 1851—7 a.m.
• Daniel Webster to Edward Everett, May 6, 1851
• Sen. Charles Sumner to Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, May 8, 1851
• Daniel Webster to Peter Harvey, May 9, 1851—7 a.m.
• Sen. Henry Clay to James Clay, May 9, 1851
• Sen. Robert M. T. Hunter to George N. Sanders, May 9, 1851
• Daniel Webster to Richard M. Blatchford, May 11, 1851—1 p.m.
• Levi Coffin to William Still, May 11, 1851
• Sen. Charles Sumner to the Massachusetts Legislature, May 14, 1851
• John Brown to John Brown Jr., May 15, 1851
• Daniel Webster to Caroline White Webster, May 20, 1851—9 p.m.
• John Brown to John Brown Jr., May 20, 1851
• Sen. Charles Sumner to John Jay, May 23, 1851
• Daniel Webster to Millard Fillmore, May 29, 1851
• June 5, 1851. The 1st Installment of Harriet Beecher Stowe’s Uncle Tom’s Cabin is published in The National Era.
• Sen. Daniel Webster on the Fugitive Slave Act, June 9, 1851
• Sen. Salmon P. Chase to Sen. Charles Sumner, June 11, 1851
• Sen. Henry Clay to Daniel Ullman, June 14, 1851
• Congressman Horace Mann to the Young Men's Debating Society, 111 Bowery, New York, June 16, 1851
• Sen. Charles Sumner to George Sumner, June 17, 1851
• Sen. Robert M. T. Hunter to George N. Sanders, June 20, 1851
• Daniel Webster to Franklin Haven, June 22, 1851
• Sen. Charles Sumner to George Sumner, June 24, 1851
• Sen. Charles Sumner to Prof. Carl Joseph Anton Mittermaier, June 25, 1851
• Sen. Salmon P. Chase to Sen. Charles Sumner, June 28, 1851
• Sen. Henry Clay to Samuel Austin Allibone, June 30, 1851
• Victor Hugo to Maria Weston Chapman, July 6, 1851
• Sen. Charles Sumner to Francis Lieber, July 8, 1851
• Congressman Horace Mann, July 13, 1851
• Sen. Lewis Cass to Daniel S. Dickinson, July 14, 1851
• Daniel Webster to Millard Fillmore, July 20, 1851
• Daniel Webster to Millard Fillmore, July 21, 1851
• Daniel Webster to Millard Fillmore, July 23, 1851
• Daniel Webster to Millard Fillmore, August 1, 1851
• Sen. Charles Sumner to William Jay, August 3, 1851
• Congressman Horace Mann to Rev. Samuel J. May, August 4, 1851
• Daniel Webster to Millard Fillmore, August 5, 1851
• Daniel Webster to Millard Fillmore, August 6, 1851
• B. McKiernon to William Still, August 6, 1851
• Daniel Webster to Millard Fillmore, August 10, 1851
• August 12, 1851, Isaac Singer patented his version of the sewing machine. Singer's design improved upon earlier models (notably Elias Howe’s) by introducing a straight needle that moved up and down, a presser foot to hold fabric in place, and a foot treadle to power the machine—making it more practical for continuous use.
• William Still to B. McKiernon, August 16, 1851
• Daniel Webster to Millard Fillmore, August 19, 1851
• Daniel Webster to Richard M. Blatchford, August 23, 1851
• Daniel Webster to Richard M. Blatchford, August 31, 1851
• Sen. Charles Sumner to Thomas W. Higginson, September 5, 1851
• Daniel Webster to Millard Fillmore, September 8, 1851
• Sen. Charles Sumner to George Sumner, September 10, 1851
• Daniel Webster to Peter Harvey, September 13, 1851
• Daniel Webster to Richard M. Blatchford, September 15, 1851
• Congressman Albert G. Brown: The True Issue Stated, September 15, 1851
• Daniel Webster to Gov. George S. Boutwell, September 22, 1851
• Congressman Horace Mann to Rev. Theodore Parker, September 25, 1851
• Daniel Webster to Richard M. Blatchford, September 26, 1851
• Sen. Henry Clay to Daniel Ullman, September 26, 1851
• Sen. Henry Clay to Mrs. Mary Mentelle Clay, September 26, 1851
• Daniel Webster to Edward Everett, September 27, 1851
• Daniel Webster to Millard Fillmore, September 28, 1851
• Sen. Charles Sumner to George Sumner, September 30, 1851
• John Brown to his Children, October 6, 1851
• Sen. Charles Sumner to John Greenleaf Whittier, October 7, 1851
• John J. Crittenden to Count Eugène de Sartiges, October 22, 1851
• Sen. Charles Sumner to John Bigelow, October 24, 1851
• Daniel Stewart to Daniel S. Dickinson, October 27, 1851
• John M. Clayton to John J. Crittenden, October 8, 1851
• John M. Clayton to John J. Crittenden, October 27, 1851
• John Brown to John Brown Jr., October 30, 1851
• John J. Crittenden to Governor Leslie Combs, November 1, 1851
• Diary of Theodore Parker, November 6, 1851
• John J. Crittenden to Orlando Brown, November 12, 1851
• Sen. Charles Sumner to John Bigelow, November 19, 1851
• Diary of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, November 23, 1851
• Sen. Charles Sumner to Julia Sumner, November 26, 1851
• Sen. Charles Sumner to Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, November 26, 1851
• Sen. Charles Sumner to Samuel Gridley Howe, November 26, 1851
• Richard K. Crallé to Sen. Robert M. T. Hunter, November 28, 1851
• Diary of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, November 30, 1851
• Congressman Horace Mann to George Combe, December 1851
• John Brown to John Brown Jr., December 1, 1851
• Orlando Brown to John J. Crittenden, December 3, 1851
• Sen. Salmon P. Chase to Edward S. Hamlin, December 5, 1851
• Congressman Horace Mann to Mr. and Mrs. George Combe, December 5, 1851
• John J. Crittenden to Orlando Brown, December 5, 1851
• Samuel Gridley Howe to Charles Sumner, December 5, 1851
• John J. Crittenden to Orlando Brown, December 8, 1851
• Sen. Charles Sumner to Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, December 9, 1851
• Richard Henry Dana Jr. to Sen. Charles Sumner, December 11, 1851
• Samuel Gridley Howe to Charles Sumner, December 12, 1851
• Sen. Charles Sumner to John Bigelow, December 13, 1851
• John Brown to Mary Ann Day Brown, December 22, 1851
• Daniel Webster to Robert P. Letcher, December 23, 1851
• John Randolph Tucker to Sen. Robert M. T. Hunter, December 24, 1851
• Henry Wadsworth Longfellow to Sen. Charles Sumner, December 25, 1851
• Samuel Gridley Howe to Sen Charles Sumner, December 26, 1851
• Sen. Charles Sumner to Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, December 28, 1851
• Samuel Gridley Howe to Sen Charles Sumner, December 28, 1851
• Sen. Charles Sumner to George Sumner, January 5, 1852
• Congressman Horace Mann to Rev. Samuel J. May, January 8, 1852
• Sen. Henry Clay to Thomas H. Clay, January 10, 1852
• Samuel Gridley Howe to Sen. Charles Sumner, January 10, 1852—Evening
• Negro Hiring, January 14, 1852
• James A. Seddon to Sen. Robert M. T. Hunter, January 18, 1852
• W. R. Nicholls to Sen. Robert M. T. Hunter, January 18, 1852
• Theodore Frelinghuysen to Sen. Henry Clay, January 19, 1852
• Lewis E. Harvie to Sen. Robert M. T. Hunter, January 19, 1852
• Sen. Charles Sumner to Edward L. Pierce, January 21, 1852
• Samuel Gridley Howe to Horace Mann, January 21, 1852
• John Brown to his Children, January 23, 1852
• George F. Thomson to Sen. Robert M. T. Hunter, January 28, 1852
• Sen. Charles Sumner to John Bigelow, February 3, 1852
• Sen. Charles Sumner to Theodore Parker, February 6, 1852
• John J. Crittenden to Orlando Brown, February 6, 1852
• John Brown to Henry Thompson, February 6, 1852
• James A. Seddon to Sen. Robert M. T. Hunter, February 7, 1852
• Sen. Charles Sumner to John Bigelow, February 8, 1852
• William McLain to Sen. Henry Clay, February 9, 1852
• Congressman Horace Mann to Samuel Downer, February 10, 1852
• Congressman Horace Mann, 1852
• Sen. Henry Clay to Mrs. Susan Jacob Clay, February 12, 1852
• Samuel Gridley Howe to Sen. Charles Sumner, February 12, 1852
• Congressman Horace Mann to Rev. Cyrus Pierce, February 13, 1852
• Alexander H. Stephens to John J. Crittenden, February 17, 1852
• John J. Crittenden’s Speeches during the Congressional Celebration of Washington’s Birthday, February 22, 1852
• Sen. Henry Clay to James B. Clay, February 24, 1852
• Sen. Salmon P. Chase to Edward S. Hamlin, February 25, 1852
• Samuel Gridley Howe to Congressman Horace Mann, February 26, 1852
• Sen. Charles Sumner to John Bigelow, March 2, 1852
• Sen. Henry Clay to Daniel Ullman, March 6, 1852
• John Brown to Simon Perkins, March 11, 1852
• Sen. Salmon P. Chase to Edward S. Hamlin, March 10, 1852
• Sen. Henry Clay to James B. Clay, March 14, 1852
• Speech Of Congressman Albert G. Brown in the Unites States House of Representatives on the Southern Movement and Mississippi Politics, March 14, 1852
• Samuel Gridley Howe to Sen. Charles Sumner, March 15, 1852
• Sen. Henry Clay to Daniel Ulman, March 18, 1852
• March 20, 1852. Harriet Beecher Stowe’s Uncle Tom’s Cabin is published as a book by John B. Jewett, 300,000 copies were sold during its first year of publication. She cites Josiah Henson’s memoir, The Life of Josiah Henson, Formerly a Slave, Now an Inhabitant of Canada as a source of inspiration for the character of Uncle Tom, though the fictional character differs in significant ways from Henson himself.
• John Brown to his Children, March 20, 1852
• Thomas Wentworth Higginson to Louisa Storrow Higginson, aft. March 20, 1852
• Thomas Wentworth Higginson, aft. March 20, 1852
• Sen. Henry Clay to James B. Clay, March 22, 1852
• Congressman Horace Mann to Rev. Cyrus Pierce, March 27, 1852
• Speech of Congressman Albert G. Brown, delivered in the United States House of Representatives, in Reply to his Colleague, Hon. John D. Freeman, on the State of Parties in Mississippi, March 30, 1852
• April 1, 1852. The final installment of Harriet Beecher Stow’s Uncle Tom’s Cabin is published in The National Era.
• Richard Rush to Sen. Robert M. T. Hunter, April 3, 1852
• Sen. Henry Clay to Mary Mentelle Clay, April 7, 1852
• Samuel Gridley Howe to Sen. Charles Sumner, April 8, 1852
• Samuel Gridley Howe to Congressman Horace Mann, April 9, 1852
• Sen. Henry Clay to James B. Clay, April 10, 1852
• Congressman Albert G. Brown’s Speech on Public Printing, April 13-14, 1852
• April 16, 1852, President Millard Fillmore pardoned Daniel Drayton and Edward Sayers. Both men had been imprisoned in Washington, D.C., since 1848 for their roles in the attempted escape of 77 enslaved people aboard the schooner Pearl. Their release, after four years of confinement, came through the combined efforts of abolitionists including Samuel Gridley Howe, Charles Sumner, and others who petitioned the president for clemency.
• Sen. Charles Sumner to George Sumner, April 23, 1852
• Congressman Horace Mann to Dr. Edward Jarvis, April 24, 1852
• Samuel Gridley Howe to Sen. Charles Sumner, April 25, 1852
• Sen. Charles Sumner to George Sumner, April 26, 1852
• Wendell Phillips to Sen. Charles Sumner, April 27, 1852
• Congressman Albert G. Brown’s Speech on the Homestead Bill, April 28, 1852
• Sen. Charles Sumner to Henry Wilson, April 29, 1852
• Sen. Charles Sumner to Henry Wilson, April 29, 1852
• Samuel Gridley Howe to Sen. Charles Sumner, 1852
• Congressman Horace Mann to George Combe, May 8, 1852
• Wendell Phillips to Sen. Charles Sumner, 1852
• Thomas H. Clay to James B. Clay, May 8, 1852
• Thomas H. Clay to Mary Mentelle Clay, May 8, 1852
• Sir William Clay to Sen. Henry Clay, May 8, 1852
• Edmund W. Hubard to Sen. Robert M. T. Hunter, May 8, 1852
• Samuel Gridley Howe to Sen. Charles Sumner, May 11, 1852
• Thomas H. Clay, May 13, 1852
• Robert C. Winthrop to John J. Crittenden, May 13, 1852
• John Brown to his Children, May 14, 1852
• Thomas H. Clay, May 18, 1852
• Samuel Gridley Howe to Sen. Charles Sumner, May 19, 1852
• Thomas H. Clay, May 20, 1852
• Major George H. Crosman to Sen. Robert M. T. Hunter, May 21, 1852
• Daniel S. Dickinson to Mr. Rogers, May 22, 1852
• Thomas H. Clay, May 26, 1852
• Sen. Lewis Cass to Daniel S. Dickinson, May 27, 1852
• Samuel Gridley Howe to Sen. Charles Sumner, May 30, 1852
• Samuel Gridley Howe to Congressman Horace Mann, May 30, 1852
• Thomas H. Clay, June 1, 1852
• Daniel S. Dickinson to Lydia Knapp Dickinson, June 2, 1852 
• John A. Andrew to Sen. Charles Sumner, June 2, 1852
• Thomas H. Clay, June 4, 1852—1 a.m.
• George Booker to Sen. Robert M. T. Hunter, June 7, 1852
• Thomas H. Clay, June 7, 1852
• Sen. Charles Sumner to John Bigelow, June 9, 1852
• Sen. Lewis Cass to Daniel S. Dickinson, June 10, 1852
• John J. Crittenden to Daniel Webster, June 10, 1852
• Daniel Webster to John J. Crittenden, June 11, 1852
• Joshua Leavitt to Sen. Charles Sumner, June 11, 1852
• Thomas H. Clay, June 16, 1852
• A Southerner to Sen. Robert M. T. Hunter, June 14, 1852
• Thomas H. Clay, June 16, 1852
• John W. Browne to Sen. Charles Sumner, June 18, 1852
• Sen. Joseph R. Underwood to John J. Crittenden, June 19, 1852
• Thomas Corwin to John J. Crittenden, Undated
• James Buchanan to John J. Crittenden, Undated
• Sen. Charles Sumner to Charles Francis Adams Sr., June 21, 1852
• Congressman Horace Mann to E. W. Clapp, June 24, 1852
• Congressman Horace Mann, June 24, 1852
• Thomas H. Clay to Mary Mentelle Clay, June 25, 1852
• Sen. Salmon P. Chase to Edward S. Hamlin, June 28, 1852
• Thomas H. Clay, June 29, 1852
• Thomas H. Clay to James O. Harrison, June 29, 1852
• Thomas H. Clay to Mary Mentelle Clay, June 29, 1852
• Henry Wilson to Sen. Charles Sumner, June 29, 1852
• Congressman Horace Mann, June 29, 1852
• Samuel Gridley Howe to Sen. Charles Sumner, July 1852
• Congressman Horace Mann to Mr. Combe, July 1, 1852
• Samuel Gridley Howe to Sen. Charles Sumner, July 2, 1852
• Col. N. E. Paine to Daniel S. Dickinson, July 2, 1852
• Samuel Gridley Howe to Sen. Charles Sumner, July 4, 1852
• John Jay to Sen. Charles Sumner, July 5, 1852
• Sen. Charles Sumner to John Jay, July 8, 1852
• Congressman Horace Mann, July 8, 1852
• Congressman Horace Mann, July 15, 1852
• Congressman Horace Mann, July 16, 1852
• Sen. Salmon P. Chase to Edward S. Hamlin, July 19, 1852
• John J. Crittenden’s Eulogy of Justice John McKinley, July 20, 1852
• John Brown to John Brown Jr., July 20, 1852
• Congressman Albert G. Brown’s Speech on River and Harbor Improvements, July 23, 1852
• Congressman Horace Mann, July 27, 1852
• Congressman Horace Mann to Samuel Downer, July 27, 1852
• Thomas Wentworth Higginson to Louisa Storrow Higginson, August 1852
• Charles Francis Adams Sr. to Sen. Charles Sumner, August 1, 1852
• Richard Rowzee to Sen. Robert M. T. Hunter, August 2, 1852
• Sen. Charles Sumner to Edward L. Pierce, August 6, 1852
• John Brown to John Brown Jr., August 6, 1852
• Sen. Robert M. T. Hunter to Richard Rowzee, August 9, 1852
• Richard Henry Dana Jr. to Sen. Charles Sumner, August 9, 1852
• Nathaniel P. Banks Jr. to Sen. Charles Sumner, August 9, 1852
• Congressman Horace Mann to Theodore Parker, August 10, 1852
• John Brown to Ruth Brown Thompson, August 10, 1852
• Sen. Charles Sumner to Samuel Gridley Howe, August 11, 1852
• Sen. Salmon P. Chase to Edward S. Hamlin, August 13, 1852
• Jefferson Davis to Sen. Robert M. T. Hunter, August 22, 1852
• Sen. Salmon P. Chase to Edward S. Hamlin, August 27, 1852
• Sen. Salmon P. Chase to Sen. Charles Sumner, September 9, 1852
• John Brown to John Brown Jr., September 21, 1852
• John Brown to his Children, September 24, 1852
• John J. Crittenden’s Address on the Life and Death of Henry Clay, September 29, 1852
• Daniel Stewart to Daniel S. Dickinson, September 30, 1852
• Samuel Gridley Howe to Congressman Horace Mann, October 21, 1852
• John W. Duncan to Sen. Robert M. T. Hunter, October 23, 1852
• Thomas Wentworth Higginson, November 1852
• Frank G. Ruffin to Sen. Robert M. T. Hunter, November 2, 1852
• Gerrit Smith to the Voters of the Counties of Oswego & Madison, New York, November 5, 1852
• Herschel V. Johnson to Sen. Robert M. T. Hunter, November 8, 1852
• Henry A. Wise to Sen. Robert M. T. Hunter, November 10, 1852
• Sen. Robert M. T. Hunter to John W. Fink, November 15, 1852
• John W. Fink to Sen. Robert M. T. Hunter, November 15, 1852
• John Brown to John Brown Jr., November 20, 1852
• Daniel S. Dickinson to Mr. W. S. Brown, December 1, 1852
• Sen. Salmon P. Chase to Edward S. Hamlin, December 2, 1852
• Sen. Robert M. T. Hunter to Herschel V. Johnson, December 2, 1852
• John Brown to John Brown Jr., December 8, 1852
• John Brown to John Brown Jr., December 9, 1852
• John Brown to John Brown Jr., December 15, 1852
• John Brown to John Brown Jr., December 22, 1852
• John Brown to Mary Ann Day Brown, December 27, 1852
• Thomas Wentworth Higginson, December 31, 1852
• Samuel Gridley Howe to Congressman Horace Mann, January 6, 1853
• Miss Anne C. Lynch to Mr. & Mrs. Daniel S. Dickinson, January 7, 1853
• Samuel Gridley Howe to Sen. Charles Sumner, January 7, 1853
• John Brown to Mary Ann Day Brown, January 16, 1853
• Samuel Gridley Howe to Sen. Charles Sumner, January 16, 1853
• Lucius B. Peck to Daniel S. Dickinson, January 24, 1853
• Sen. Salmon P. Chase to Edward S. Hamlin, February 4, 1853
• John Brown to his Children, February 21, 1853
• Edward Everett to John J. Crittenden, February 26, 1853
• Franklin Pierce to John J. Crittenden, March 4, 1853
• Sen. Charles Sumner to John Bigelow, March 26, 1853
• John Brown to Henry & Ruth (Brown) Thompson, April 6, 1853
• Henry A. Wise to Sen. Robert M. T. Hunter, April 16, 1853
• John H. Hill to William Still, April 23, 1853
• Thomas Wentworth Higginson to Louisa Storrow Higginson, June 1853
• Sen. Salmon P. Chase to Sen. Charles Sumner, June 13, 1853
• John Brown to his Children, June 30, 1853
• Sen. Salmon P. Chase to Sen. Edward L. Pierce, July 4, 1853
• Samuel Gridley Howe to Sen. Charles Sumner, July 5, 1853
• Samuel Gridley Howe to Theodore Parker, July 5, 1853
• Samuel Gridley Howe to Horace Mann, December 16, 1853
• John Brown to John Brown Jr., August 26, 1853
• Sen. Salmon P. Chase to Sen. Charles Sumner, September 3, 1853
• Daniel S. Dickinson to Henry Orr, September 13, 1853
• Daniel S. Dickenson, published September 16, 1853
• John Brown to His Children, September 23, 1853
• John Brown to His Children, September 24, 1853
• Amos Tuck to Dr. D. H. Batchelder, September 28, 1853
• John H. Hill to William Still, October 30, 1853
• Col. Robert Selden Garnett to Sen. Robert M. T. Hunter, November 5, 1853
• John H. Hill to William Still, November 12, 1853
• Samuel Gridley Howe to Horace Mann, December 16, 1853
• John Greenleaf Whittier to Julia Ward Howe, December 29, 1853
• John H. Hill to William Still, December 29, 1853
• Samuel Gridley Howe to Theodore Parker, Between December 17 & December 31, 1853
• To Charles Sumner: A Poem by John Greenleaf Whittier, 1854
• Thomas Wentworth Higginson, 1854
• Mrs. Louisa E. White to William Henry Gilliam, 1854
• Sen. Salmon P. Chase to Edward L. Pierce, January 17, 1854
• John H. Hill to William Still, January 19, 1954
• Sen. Salmon P. Chase to Edward S. Hamlin, January 22, 1854
• Sen. Salmon P. Chase to Edward S. Hamlin, January 23, 1854
• Samuel Gridley Howe to Horace Mann, January 24, 1851
• John Brown to his Children, January 25, 1854
• Samuel Gridley Howe to Theodore Parker, 1854
• Sen. Archibald Dixon to John J. Crittenden, February 7, 1854
• John Brown to John Brown Jr., February 9, 1854
• Sen. Salmon P. Chase to Edward S. Hamlin, February 10, 1854
• Alexander Stephens: Speech on Nebraska and Kansas, February 17, 1854
• Isaac Forman to William Still, February 20, 1854
• Salmon Brown to William Still, Februrary 20, 1854
• Congressman Moses H. Grinnell to John J. Crittenden, February 22, 1854
• Sen. Salmon P. Chase to Edward L. Pierce, February 23, 1854
• John Brown to John Brown Jr., February 24, 1854
• Speech of Andrew Butler, March 2, 1854
• John J. Crittenden to Congressman Presley Ewing, March 6, 1854
• John Clayton to William Still, March 6, 1854
• John J. Crittenden to Sen. Archibald Dixon, March 7, 1854
• John H. Hill to William Still, March 8, 1854
• Thomas Corwin to John J. Crittenden, March 10, 1854
• Sen. Salmon P. Chase to Edward L. Pierce, March 12, 1854
• First Order of Commitment of Davis, March 17, 1854
• John H. Hill to William Still, March 18, 1854
• Maj. Gen. Winfield Scott to John J. Crittenden, March 21, 1854
• Re-commitment of Davis, March 21, 1854
• Daniel Wiggins alias David Robinson, March 22, 1854
• Speech of John C. Breckinridge, March 23, 1854
• James Burrel alias W. Boural to William Still, March 28, 1854
• Mccullough And Co. to Sen. James A. Bayard Jr., March 29, 1854
• Maj. Gen. Winfield Scott to John J. Crittenden, April 3, 1854
• John Brown to John Brown Jr., April 3, 1854
• Thomas Wentworth Higginson to Maria Weston Chapman, April 13, 1854 - Thanksgiving Day
• John Brown to His Children, April 14, 1854
• Sen. Salmon P. Chase to Edward S. Hamlin, April 25, 1854
• Samuel Gridley Howe to Theodore Parker, May 1854
• Isaac Forman to William Still, May 7, 1854
• William Henry Gilliam, May 15, 1854
• Sen. Salmon P. Chase to Edward L. Pierce, May 16, 1854
• Sen. Salmon P. Chase to Edward L. Pierce, May 21, 1854
• May 24, 1854, Anthony Burns, a fugitive slave from Virginia, was arrested by Deputy Marshal Asa O. Butman the corner of Court and Hanover streets in Boston, Massachusetts.
• James W. C. Pennington to William Still, May 24, 1854
• Speech of John Bell, May 24 & 25, 1854
• C. L. Groce to Luke, May 28, 1854
• The Kansas-Nebraska Act, May 30, 1854
• Samuel Gridley Howe to Theodore Parker, June 1854
• William Henry Gilliam to William Still, June 8, 1854
• Samuel Gridley Howe to Horace Man, June 18, 1854
• Jacob Bigelow to William Still, June 22, 1854
• Robert C. Winthrop to John J. Crittenden, June 25, 1854
• Jacob Bigelow to William Still, June 27, 1854
• Sen. Salmon P. Chase to Edward S. Hamlin, July 21, 1854
• Hiram Wilson to William Still, July 24, 1854
• William Henry Atkins, August 4, 1854
• Sen. Salmon P. Chase to Edward L. Pierce, August 8, 1854
• John Brown to His Children, August 24, 1854
• Sen. Jesse D. Bright to Sen. Robert M. T. Hunter, September 2, 1854
• John Atkinson, September 4, 1854
• John H. Hill to William Still, September 14, 1854
• Jacob Bigelow, October 3, 1854
• William Henry Atkins to William Still, October 5, 1854
• John Atkinson to William Still, October 5, 1854
• Ellen Saunders to William Still, October 16, 1854
• The Ostend Manifesto, October 18, 1854
• Sen. Salmon P. Chase to Edward S. Hamlin, November 2, 1854
• John Brown to His Children, November 2, 1854
• Sen. Salmon P. Chase to Edward S. Hamilin, November 11, 1854
• Thomas Wentworth Higginson, November 20, 1854
• Sen. Salmon P. Chase to Edward S. Hamilin, November 21, 1854
• Thomas Garrett to James Miller McKim, December 29, 1854
• Thomas Wentworth Higginson to Ralph Waldo Emerson, 1855
• Thomas Wentworth Higginson, January 1855
• Amos A. Lawrence to Congressman Thomas Benton Hart, January 2, 1855
• John Brown to His Children, January 3, 1855
• John H. Hill to William Still, January 7, 1855
• Sen. Salmon P. Chase to Edward S. Hamilin, January 12, 1855
• Daniel Fletcher Webster to Daniel S. Dickinson, January 21, 1855
• Sen. Salmon P. Chase to Edward S. Hamilin, January 22, 1855
• J. B. Smith to William Still, January 25, 1855
• Sen. Salmon P. Chase to Edward S. Hamilin, February 9, 1855
• John Brown to His Children, February 13, 1855
• Sen. Salmon P. Chase to A. M. G., February 15, 1855
• Sen. David R. Atchison to Sen. Robert M. T. Hunter, March 4, 1855
• Lewis E. Harvie to Sen. Robert M. T. Hunter, March 5, 1855
• Emma Brown to William Still, March 14, 1855
• Lewis E. Harvie to Sen. Robert M. T. Hunter, March 17, 1855
• Daniel S. Dickinson to Mr. Rogers, March 25, 1855
• A. Goodwin, March 25, 1855
• Amos A. Lawrence to David R. Atchison, March 31, 1855
• Thomas Wentworth Higginson, April 1855
• Joseph Robinson to William Still, April 16, 1855
• Amos A. Lawrence to Franklin Pierce, April 17, 1855
• John Brown to His Children, May 7, 1855
• John C. Palmer to Thomas H. Webb, May 7, 1855
• Sen. Salmon P. Chase to Congressman Louis D. Campbell, May 25, 1855
• Daniel S. Dickinson to Charles E. Dyke, June 1855
• Albert Metter to William Still, June 1, 1855
• John L. Dawson to Sen. Robert M. T. Hunter, June 2, 1855
• John Brown to His Children, June 4, 1855
• Isaac E. Holmes to Sen. Robert M. T. Hunter, June 8, 1855
• John Brown to His Children, June 18, 1855
• John Brown Jr. to John Brown, June 22, 1855
• Salmon Brown to John Brown, June 22, 1855
• Thomas A. Glover to Sen. Robert M. T. Hunter, June 23, 1855
• Jason T. Brown to John Brown & Family, June 23, 1855
• Thomas Bayne to William Still, June 23, 1855
• John Brown to Mary Ann Day Brown & Children, June 28, 1855
• Hiram Wilson to William Still, June 28, 1855
• Frederick Douglass to Dr. James M. Smith, July 2, 1855
• Rev. Hiram Wilson to William Still, July 2, 1855
• Sheridan W. Ford to William Still, July 2, 1855
• Hiram Wilson to William Still, July 6, 1855
• Maj. Robert Selden Garnett to Sen. Robert M. T. Hunter, July 8, 1855
• Amos A. Lawrence to Franklin Pierce, July 15, 1855
• Amos A. Lawrence to Dr. Webb, July 20, 1855
• Amos A. Lawrence to Charles L. Robinson, July 20, 1855
• For Sale, Or Exchange For Town Property, Negroes, &c., July 2, 1855
• Oliver Brown to Mary Ann Day Brown, August 8, 1855
• James Buchanan to Daniel S. Dickinson, August 9, 1855
• John L. Dawson to Sen. Robert M. T. Hunter, August 10, 1855
• Amos A. Lawrence to Charles A. Robinson, August 10, 1855
• Amos A. Lawrence to Maj. James B. Abbott, August 11, 1855
• Sydney Howard Gay to William Still, August 17, 1855
• Amos A. Lawrence to Maj. James B. Abbott, August 20, 1855
• Hiram Wilson to William Still, August 20, 1855
• William Brown, August 22, 1855
• John Brown to his Family, August 23, 1855
• Amos A. Lawrence to Maj. James B. Abbott, August 24, 1855
• Samuel Miles to William Still, August 25, 1855
• John L. Dawson to Sen. Robert M. T. Hunter, August 25, 1855
• Mary D. Armstead to William Still, August 26, 1855
• John Brown to his Family, September 4, 1855
• William L. Jackson to Frederick W. Coleman, September 5, 1855
• Jacob Bigelow to William Still, September 9, 1855
• Jacob Bigelow to William Still, September 11, 1855
• Will Kansas be a Slave State, published September 28, 1855
• Jacob Bigelow to William Still, October 6, 1855
• Jacob Bigelow to William Still, October 12, 1855
• John Brown to his Family, October 13, 1855
• John Brown to his Family, October 14, 1855
• Frances Hilliard to William Still, October 15, 1855
• Daniel S. Dickinson to Gov. Salmon P. Chase, October 28, 1855
• Miss G. A. Lewis to William Still, October 28, 1855
• Miss G. A. Lewis to William Still, October 29, 1855
• John Brown to his Family, November 2, 1855
• Jacob Bigelow, November 10, 1855
• Henry Washington to William Still, November 12, 1855
• November 21, 1855, Charles Dow, a Free-State settler, was shot and killed by pro-slavery settler Franklin Coleman near Hickory Point, Kansas Territory.
• John Brown to his Family, November 23, 1855
• A. D. Banks to Sen. Robert M. T. Hunter, November 23, 1855
• November 26, 1855, A Free-State posse led by Samuel Newitt Wood arrests Franklin Coleman and others. In retaliation, pro-slavery sheriff Samuel J. Jones gathers a posse to rescue them and quell Free-State resistance.
• Jacob Bigelow to William Still, November 26, 1855
• Daniel Woodson to Brig. Gen. Lucian J. Eastin, November 27, 1855
• November 28, 1855, the Wakarusa War began when Sheriff Samuel J. Jones calls for help from pro-slavery forces in Missouri, claiming an insurrection. Hundreds of "Border Ruffians" cross into Kansas to support him.
• Elijah F. Pennypacker to William Still, November 29, 1855
• November 30, 1855, a pro-slavery militia of nearly 1,500 men assembled near Franklin, Kansas and marched on Lawrence, Kansas, a Free-State stronghold. The town prepares for defense, and Free-State leaders like Charles Robinson and James H. Lane organize a militia of around 800 men.
• December 1–5, Pro-slavery forces encamp along the Wakarusa River, while Free-Staters fortify Lawrence, Kansas. A few small skirmishes occur.
• Horace Greeley to Charles A. Dana, December 1, 1855
• James Hunter to Sen. Robert M. T. Hunter, December 3, 1855
• James A. Seddon to Sen. Robert M. T. Hunter, December 3, 1855
• Charles L. Robinson to Amos A. Lawrence, December 4, 1855
• December 6, 1855, Thomas Barber, a Free-Stater, was killed on the road between Lawrence and Blanton’s Bridge, about three to four miles southwest of Lawrence, Kansas Territory.
• December 8, 1855 – Under growing pressure for peace and facing harsh conditions in the pro-slavery camp, a truce was brokered by Kansas Territorial Governor Wilson Shannon. The agreement led to the withdrawal of most forces without a major battle, effectively ending the Wakarusa War.
• Amos A. Lawrence to Franklin Pierce, December 10, 1855
• Amos A. Lawrence to Charles L. Robinson, December 10, 1855
• John Brown to his Family, December 16, 1855
• John Brown to his Family, December 17, 1855
• Thomas Garrett to William Still, December 19, 1855
• S. M. Pettengill Co. to John T. Russell [Publisher] of [the] Argus, December 25, 1855
• Lieu.-Col. Robert E. Lee, 1856
• Caroline Graves to William Still, January 22, 1856
• John H. Hill to William Still, January 24, 1856
• John Brown to Congressman Joshua R. Giddings, January 27, 1856
• Agness Willis to William Still, January 28, 1856
• John Brown to his Family, February 1, 1856
• William W. Hall’s Advertisement for the Return of W. W. Davidson’s Negroes, about February 1, 1856
• Muscoe R. H. Garnett to Sen. Robert M. T. Hunter, February 5, 1856
• John Brown to his Family, February 6, 1856
• Sen. John J. Crittenden to Albert T. Burnley, February 16, 1856
• John Brown to Congressman Joshua R. Giddings, February 20, 1856
• William O. Goode to Sen. Robert M. T. Hunter, February 21, 1856
• John Brown to his Family, February 26, 1856
• A. E. Jonas’ Advertisement for the Return of his “Negro Man,” Tom Matthews, shortly after March 2, 1856
• Anthony and Albert Brown, March 7, 1856
• Edward Kennan to Sen. Robert M. T. Hunter, March 15, 1856
• Congressman Joshua R. Giddings to John Brown, March 17, 1856
• Isaac E. Holmes to Sen. Andrew P. Butler, March 17, 1856
• Charles Mason to Sen. Robert M. T. Hunter, March 18, 1856
• Thomas Garrett to William Still, March 23, 1856
• March 24, 1856, delegates from Kansas Territory—including prominent Free-Staters such as Charles Robinson and Samuel Pomeroy, both linked to the New England Emigrant Aid Society—submitted the Kansas Memorial to the U.S. House of Representatives. The petition appealed to Congress for redress of grievances stemming from the violent and fraudulent actions of pro-slavery "Border Ruffians" from Missouri, the installation of a pro-slavery territorial legislature elected through intimidation and illegal voting, and the suppression of Free-State settlers' fundamental rights, including free speech, a free press, and fair elections.
• Joseph Cassey Bustill to William Still, March 24, 1856
• William Ross Wallace to Daniel S. Dickinson, March 25, 1856
• John Hall to William Still, March 25, 1856
• David M. Stone to Sen. Robert M. T. Hunter, March 25, 1856
• Owen Brown Sr. to John Brown, March 27, 1856
• Maj. Gen. Winfield Scott to Sen. John J. Crittenden, March 28, 1856
• Sen. Charles Levi Woodbury to Sen. Robert M. T. Hunter, April 1, 1856
• Jacob Bigelow, April 3, 1856
• John Brown to his Family, April 7, 1856
• Francis Mallory to Sen. Robert M. T. Hunter, April 13, 1856
• Maj. Robert Selden Garnett to Sen. Robert M. T. Hunter, April 20, 1856
• Jacob Bigelow, April 23, 1856
• Abbott Lawrence to Sen. John J. Crittenden, April 25, 1856
• Thomas Garrett to James Miller McKim & William Still, May 11, 1856
• Francis Mallory to Sen. Robert M. T. Hunter, May 11, 1856
• Congressman Benjamin Pringle to Emory Upton, March 12, 1856
• Francis Mallory to Sen. Robert M. T. Hunter, May 15, 1856
• Charles Sumner's "The Crime Against Kansas" Speech, May 19-20, 1856
• May 21, 1856, marked the Sacking of Lawrence, Kansas, when a pro-slavery force of about 800 men—many of them Missouri "Border Ruffians"—attacked the Free-State stronghold of Lawrence. Ostensibly acting on warrants against anti-slavery leaders, the mob instead launched a politically charged assault. They burned the Free State Hotel, destroyed the presses of The Herald of Freedom and The Kansas Free State, and looted homes and businesses. Though the destruction was extensive, no one was killed in the raid.
• May 22, 1856, Congressman Preston Brooks attacked Senator Charles Sumner on the floor of the United States Senate, savagely beating him with a gold-headed cane and causing serious injury.
• May 23, 1856, amid escalating violence following the Sacking of Lawrence, pro-slavery forces led by Henry C. Pate captured two of John Brown’s sons, John Brown Jr. and Jason Brown, near Osawatomie, Kansas
• A Good Deed — published May 23, 1856
• Senator Sumner Chastised by Mr. Brooks, of South Carolina — published May 23, 1856
• George W. Thompson to Sen. Robert M. T. Hunter, May 24, 1856
• Mr. Sumner Improving — published May 24, 1856
• Excitement In Boston — published May 24, 1856
• On the night of May 24–25, 1856, The Pottawatomie Massacre. John Brown, five of his sons, and three other associates murdered five proslavery men at three different cabins along the banks of Pottawatomie Creek, attacked and killed five pro-slavery settlers along Pottawatomie Creek in Franklin County, Kansas.
• Public Meeting In Boston — published May 26, 1856
• Messrs. Brooks And Sumner — published May 26, 1856
• The assault by Mr. Brooks of S. C., upon Mr. Sumner, of Massachusetts . . . — published May 27, 1856
• Reported Challenge — published May 27, 1856
• Sumner’s Speech — published My 27, 1856
• Outpouring of Indignation in the Massachusetts Legislature — published May 27, 1856
• Public Opinion At The South — published May 27, 1856
• The Assault On Senator Sumner — published May 27, 1856
• The Slavery Discussion — published May 27, 1856
• Mr. Brooks Bailed — published May 27, 1856
• A Profitable War — published May 28, 1856
• Investigation Of The Sumner Assault — published May 28, 1856
• Sumner’s Blood Shirt Sent To Boston — published May 28, 1856
• Mr. Sumner — published May 28, 1856
• Julia Ward Howe to her Sisters, May 29, 1856
• Mr. Sumner — published May 30, 1856
• Cane For Mr. Brooks — published May 30, 1856
• Daniel S. Dickinson to Mr. Rogers, May 31, 1856
• John Brown to his Family, June 1856
• Harriet Eglin to William Still, June 1856
• June 2, 1856 – The Battle of Black Jack: John Brown led 30–40 Free-State men in a surprise dawn attack on Henry C. Pate’s similarly sized pro-slavery force near Black Jack Creek, Kansas. After 3–5 hours of fighting from natural cover, Pate’s men, low on ammunition, surrendered. Brown captured 23 men, including Pate, and later exchanged them for the release of his sons.
• Sympathy For Sumner — published June 2, 1856
• Fizzled Out — published June 2, 1856
• Brooks and Wilson—Dueling, Street-Fights, or Personal Abuse — published June 2, 1856
• The Assault on Mr. Sumner—Indignation Meeting In New York — published June 2, 1856
• Massachusetts Men to be Defended — published June 2, 1856
• Just as We Expected! — published June 4, 1856
• We expressed our regret, that Mr. Brooks did not . . . — published June 4, 1856
• The Sumner Assault—Mr. Brooks’ Letter — published June 4, 1856
• Sale Of Negroes — published June 4, 1856
• James H. Forman to William Still, June 5, 1856
• Mr. Sumner’s Condition — published June 5, 1856
• A few days before he delivered his speech . . . — published June 6, 1856
• The Editor of the Democratic Review Dangerously Stabbed — published June 6, 1856
• June 7, 1856, a pro-slavery force of about 75 men, likely from Missouri, raided Osawatomie, Kansas. They looted homes and stores, threatened residents, and sought to intimidate the Free-State community. Although no major battle took place and the town was not burned, the raid marked the start of direct assaults on the settlement.
• The Late Case of Assault in the Senate Chamber — published June 7, 1856
• The Stabbing of Buell — published June 7, 1856
• Quizzing — published June 7, 1856
• Effigies of President Pierce and Mr. Brooks — published June 7, 1856
• Erastus T. Montague to Sen. Robert M. T. Hunter, June 9, 1856
• Wilson, of Massachusetts — published June 9, 1856
• Roger A. Pryor to Sen. Robert M. T. Hunter, June 11, 1856
• One Hundred and Fifty Dollars Reward, June 12, 1856
• John W. Anderson’s Advertisement for the return of a “Negro Man, Alfred,” June 12, 1856
• Mr. Sumner — published June 13, 1856
• In giving notice of his intention to speak in the Senate . . . — June 13, 1856
• Lewis E. Harvie to Sen. Robert M. T. Hunter, June 16, 1856
• Thomas Wentworth Higginson to Louisa Storrow Higginson, June 26, 1856
• Anthony Brown to William Still, June 26, 1856
• Speech of Stephen Adams in the United States Senate, July 2, 1856
• Thomas Garrett to William Still, July 19, 1856
• James H. Forman to William Still, July 24, 1856
• Jesse D. Bright to Daniel S. Dickinson, July 26, 1856
• Harriet Eglin to William Still, July 31, 1856
• John Brown to Edmund B. Whitman, August 1856
• Speech of Edward Wade, August 2, 1856
• Robert Jones to William Still, August 9, 1856
• Daniel Robertson to William Still, August 11, 1856
• August 12, 1856, about 75 Free-State men from Lawrence, Kansas—led by James H. Lane, Samuel Walker, and Augustus Wattles—launched a surprise night raid on Franklin, Kansas, a pro-slavery stronghold. Their goal was to disarm the defenders and capture “Old Sacramento,” a six-pounder brass cannon originally seized by U.S. forces at the 1847 Battle of Sacramento during the Mexican-American War. The cannon had been brought to Kansas and used by pro-slavery forces at Franklin’s Fort to intimidate Free-State settlers. After a brief fight—facilitated by setting fire to a hay wagon pushed against a building—Free-Staters captured the fort, killed six defenders, and seized the cannon. “Old Sacramento” was taken to Lawrence and later used in its defense.
• H. Stratton to John Brown, August 12, 1856
• John Brown Jr. to John Brown, August 14, 1856
• John H. Hill to William Still, August 15, 1856
• John Brown Jr. to John Brown, August 16, 1856
• John Brown Jr. to Jason Brown et al, August 16, 1856
• James Monroe, Peter Heines, Henry James Morris, and MatthewBodams to William Still, August 17, 1856
• N Coryell to William Still, August 18, 1856
• John Brown Jr. to Jason Brown et al, August 19, 1856
• Cyrus Adams to his Brother, August 24, 1856
• Owen Brown Jr. to Mary Ann Day Brown, August 27, 1856
• Thomas Wentworth Higginson to Louisa Storrow Higginson, August 29, 1856
• August 30, 1856, a pro-slavery force of 250–300 men led by Missouri militia leader John W. Reid attacked Osawatomie, Kansas, aiming to crush the Free-State stronghold. About 30–40 defenders, including abolitionist John Brown, offered brief resistance but were quickly overwhelmed. Brown’s son Frederick was killed, and the attackers burned much of the town, looting homes and property. Most residents fled and survived, but the town was left in ruins.
• Thomas Wentworth Higginson to Louisa Storrow Higginson, August 31, 1856
• Amos A. Lawrence to Sarah Lawrence Robinson, September 1856
• September 1, 1856, the first day of Clarke’s Raid: Captain John A. Clarke led over 200 pro-slavery men, many from Missouri, in coordinated attacks on Free-State farms near Willow Springs, Douglas County, Kansas. They burned homes and barns, destroyed crops, looted livestock, and drove out settlers. They encountered little resistance due to the speed and surprise of the assault.
• September 2, 1856, the second Day of Clarke’s Raid: Captain John A. Clarke’s pro-slavery force continued its sweep through Douglas County, Kansas Territory, expanding attacks on Free-State farms and homesteads. The raiders burned additional homes, seized weapons and supplies, and disrupted transportation routes. Some Free-State settlers began organizing resistance, but the pro-slavery force remained largely unchallenged. The campaign intensified the atmosphere of fear and forced more Free-State families to flee or go into hiding. Clarke reportedly claimed he was acting under the authority of Governor Wilson Shannon, though no formal authorization was ever confirmed.
• September 3, 1856, the final day of Clarke’s Raid: Captain John A. Clarke’s pro-slavery force completed its destructive sweep through Douglas County, Kansas. They continued to destroy Free-State property, burning homes and barns, and seizing livestock and supplies. By this point, Free-State resistance had grown but was still insufficient to stop the raiders. After three days of raids, Clarke’s men retreated, having inflicted significant damage intended to intimidate anti-slavery settlers and weaken the Free-State movement.
• Thomas Wentworth Higginson, September 3, 1856
• Samuel Gridley How to William M. Langhorne, September 5, 1856
• Mrs. Emily Thompson's Advertisement for the Return of Emiline Chapman, a Runaway Slave, September 6, 1856
• John Brown to his Family, September 7, 1856
• John Brown: The Fight of Osawatomie, September 7, 1856
• John Brown Jr. to John Brown, September 8, 1856
• Ralph Waldo Emerson's Speech on Affairs in Kansas, September 10, 1856
• George L. Stearns to Rev. G. F. Clarke, September 10, 1856
• Charles Robinson to John Brown, September 13, 1856
• Charles Robinson to John Brown, September 14, 1856
• George L. Stearns, September 15, 1856
• John H. Hill to William Still, September 15, 1856
• Hiram Wilson to William Still, September 15, 1856
• John Hall to William Still, September 15, 1856
• Thomas Wentworth Higginson to a Friend, September 16, 1856
• Thomas Garrett to William Still, September 16, 1856
• Thomas B. Owings' Advertisement for the Return of Fugitive Slaves Sam and Isaac, about September 20, 1856
• Robert Dade's Advertisement for the Return of Fugitive Slaves Perry and Charles, about September 20, 1856
• Rev. William A. Bartlett to Daniel S. Dickinson, September 22, 1856
• Charles H. Branscomb to John Brown, September 22, 1856
• Amos A. Lawrence to a Quaker of Lynn, Massachusetts, September 24, 1856
• Thomas Wentworth Higginson, September 24, 1856
• Reverdy Johnson to Daniel S. Dickinson, September 27, 1856
• Jefferson Pipkins to William Still, September 28, 1856
• John Hall to William Still, September 29, 1856
• N. Coryell to William Still, September 29, 1856
• George L. Stearns to Harvey B. Hurd, September 30, 1856
• Jeremiah Wesley Loguen to William Still, October 5, 1856
• James Alfred Pearce to Sen. Robert M. T. Hunter, October 17, 1856
• W. Grandin to Sen. Robert M. T. Hunter, October 18, 1856
• Rebecca Jones to William Still, October 18, 1856
• Joseph Dana Webster to Dr. Joseph P. Root, October 25, 1856
• Horace White to John Brown, October 26, 1856
• Harriet Eglin to William Still, October 28, 1856
• Thomas Wentworth Higginson to a Member of the Dabney Family, October 9, 1856
• Watson Brown to Mary Ann Day Brown and Family, October 30, 1856
• Thomas Wentworth Higginson, November 1857
• Journal of Amos A. Lawrence, November 5, 1856
• Thomas Garrett to William Still, November 6, 1856
• John Pettit to Sen. Robert M. T. Hunter, November 10, 1856
• Daniel M. Barringer to Sen. Robert M. T. Hunter, November 11, 1856
• Advertisement for the Return of Fugitive Slaves, shortly after November 15, 1856
• George W. Munford to Sen. Robert M. T. Hunter, November 22, 1856
• Lewis E. Harvie to Sen. Robert M. T. Hunter, November 23, 1856
• William Penn to William Still, December 9, 1856
• Gov. Salmon P. Chase to Sen. Charles Sumner, December 13, 1856
• George Booker to Sen. Robert M. T. Hunter, November 16, 1856
• George L. Stearns to Henry H. Van Dyck, December 18, 1856
• Franklin B. Sanborn to Harvey B. Hurd, December 18, 1856
• George L. Stearns to Edmund B. Whitman, December 18, 1856
• Endorsement of Gov. Salmon P. Chase, December 20, 1856
• Massachusettes Kansas Committee to Gov. James W. Grimes, December 20, 1856
• John Hall to William Still, December 23, 1856
• Daniel S. Dickinson to Mr. Rogers, December 25, 1856
• Gerrit Smith to John Brown, December 30, 1856
• Samuel Green, 1857
• Thomas Wentworth Higginson to Louisa Storrow Higginson, 1857
• John Brown: The Lawrence Foray, January, 1857
• N. Coryell to William Still, January 2, 1857
• Franklin B. Sanborn to Harvey B. Hurd, January 3, 1857
• John H. Hill to William Still, January 5, 1857
• Brig. Gen. States Rights Gist to Maj. W. H. Trimmier, January 6, 1857
• The Massachusetts Kansas Aid Committee, January 7, 1857
• George L. Stearns to John Brown, January 8, 1857
• Bennett & Gross' Advertisement to Hire Out Two Negro Boys & Two Women, January 8, 1857
• Thomas Wentworth Higginson, January 9, 1857
• Charles J. Higginson to John Brown, January 10, 1857
• Franklin B. Sanborn to Edward Clark, January 15, 1857
• P. H. Flanigan's Advertizement for the Return of Tom Vinegrum & Jeremiah, Fugitive Slaves, January 15, 1857
• High Price of Negroes, January 22, 1857
• Thomas Wentworth Higginson to George William Curtis, January 23, 1857
• Resolutions of the National Kansas Committee, January 24, 1857
• Horace White to John Brown, January 27, 1857
• Thomas Wentworth Higginson, January 27, 1857
• Important to the Owners and Hirers of Slaves, January 22, 1857
• Daniel S. Dickinson to Mr. W. S. Brown, January 24, 1857
• Daniel S. Dickinson to Judge I. T. Bosworth, January 24, 1857
• The Massachusetts Kansas Committee to Edward Clark, January 30, 1857
• Thomas Wentworth Higginson, February 1857
• Thomas Wentworth Higginson, February 1857
• Thomas Wentworth Higginson, about February 1857
• John Brown to Rev. Samuel Lyle Adair, February 16, 1857
• Horace White to John Brown, February 18, 1857
• Amos A. Lawrence to John Brown, February 19, 1857
• Joseph Lea, of Hecker, Lea & Co. to Senator Robert M. T. Hunter, February 23, 1857
• Thomas F. Page to William Still, February 25, 1857
• John Brown's Address to the People of Connecticut, approximately March, 1857
• Diary of Ralph Waldo Emerson, March 1857
• James Buchanan's Inaugural Address, March 4, 1857
• John Brown to the Friends of Freedom, March 4, 1857
• March 6, 1857, The United States Supreme Court issues its decision in Dred Scott v. Sandford, ruling Dred Scott, an enslaved African American man who had lived in free territories, was not a citizen and therefore had no right to sue in federal court. It also declared that Congress had no authority to prohibit slavery in U.S. territories
• James Buchanan to Jeremiah H. Black, March 6, 1857
• John Brown to Mary Ann Day Brown, March 7, 1857
• Lewis E. Harvie to Senator Robert M. T. Hunter, March 11, 1857
• John Brown to his Family, March 12, 1857
• Thomas Garrett to Samuel Rhoads, March 13, 1857
• Congressman Eli Thayer to John Brown, March 18, 1857
• Congressman Eli Thayer to John Brown, March 19, 1857
• Amos A. Lawrence to John Brown, March 20, 1857
• Horace White to John Brown, March 21, 1857
• William Brinkly to a member of the Vigilance Committee of Philadelphia, March 23, 1857
• Contract Between John Brown and Charles Blair, March 30, 1857
• Congressman Eli Thayer to John Brown, March 30, 1857
• John Brown to Mary Ann Day Brown, March 31, 1857
• John Brown to Rev. Samuel & Mrs. Florella Brown Adair, March 31, 1857
• John Brown: Old Brown's Farewell, April 1857
• Theodore Parker to Judge Thomas Russell, April 1857
• Harvey B. Hurd to John Brown, April 1, 1857
• Congressman Eli Thayer to Ethan Allen & Thomas Wheelock, April 4, 1857
• John Brown to Augustas Wattles, April 8, 1857
• John Brown to Horatio N. Rust, April 12, 1857
• Will of John Brown, April 13, 1857
• Daniel S. Dickinson to Henry S. Randall, April 14, 1857
• Charles Blair to John Brown, April 15, 1857
• George L. Stearns to John Brown, April 15, 1857
• George L. Stearns, April 15, 1857
• John Brown to Congressman Eli Thayer, April 16, 1857
• Horatio N. Rust to John Brown, April 17, 1857
• Congressman Eli Thayer to John Brown, April 17, 1857
• J. W. Randolph's Advertisement for the Return of a Fugitive Slave, April 18, 1857
• Ethan Allen & Thomas Wheelock, April 20, 1857
• John Brown: An Idea of Things in Kansas, Spring 1857
• Francis Mallory to Senator Robert M. T. Hunter, April 21, 1857
• John Brown to his Children, April 23, 1857
• James Masey to his Wife, April 24, 1857
• John Brown to Horatio N. Rust, April 25, 1857
• Lewis Cobb to William Still, April 25, 1857
• Draft of William H. D. Callender to Hugh Forbes, April 27, 1857
• Draft of William H. D. Callender to Hugh Forbes, April 29, 1857
• George L. Stearns to John Brown, April 29, 1857
• James H. Holmes to John Brown, April 30, 1857
• James H. Holmes to John Brown, April 30, 1857 - 3 p.m.
• George L. Stearns to John Brown, the last of April 1857
• George L. Stearns to Col. Carter, May 4, 1857
• George L. Stearns to John Brown, May 4, 1857
• Rev. L. Delos Mansfield to William Still, May 4, 1857
• George L. Stearns to the National Kansas Committee, May 10, 1857
• John Brown to George L. Stearns, May 13, 1857
• John Brown to Franklin Sanborn, May 15, 1857
• John Brown to George L. Stearns, May 18, 1857
• George L. Stearns to John Brown, May 19, 1857
• John Brown to George L. Stearns, May 23, 1857
• Julia Ward Howe to Ann Ward Mailliard, May 26, 1857
• John Brown to His Family, May 27, 1857
• G. S. Nelson to William Still, May 27, 1857
• Joseph Bryant to John Brown, June 1, 1857
• James Noble's advertisement for the Return of Lear Green, a Fugitive Slave, June 1, 1857
• Lewis Cobb to William Still, June 2, 1857
• John Brown to Augustus Wattles, June 3, 1857
• Amos A. Lawrence to George L. Stearns, June 3, 1857
• Gov. Salmon P. Chase to John Brown (a.k.a. Nelson Hawkins), June 6, 1857
• Ann Colley's Advertisement for the Return of a Fugitive Slave, June 8, 1857
• Thomas Garrett to William Still, June 9, 1857
• James G. Tyler's Advertisement for the Return of William  N. Taylor, a Fugitive Slave, June 9, 1857
• Joseph Bryant to John Brown, June 16, 1857
• Augustus Wattles to John John Brown, June 18, 1857
• William J. Berry’s advertisement for the return of David Green, a Fugitive Slave, June 19, 1857
• Francis Hoover’s Advertisement for the Return of Alfred, a Fugitive Slave, June 19, 1857
• John E. Bowie’s Advertisement for the Return of “Jim Reeves, a Fugitive Slave, June 19, 1857
• John T. Gordon’s Advertisement for the Return of Montgomery & Oscar, Fugitive Slaves, June 19, 1857
• Henry Trusty, June 21, 1857
• John Brown to Col. Hugh Forbes, June 22, 1857
• William H. Phillips to John Brown, June 24, 1857
• Joseph Bryant to John Brown, June 25, 1857
• Edmund B. Whitman to John Brown, June 30, 1857
• Amos A. Lawrence, July 1857
• Pass of Elijah Hilton, July 3, 1857
• John Brown to Richard Realf, July 6, 1857
• E. L. Stevens, July 8, 1857
• Richard Edons to William Still, July 12, 1857
• Letter from J. B., July 12, 1857
• E. L. Stevens, July 13, 1857
• Julia Ward Howe to Ann Ward Maillird, July 13, 1857
• John Brown to His Family, July 17, 1857
• Pass for Charles Thompason, July 20, 1857
• Congressman William O. Goode to Senator Robert M. T. Hunter, July 21, 1857
• Congressman Thomas S. Bocock to Sen. Robert M. T. Hunter, July 23, 1857
• Andrew Dewees Banks to Sen. Robert M. T. Hunter, July 24, 1857
• John Strode Barbour Jr. to Sen. Robert M. T. Hunter, July 24, 1857
• C. W. C. Dunnington to Sen. Robert M. T. Hunter, July 25, 1857
• W. H., July 27, 1857
• Robert J. Christian's Advertisement for the Return of Elijah, A Runaway Slave, July 27, 1857
• Elijah Hilton, July 28, 1857
• Emaumuel T. White to William Still, July 29, 1857
• John S. Barbour Jr. to Sen. Robert M. T. Hunter, August 1, 1857
• Congressman John Letcher to Sen. Robert M. T. Hunter, August 1, 1857
• Congressman William O. Goode to Sen. Robert M. T. Hunter, August 4, 1857
• C. W. C. Dunnington to Sen. Robert M. T. Hunter, August 7, 1857
• John Brown to George L. Stearns, August 8, 1857
• John Brown to Goerge L. Stearns, August 10, 1857
• Reverend Hiram Wilson to William Still, August 12, 1857
• John Brown to Franklin B. Sanborn, August 13, 1857
• William Old Jr. to Sen. Robert M. T. Hunter, August 15, 1857
• James H. Holmes to John Brown, August 16, 1857
• John Brown to His Family, August 17, 1857
• Charles Blair to John Brown, August 17, 1857
• William Lamb to Sen. Robert M. T. Hunter, August 19, 1857
• August Wattles to John Brown, August 21, 1857
• Sen. Robert M. T. Hunter to William Lamb, August 23, 1857
• John Brown to Franklin Benjamin Sanborn, August 27, 1857
• John Brown to George L. Stearns, August 27, 1857
• Charles Blair to John Brown, August 27, 1857
• James H. Lane to John Brown, September 7, 1857
• John Brown to Theodore Parker, September 11, 1857
• John Brown to His Family, September 12, 1857
• James Hunnewell to John Brown, September 14, 1857
• John Brown to James H. Lane, September 16, 1857
• Ms. Earro to William Still, September 19, 1857
• James H. Lane to John Brown, September 29, 1857
• John Brown to James H. Lane, September 30, 1857
• John Brown to Franklin B. Sanborn, October 1, 1857
• Samuel Lyle Adair to John Brown, October 2, 1857
• John Brown to Franklin B. Sanborn, October 3, 1857
• John Brown to Edmund B. Whitman, October 5, 1857
• Henry H. Williams to John Brown, October 12, 1857
• John T. Jones to John Brown, October 13, 1857
• Edmund B. Whitman: Order No. 2, October 19, 1857
• Edmund B. Whitman to John Brown, October 24, 1857
• Oscar D. Ball (alias John Delaney) to William Still, October 25, 1857
• James H. Lane to John Brown, October 30, 1857
• Thomas Garrett to William Still, October 31, 1857
• John Augusta, October 31, 1857
• Miss G. Lewis, November 6, 1857
• George L. Stearns to John Brown, November 7, 1857
• Elijah F. Pennypacker to William Still, November 7, 1857
• Samuel A. Pattison to L. W. Thompson, November 16, 1857
• John Delaney (alias Oscar D. Ball) to William Still, November 21, 1857
• Thomas Wentworth Higginson, December 3, 1857
• Abraham Lincoln to Senator Lyman Trumbull, December 28, 1857
• 1858, Josiah Henson published an expanded version of his memoir, Truth Stranger Than Fiction: Father Henson’s Story of His Own Life, through John P. Jewett & Company—the same publisher that had released Harriet Beecher Stowe’s Uncle Tom’s Cabin.
• John Brown's Description of Himself, 1858
• Thomas Wentworth Higginson, about 1858
• Charles L. Robinson to Amos A. Lawrence, January 1858
• Slave Auction Advertisement, January 1, 1858
• Franklin B. Sanborn to Theodore Parker, January 15, 1858
• Franklin B. Sanborn to Hugh Forbes, January 15, 1858
• Franklin B. Sanborn to Theodore Parker, January 17, 1858
• John B. Fry to Daniel S. Dickinson, January 17, 1858
• Gov. Salmon P. Chase to Senator Charles Sumner, January 18, 1858
• John Brown to His Family, January 30, 1858
• John Brown to John Brown Jr., February 1858
• John Brown to Theodore Parker, February 2, 1858
• George L. Stearns to John Brown, February 4, 1858
• George L. Stearns to John Brown, February 12, 1858
• Daniel S. Dickinson to Lydia Knapp Dickinson, February 12, 1858
• Daniel S. Dickinson to Mary S. Dickinson, February 12, 1858
• John Brown to John Brown Jr., February 20, 1858
• Ruth Brown Thompson to John Brown, February, 20, 1858
• John Brown to John Brown Jr., February 23, 1858
• John Brown to Franklin B. Sanborn, February 24, 1858
• John Brown to Franklin B. Sanborn, February 26, 1858
• Frederick Douglass to John Brown, February 27, 1858
• George L. Stearns to Franklin B. Sanborn, March 1858
• Edmund Turner to William Still, March 1, 1858
• John Brown to Mary Ann Day Brown, March 2, 1858
• Speech of Henry James Hammond, March 4, 1858
• John Brown to Theodore Parker, March 4, 1858
• John Brown to Theodore Parker, March 7, 1858
• Florece P. Gualt to William Still, March 22, 1858
• Alfred Hyde to Abraham Lincoln, March 25, 1858
• John Brown to John Brown Jr., April 8, 1858
• John Brown to his Family, April 16, 1858
• Franklin B. Sanborn to Thomas Wentworth Higginson, April 20, 1858
• April 21, 1858 – The Paint Creek Fight: James Montgomery’s Free-State force of 30–50 men, known for targeting pro-slavery settlers, clashed briefly with U.S. Army troops near Paint Creek in southeastern Kansas. The Army, tasked with maintaining order, failed to capture Montgomery. Though small, the skirmish highlighted ongoing lawlessness and the federal government’s complicated role in the region.
• Diary of George Mifflin Dallas, April 21, 1858
• John Brown to his Family, April 27, 1858
• John Brown to his Family, April 28, 1858
• Franklin B. Sanborn to Thomas Wentworth Higginson, May 5, 1858
• Gerrit Smith to Franklin B. Sanborn, May 7, 1858
• Sen. Henry Wilson to George L. Stearns, May 9, 1858
• John Brown to his Family, May 12, 1858
• Samuel Gridley Howe to Henry Wilson, May 12, 1858
• John Brown to Franklin B. Sanborn, May 14, 1858
• George L. Stearns to John Brown, May 14, 1858
• George L. Stearns to John Brown, May 15, 1858
• Samuel Gridley Howe to Henry Wilson, May 15, 1858
• George L. Stearns to John Brown, May 15, 1858
• May 19, 1858, the Marais des Cygnes Massacre took place in Linn County, Kansas. About 30 pro-slavery men, led by Charles Hamilton—a Georgian expelled from Kansas by Free-State forces—returned from Missouri on a retaliatory raid. Near the Marais des Cygnes River, they captured 11 Free-State (anti-slavery) men near Trading Post. The captives were marched into a nearby ravine and lined up. Hamilton’s men opened fire, killing 5, wounding 5 others—some critically—and leaving 1 survivor who escaped by pretending to be dead. Despite the brutality, no one was ever held accountable for the killings.
• John Brown to his Family, May 25, 1858
• Richard Realf to John Brown, May 31, 1858
• June 5, 1858, Attack on Fort Scott, Kansas. Abolitionist leader James Montgomery and his Free-State raiders attempted to burn down the Western Hotel, a former soldiers' barracks that had become a pro-slavery headquarters. They fired shots into the hotel and surrounding homes, but the structure ultimately survived the attack.
• John H. Hill to William Still, June 5, 1858
• June 6-7, 1858 violent exchanges continued in Fort Scott, Kansas with armed confrontations continuing between James Montgomery’s group and the local pro-slavery residents—who largely congregated around Fort Scott and its hotels.
• William Cooper to William Still, June 9, 1858
• Nat Ambie to William Still, June 10, 1858
• June 15, 1858, Governor James W. Denver convened a peace meeting in Fort Scott, Kansas, to address the rising violence between Free-State and pro-slavery factions. Held at the Western Hotel, the meeting brought together local leaders from both sides, along with territorial officials. Governor Denver called on all parties to lay down their arms, end the cycle of raids and retaliation, and settle their disputes through lawful and peaceful means. He pledged impartial enforcement of the law and offered to deploy territorial troops if necessary to maintain order.
• Abraham Lincoln's "House Divided" Speech, June 16, 1858
• Edmund Turner to William Still, June 22, 1858
• E. L. Stevens to William Still, July 11, 1858
• Gov. Salmon P. Chase to Sen. Charles Sumner, July 16, 1858
• John Brown to Franklin B. Sanborn et al, July 20, 1858
• John Brown to Franklin B. Sanborn et al, July 23, 1858
• Gerrit Smith to Franklin B. Sanborn, July 26, 1858
• Abraham Lincoln to Daniel S. Dickinson, August 3, 1858
• John Brown to Franklin B. Sanborn et al, August 6, 1858
• Daniel S. Dickinson to Abraham Lincoln, August 9, 1858
• John B. Woods to William Still, August 15, 1858
• August 21, 1858, Lincoln-Douglas Debate in Ottawa, Illinois.
• August 27, 1858, Lincoln-Douglas Debate in Freeport, Illinois.
• John Brown to his Family, September 9, 1858
• John Brown to his Friends, September 10, 1858
• John Brown, September 13, 1858
• John Brown to Mary Ann Day Brown, September 13, 1858
• September 15, 1858, Lincoln-Douglas Debate in Jonesboro, Illinois.
• September 18, 1858, Lincoln-Douglas Debate in Charleston, Illinois.
• George L. Stearns, September 20, 1858
• Thomas F. Page to William Still, October 6, 1858
• October 7, 1858, Lincoln-Douglas Debate in Galesburg, Illinois.
• John Brown to John T. Cox, October 7, 1858
• Receipt of John Brown, October 7, 1858
• John Brown to his Family, October 11, 1858
• October 13, 1858, Lincoln-Douglas Debate in Quincy, Illinois.
• Franklin B. Sanborn to Thomas Wentworth Higginson, October 13, 1858
• October 15, 1858, Lincoln-Douglas Debate in Alton, Illinois.
• Israel Whitney to William Still, October 16, 1858
• William H. Seward's "Irrepressible Conflict" Speech, October 25, 1858
• John Brown to his Friends, November 1, 1858
• John Brown to his Family, November 1, 1858
• John Brown to His Family, December 2, 1858
• December 16, 1858, James Montgomery and his band of Jayhawkers raided Fort Scott, Kansas, in a coordinated attack. They set fire to the Western Hotel, a former pro-slavery stronghold near the old army post, and looted the local general store along with other properties in town. The raid was part of an effort to free Benjamin Rice, a Free-Stater whom Montgomery believed had been unjustly imprisoned. During the operation, former Deputy Marshal John Little, a pro-slavery supporter, fired at the Free-Staters. In response, a Free-State man shot and killed Little as he appeared in the window of his father's store.
• December 20, 1858, abolitionist John Brown, accompanied by a small group of Free-State men—including formerly enslaved individuals and followers such as John Kagi and Charles Jennison—launched a bold raid near Verdegris Creek in Ray County, Missouri. Crossing over from Kansas, they targeted two pro-slavery homesteads with the goal of liberating enslaved people. The raid resulted in the freeing of 11 individuals: 5 men, 5 women, and a baby. During the operation, one slaveholder, David Cruise, was killed. Brown’s group seized horses, wagons, food, and weapons to support their escape. Afterward, Brown led the group on a journey of over 1,000 miles north through Kansas, Nebraska, and Iowa to Detroit, Michigan. By March 1859, they had crossed into Canada, where they found freedom and settled.
• John Brown's Parallels, January 1859
• Thomas Wentworth Higginson, January 1859
• John Brown to His Family, January 11, 1859
• Gerrit Smith to Franklin Sanborn, January 22, 1859
• Judge Martin F. Conway to John Brown, January 23, 1859
• January 25, 1859, Dr. John Doy and his son Charles attempted to lead 13 formerly enslaved people from Lawrence, Kansas, toward freedom in Iowa. Shortly after crossing into Missouri near Weston, they were intercepted by a pro-slavery posse and arrested. The freedom seekers were forcibly returned to slavery, while the Doys were taken to St. Joseph, Missouri, where they were jailed and charged under Missouri law with aiding the escape of enslaved persons.
• Thomas Wentworth Higginson, February 1859
• Lewis Burrell to William Still, February 2, 1859
• February 4, 1859, John Brown and the group of formerly enslaved individuals he had freed stayed overnight at the home of Dr. Ira Blanchard in Civil Bend, near present-day Percival in Fremont County, southwest Iowa. Blanchard, one of the area’s earliest settlers, was part of a community established in the 1850s by Oberlin-educated abolitionists committed to aiding freedom seekers crossing the Missouri River from slave states. His home served as an Underground Railroad station, offering sanctuary, medical care, and assistance to those escaping enslavement.
• Samuel Gridley Howe to John M. Forbes, February 5, 1859
• Resolution of the Citizens of Tabor, Iowa, February 7, 1859
• John Brown to His Family, February 10, 1859
• Edward Bates to the Whig Committee of New York, February 24, 1859
• February 25, 1859, John Brown and his group of formerly enslaved individuals from Missouri reached Grinnell, Iowa, where sympathetic residents offered food, clothing, and assistance.
• John Brown to a Friend in Tabor, Iowa, February 25, 1859
• February 27, 1859, Congressman Daniel E. Sickles shot Philip Barton Key II, killing him, in Lafayette Square, across from the White House in Washington, D. C. after discovering Key had been having an affair with his wife, Teresa Bagioli Sickles.
• Thomas Wentworth Higginson, March 1859
• John Brown to His Family, March 2, 1859
• Franklin B. Sanborn to Thomas Wentworth Higginson, March 4, 1859
• March 9, 1859, after arriving in Chicago, John Brown and his group of formerly enslaved individuals received support from abolitionists—including Allan Pinkerton and his associates—who raised over $500 and arranged boxcar train passage to Detroit.
• Diary of John Brown, March 10, 1859
• March 12, 1859, after an 82-day journey covering 1,000 miles, John Brown assisted his group of formerly enslaved individuals from Missouri in boarding a ferry from Detroit to Canada (Windsor/Chatham), successfully completing their path to freedom.
• Diary of John Brown, March 16, 1859
• The Late Tragedy, published March 17, 1859
• March 20, 1859, Dr. John Doy and his son Charles stood trial in St. Joseph, Missouri, for aiding the escape of enslaved individuals. The jury deadlocked, and Charles was acquitted due to insufficient evidence. Dr. John Doy’s case was postponed, with a second trial scheduled for later that year.
• Diary of John Brown, March 25, 1859
• The Tragedy—Trial of Sickles, published March 31, 1859
• April 4, 1859, The murder trial of Congressman Daniel E. Sickles began in Washington, D. C. Among the lawyers on his defense team was Edwin M. Stanton, who would go on to become Abraham Lincoln’s second Secretary of War.
• Abraham Lincoln to Henry L. Pierce and Others, April 6, 1859
• Harriett Newby to Dangerfield Newby, April 11, 1859
• Edwin Morton to Franklin B. Sanborn, April 13, 1859
• The Sickles Trial, published April 14, 1859
• John Brown to John H. Kagi, April 16, 1859
• N. L. J. to William Still, April 16, 1859
• Edwin Morton to Franklin B. Sanborn, April 18, 1859
• Diary of Edward Bates: April 20, 1859
• Diary of Edward Bates: Lieut. J. E. B. Stuart visits Edward Bates, April 21, 1859
• A Distinguished Witness, published April 21, 1859
• The Sickles Trial, published April 21, 1859
• Diary of Edward Bates: April 22, 1859
• Harriett Newby to Dangerfield Newby, April 22, 1859
• Diary of Edward Bates: April 24, 1859
• April 26, 1859, Congressman Daniel E. Sickles acquitted of the murder of Philip Barton Key II by reason of temporary insanity. It is the first successful temporary insanity acquittal in American History.
• Diary of Edward Bates, April 27, 1859
• Diary of Edward Bates, April 28, 1859
• Sickles Trial, published April 28, 1859
• Sen. William H. Seward to Thurlow Weed, April 29, 1859
• Diary of Edward Bates, April 29, 1859
• Diary of Edward Bates, May 3, 1859
• Diary of Edward Bates, May 6, 1859
• Amos Bronson Alcott, May 8, 1859
• Diary of Edward Bates, May 8, 1859
• Samuel Gridley Howe to John M. Forbes, May 9, 1859
• John Brown to his Family, May 13, 1859
• John Brown to John H. Kagi, May 16, 1859
• Diary of Edward Bates, May 18, 1859
• John Brown to his Family, May 19, 1859
• Diary of Edward Bates, May 20, 1859
• Diary of Edward Bates, May 21, 1859
• Diary of Edward Bates, May 24, 1859
• Diary of Edward Bates, May 25, 1859
• Diary of Edward Bates, May 27, 1859
• Thomas Wentworth Higginson, June 1859
• Edwin Morton to Franklin B. Sanborn, June 1, 1859
• Diary of Edward Bates, June 4, 1859
• Gerrit Smith to John Brown, June 4, 1859
• Franklin B. Sanborn to Thomas Wentworth Higginson, June 4, 1859
• Diary of Edward Bates, June 8, 1859
• John Brown to John H. Kagi, June 9, 1859
• Diary of Edward Bates, June 15, 1859
• Diary of Edward Bates, June 16, 1859
• Maj. Don Carlos Buell to Capt. William T. Sherman, June 17, 1859
• Thomas Wentworth Higgingson to Louisa Storrow Higginson, June 17, 1859
• Diary of John Brown, June 18, 1859
• June 20, 1859, Dr. John Doy was retried in St. Joseph, Missouri for aiding the escape of enslaved persons.
• Gov. Salmon P. Chase to Sen. Charles Sumner, June 20, 1859
• Diary of Edward Bates, June 20, 1859
• June 21, 1859, Dr. John Doy was convicted of "enticing slaves to escape" and sentenced to five years in the Missouri State Penitentiary.
• Diary of John Brown, June 21, 1859
• Diary of Edward Bates, June 23, 1859
• Diary of John Brown, June 23, 1859
• John Brown to his Family, June 23, 1859
• Diary of Edward Bates, June 24, 1859
• Diary of John Brown, June 27, 1859
• Diary of John Brown, June 29, 1859
• Diary of John Brown, June 30, 1859
• John Brown to John Henry Kagi, June 30, 1859
• Edwin Morton to Franklin B. Sanborn, June 30, 1859
• Charles L. Robinson to Amos A. Lawrence, about July 1859
• Diary of Edward Bates, July 2, 1859
• Diary of Edward Bates, July 4, 1859
• July 5, 1859, a convention dominated by Free-State delegates convened in Wyandotte, Kansas Territory (now Kansas City, Kansas) to draft a state constitution.
• Diary of Edward Bates, July 5, 1859
• Diary of John Brown, July 5, 1859
• Diary of John Brown, July 8, 1859
• Diary of Edward Bates, July 9, 1859
• Thomas Wentworth Higginson to Louisa Storrow Higginson, July 10, 1859
• Diary of John Brown, July 12, 1859
• John Brown to John Henry Kagi, about July 12, 1859
• Diary of Edward Bates, July 14, 1859
• Diary of Edward Bates, July 15, 1859
• Diary of Edward Bates, July 16, 1859
• Diary of Edward Bates, July 17, 1859
• John Brown Jr. to John Brown, July 18, 1859
• John Henry Kagi to John Brown, July 18, 1859
• Diary of Edward Bates, July 18, 1859
• Diary of Edward Bates, July 19, 1859
• Diary of John Brown, July 22, 1859
• John Brown to his Family, July 22, 1859
• John Henry Kagi to John Brown, July22, 1859
• July 23, 1859, Dr. John Doy was rescued from jail in St. Joseph by a group of Kansas abolitionists known as “The Immortal Ten,” who smuggled him back to Lawrence, Kansas.
• Diary of Edward Bates, July 23, 1859
• Diary of Edward Bates, July 25, 1859
• Diary of Edward Bates, July 26, 1859
• Diary of John Brown, July 27, 1859
• John Brown to his Family, July 27, 1859
• Franklin B. Sanborn to John Brown, July 27, 1859
• Diary of Edward Bates, July 27, 1859
• Franklin B. Sanborn to John Brown, July 28, 1859
• July 29, 1859, the final version of the Wyandotte Constitution was adopted by the convention delegates. It prohibited slavery, established boundaries close to present-day Kansas, and granted limited suffrage—excluding women and most Black individuals.
• Diary of Edward Bates, July 30, 1859
• John Brown to John Brown Jr., August 1859
• Diary of to Amos A. Lawrence, August 1, 1859
• Diary of John Brown, August 2, 1859
• John Brown to his Family, August 2, 1859
• G. Mason Graham to William T. Sherman, August 3, 1859
• Gov. Robert C. Wickliffe to William T. Sherman, August 5, 1859
• Diary of John Brown, August 6, 1859
• Diary of John Brown, August 8, 1859
• John Brown Jr. to John Henry Kagi, August 11, 1859
• Diary of John Brown, August 16, 1859
• John Brown to his Family, August 16, 1859
• Harriett Newby to Dangerfield Newby, August 16, 1859
• Diary of John Brown, August 17, 1859
• John Brown Jr. to John Henry Kagi, August 17, 1859
• Diary of John Brown, August 18, 1859
• John Brown Jr. to John Henry Kagi, August 18, 1859
• Mrs. A. E. Gloucester to John Brown, August 18, 1859
• Anonymous to John B. Floyd, August 20, 1859
• William T. Sherman to G. Mason Graham, August 20, 1859
• Joseph Dennis Harris to John Henry Kagi, August 22, 1859
• Diary of John Brown, August 24, 1859
• Samuel Gridley Howe to John Henry Kagi, August 25, 1859
• John Henry Kagi to John Brown, August 27, 1859
• Gerrit Smith, August 27, 1859
• Franklin B. Sanborn to John Brown, August 30, 1859
• William T. Sherman to John Sherman, September 1859
• John Scott, September 1, 1859
• G. Mason Graham to William T. Sherman, September 7, 1859
• William T. Sherman to G. Mason Graham, September 7, 1859
• John Brown to his Family, September 8, 1859
• John Brown Jr. to John Henry Kagi, September 8, 1859
• Watson Brown to Isabelle Thompson Brown, September 8, 1859
• Diary of John Brown, September 9, 1859
• Oliver Brown to His Family, September 9, 1859
• Jeremiah G. Anderson to his Brother, Late September 1859
• Speech of Abraham Lincoln to the Members of the Agricultural Society and Citizens of Wisconsin, September 30, 1859
• William T. Sherman to John Sherman, October 1859
• Diary of John Brown, October 1, 1859
• John Brown to his Family, October 1, 1859
• October 4, 1859, Kansas voters, with a strong Free-State majority, approved the Wyandotte Constitution.
• Diary of John Brown, October 8, 1859
• John Brown to his Family, October 8, 1859
• Diary of John Henry Kagi, October 10, 1859
• Diary of John Henry Kagi, October 11, 1859
• Diary of John Henry Kagi, October 12, 1859
• Diary of John Henry Kagi, October 13, 1859
• Diary of John Henry Kagi, October 14, 1859
• October 16, 1859, John Brown’s Raid. John Brown and 21 followers (including 5 Black men) launched their raid, seizing the federal armory and arsenal at Harpers Ferry, Virginia (now West Virginia).
• Watson Brown to Isabel Thompson Brown, between September & October 16, 1859
• A. J. Phelps to William Prescott Smith, October 17, 1859, 7:05 a.m.
• William Prescott Smith to A. J. Phelps, October 17, 1859, 9 a.m.
• John T. Quynn to William Preston Smith, October 17, 1859, 10 a.m.
• William Preston Smith to John T. Quynn, October 17, 1859, 10:20 a.m.
• John W. Garret to John B. Floyd, October 17, 1859 – 10:20 a.m.
• John W. Garrett to James Buchanan, October 17, 1859 – 10:30 a.m.
• A. J. Phelps to William Prescott Smith, October 17, 1859, 11 a.m.
• William Preston Smith to John T. Quynn, October 17, 1859—11 a.m.
• William Preston Smith to J. B. Ford, October 17, 1859 – 11:30 a.m.
• William Preston Smith to John T. Quynn, October 17, 1859—11:30 a.m.
• Thomas H Parsons to William Preston Smith, October 17, 1859—12:22 p.m.
• William H. Richardson to John W. Garrett, October 17, 1859
• James Buchanan to John W. Garrett, October 17, 1859 – 1:30 p.m.
• A. Diffey to William Preston Smith, October 17,1859
• To the Baltimore Newspaper Press, October 17, 1859
• John W. Garrett to Maj. Gen. George H. Steuart, October 17, 1859
• George H. Steuart to John W. Garrett, October 17, 1859
• John W. Garrett to Gov. Henry A. Wise, October 17, 1859
• Governor Henry A. Wise to John W. Garret, October 17, 1859
• William H. Richardson to John W. Garrett, October 17, 1859 – 2:40 p.m.
• William H. Richardson to Colonel Thomas Gibson, October 17, 1859 – 2:40 p.m.
• F. Mantz to William Preston Smith, October 17, 1859—3:32 p.m.
• John W. Garrett to John T Quynn, October 17,1859—3:45 p.m.
• John W. Garrett to Gov. Henry A. Wise, October 17, 1859—3:50 p.m.
• John W. Garrett to John T. Quynn, October 17, 1859—3:50 p.m.
• John T. Quynn to William Preston Smith, October 17, 1859—4 p.m.
• John W. Garrett to James Buchanan, October 17, 1859—4:38 p.m.
• William Preston Smith to L. M. Cole, October 17, 1859—5:31 p.m.
• J. M. Lowe to William Preston Smith, October 17, 1859—7:45 p.m.
• John W. Showacre to John W. Garrett, October 17, 1859—7:50 p.m.
• William Preston Smith to Thomas H. Parsons, October 17 1859
• G. F. Gilbert to William Preston Smith, October 17, 1859
• William Preston Smith to L. M. Cole, October 17, 1859—9:15 p.m.
• Charles E. Waters to William Preston Smith, October 17, 1859—10 p.m.
• John W. Garrett to William Preston Smith, October 17, 1859
• John W. Garrett to J. B. Ford and Agents, October 17, 1859
• Charles E. Waters to William Preston Smith, October 17, 1859
• October 18, 1859, U.S. Marines, led by Colonel Robert E. Lee and Lieutenant J.E.B. Stuart, stormed the engine house. Brown was wounded and captured; several of his men were killed.
• William Preston Smith to L. M. Cole, October 18, 1859—12 a.m.
• Alexander Fulton, October 18, 1859—12 a.m.
• William H. Richardson to John W. Garrett, October 18, 1859—6:30 a.m.
• Gov. Henry A Wise to the Officer in Command at Harper's Ferry, October 18, 1859—8 a.m.
• William Preston Smith to John W. Garrett, October 18, 1859 — 8 a.m.
• Gov. Henry A. Wise to Maj. Duffie, October 18, 1859 — 8:20 a.m.
• Gov. Henry A. Wise to Col. F. P. August, October 18, 1859 — 8:20 a.m.
• C. W. Perviel to William Preston Smith, October 18, 1859—10:22 a.m.
• Charles E. Waters to Gov. Henry A. Wise, October 18, 1859
• John W. Garrett to James Buchanan, October 18, 1859
• John W. Garrett to Gen. J. W. Watkins, October 18, 1859
• John W Garrett to Gen. George H. Steuart, [October 18, 1859]
• William Preston Smith to Lewis M Cole, October 18, 1859 — 1:10 p.m.
• Gen. George H. Steuart to John W. Garrett, October 18,1859 — 2:33 p.m.
• William Preston Smith to John W. Garrett, October 18, 1859 — 2:35 p.m.
• C. Westbrook to William Preston Smith, October 18, 1859—2:43 p.m.
• William Preston Smith to John W. Garrett, L. M. Cole & H. Tyson, October 18,1859—3.30 p.m.
• William Preston Smith to Thomas H. Parsons, October 18, 1859—8:30 p.m.
• William Preston Smith to Victor Smith et al, October 18, 1859—8:30 p.m.
• Telegram to Washington, D. C., [October 18, 1859]
• John W. Garrett to C. W. Perviel, October 18, 1859
• Col. Robert E. Lee to John B. Floyd, [October 18, 1859]
• H. Tyson, [October 18,1859]
• John Brown to William W. Russell, October 18, 1859
• John Brown to Mr. Mills, Master of the Harper's Ferry Armory, October 18, 1859
• Lewis E. Harvey to Senator Robert M. T. Hunter, October 18, 1859
• John W. Garrett to John Donohoo, October 18, 1859
• John Brown to a Reporter, October 18 or 19, 1859
• William Preston Smith to John Donohoo, October 19, 1859—10:30 a.m.
• John Donohoo to William Preston Smith, October 19, 1859—11:30 a.m.
• John Brown's Interview with  Sen. James M. Mason, Congressman Clement C. Vallandigham & Others, October 19, 1859
• William A. Gorton to William Preston Smith, October 19, 1859
• William Preston Smith to John Donohoo, October 19, 1859
• A. P. Shutt to A. Diffey, October 19, 1859
• William Preston Smith to John Donohoo, October 19, 1859—10:30 p.m.
• William Preston Smith to F. Mantz, October 19, 1859 10:35 p.m.
• John Donohoo to William Preston Smith, October 19, 1859—11.15 p.m.
• Colonel Robert E. Lee to James M. Coale, October 19, 1859
• William Preston Smith to John Donohoo, October 20, 1859
• William Preston Smith to John Donohoo, October 20, 1859—6 p.m.
• Governor Henry A. Wise to John W. Garrett, October 20, 1859
• A. P Shutt to William Preston Smith, October 21, 1859—9:28 a.m.
• John Brown to Judge Thomas Russell, October 21, 1859
• John W. Garrett to Governor Thomas H. Hicks, October 21, 1859
• Extract of Speech of Gov. Henry A. Wise, October 21, 1859
• Conversation between John Brown & John Avis, his Jailer, abt. October 22, 1859
• R. D. Sellman to John W. Garrett, October 22, 1859
• A. P. Shutt to William Preston Smith, October 22, 1859—9:45 a.m.
• George B. McClellan to William T. Sherman, October 23, 1859
• William T. Sherman to George Mason Graham, October 23, 1859
• Amos Bronson Alcott, October 23, 1859
• William Preston Smith to Alfred M. Barbour, October 24, 1859
• John A. Andrew to George L. Stearns, October 24, 1859
• James Russell Lowell to Thomas Wentworth Higginson, October 24, 1859
• October 25, 1859, John Brown was indicted by a grand jury for treason against the Commonwealth of Virginia, murder, and inciting slave insurrection.
• William Preston Smith to John T. Crow, October 25, 1859—9:11 a.m.
• Gov. Salmon P. Chase to Hon. Timothy R. Stanley, October 25, 1859
• Diary of Edward Bates, October 25, 1859
• William Preston Smith to Andrew Hunter, October 25,1859
• William Preston Smith to Gov. Henry A. Wise, October 25, 1859
• William Preston Smith to A. P. Shutt, October 25, 1859—2 p.m.
• William Preston Smith to Alfred M. Barbour, October 25, 1859—4:36 p.m.
• John Brown at his Trial, October 25, 1859
• Hugh Forbes to The New York Herald, October 25, 1859
• Diary of Edward Bates, October 26, 1859
• Lydia Maria Child to Gov. Henry A. Wise, October 26, 1859
• William Preston Smith to A. P. Shutt, October 26, 1859—12 m.
• William Preston Smith to A. P. Shutt, October 26, 1859
• John W. Garrett to John B. Floyd, October 26, 1859
• Alfred M. Barbour to William Preston Smith, October 26, 1859
• John W. Garrett to Alfred M. Barbour, October 26, 1859
• John W. Garrett to Gov. Henry A. Wise, October 26, 1859
• John W. Garrett to James Buchanan, October 26, 1859
• John W. Garrett to William A. Gorton, October 26, 1859
• John W. Garrett to John T. Quynn, October 26, 1859
• John T. Quynn to John W. Garrett, October 26, 1859—4:14 p.m.
• A. P. Shutt to William Preston Smith, October 26, 1859—7:10 p.m.
• William Preston Smith to A. J. Phelps, October 26, 1859
• William Preston Smith to John W. Garrett, October 26,1859—10:05 p.m.
• John W. Garrett to Gov. Henry A. Wise, October 26, 1859
• Lydia Maria Child to John Brown, October 26, 1859
• Amos A. Lawrence to Gov. Henry A. Wise, October 26, 1859
• Edwin L. Godkin, October 26, 1859
• John Brown at His Trial, October 26, 1859
• October 27, 1859: John Brown’s trial began in the Jefferson County Courthouse in Charles Town, Virginia (now West Virginia).
• William Preston Smith to John W. Garrett, October 27, 1859—10:25 a.m.
• Capt. John T. Sinn to John W. Garrett, October 27, 1859—8:50 p.m.
• Gen. Charles C. Egerton Jr. to William Preston Smith, October 27,1859
• E. B., a Quaker Woman to John Brown, October 27, 1859
• Thomas Wentworth Higginson to Louisa Storrow Higginson, October 27, 1859
• Thomas Wentworth Higginson to a Friend, late October 1859
• John Brown at His Trial, October 28, 1859
• A. P. Shutt to William Preston Smith, October 28, 1859
• John Brown at His Trial, October 29, 1859
• Gov. Henry A. Wise to Lydia Maria Child, October 29, 1859
• William T. Sherman to Ellen Ewing Sherman, October 29, 1859
• Henry David Thoreau to Harrison Blake, October 30, 1859
• Henry David Thoreau: A Plea for Captain John Brown, October 30, 1859
• Amos Bronson Alcott, October 30, 1859
• October 31, 1859: The jury deliberated for under an hour and found John Brown guilty on all charges.
• Andrew Hunter, Prosecutor at the Trial of John Brown, October, 31, 1859
• John Brown to his Family, October 31, 1859
• John Brown to Lydia Maria Child, October 31, 1859
• Requisition by Gov. Henry A. Wise for Albert Hazlett, November 1, 1859
• William Barton Rogers to Henry Darwin Rogers, November 1, 1859
• John Brown to E. B., A Quaker Woman, November 1, 1859
• John Brown to his Friends in New England, November 1, 1859
• Lecture of Wendell Phillips: The Lesson of the Hour, November1, 1859
• November 2, 1859, John Brown was formally sentenced to death by hanging.
• John Brown's Last Speech, November 2, 1859
• John Brown to his Family, November 3, 1859
• William Donar to William Still, November 3, 1859
• Andrew Hunter to William Prescott Smith, November 4, 1859
• Amos Bronson Alcott, November 4, 1859
• David Hunter Strother's Description of Gov. Henry A. Wise's Interview with John Brown, November 5, 1859
• Amos Bronson Alcott, November 5, 1859
• Thomas Wentworth Higginson to Louisa Storrow Higginson, November 5, 1859
• Julia Ward Howe to Ann Ward Maillird, November 6, 1859
• Gov. Henry A. Wise to Robert Tyler, November 6, 1859
• William T. Sherman to Ellen Ewing Sherman, November 6, 1859
• Josiah Perham to John W. Garrett, November 7, 1859
• Congressman Thomas S. Bocock to Congressman Muscoe R. H. Garnett, November 8, 1859
• John Brown to Rebecca Buffum Spring, November 8, 1859
• John Brown to his Family, November 8, 1859
• Rev. Herman L. Vaill to John Brown, November 8, 1859
• M. E. S., a Massachusetts Matron, to John Brown, November 8, 1859
• M. E. H., a Connecticut Mother, to John Brown, Undated
• A Quakeress to John Brown, Undated
• John Brown to his Family, Post Script, November 9, 1859
• Annie Brown to John Brown, November 9, 1859
• Jeremiah Brown to John Brown, November 9, 1859
• William H. Richardson to John W. Garrett, November 9, 1859
• Lydia Maria Child to Horace Greeley, November 10, 1859
• William Preston Smith to William H. Richardson, November 11, 1859
• Mrs. M. J. G. Mason to Lydia Maria Child, November 11, 1859
• John Brown to Jeremiah Brown, November 12, 1859
• Rev. Luther Humphrey to John Brown, November 12, 1859
• William Preston Smith to Andrew Hunter, November 12, 1859
• Josiah Perham to John W. Garrett, November 12, 1859
• William T. Sherman to Ellen Ewing Sherman, November 12, 1859
• John Brown to Jeremiah Brown, Post Script, November 13, 1859
• Mary Ann Day Brown to John Brown, November 13, 1859
• Gov. Henry A. Wise to James Buchanan, November 13, 1859
• Braxton Bragg to William T. Sherman, November 13, 1859
• Thaddeus Hyatt to John Brown, November 14, 1859
• Thaddeus Hyatt to the Friends of Freedom at the North, November 14, 1859
• From a Slaveholder’s Son to John Brown, undated, about November 1859
• John Brown to George Adams, November 15, 1859
• John Brown to Rev. Herman L. Vaill, November 15, 1859
• William Preston Smith to Capt. John T. Sinn, November 15, 1859
• Diary of Theodore Parker, November 16, 1859
• John Brown to Mary Ann Day Brown, November 16, 1859
• M. N., an Ohio Woman, to John Brown, November 16, 1859
• John Brown to Thomas B. Musgrave, November 17, 1859
• H. O. W. and Others, Colored Citizens of Chicago, to John Brown, November 17, 1859
• Speech of Ralph Waldo Emerson, November 18, 1859
• William Preston Smith to A. P. Shutt, November 18, 1859
• M. S. S., a young woman, to John Brown, November 18, 1859
• John Brown to Rev. Luther Humphrey, November 19, 1859
• A. C., an Ohio Clergyman, to John Brown, November 19, 1859
• William Preston Smith to A. P. Shutt, November 19, 1859
• William T. Sherman to Ellen Ewing Sherman, November 19, 1859
• A. C., an Ohio Clergyman, to John Brown, November 19, 1859
• Rev. Edward Brown to John Brown, November 20, 1859
• Thomas H. Parsons to William Preston Smith, November 20, 1859—9:48 a.m.
• A. P. Shutt to William Preston Smith, November 20, 1859—10:03 a.m.
• William Preston Smith to Capt. John T. Sinn, November 20, 1859—2 p.m.
• William Preston Smith to John Donohoo or A. P. Shutt, November 20, 1859—2:05 p.m.
• A. P. Shutt to William Preston Smith, November 20, 1859
• William Preston Smith to A. P. Shutt, November 20, 1859—5 p.m.
• William Preston Smith to Col. J. Lucius Davis, November 20, 1859
• William Preston Smith, November 20, 1859—6 p.m.
• John Brown to Mary Ann Day Brown, November 21, 1859
• Charles Partridge, a Spiritualist, to John Brown, November 21, 1859
• William Preston Smith to Gov. Thomas H. Hicks, November 21, 1859—7 a.m.
• J. M. Lowe to William Preston Smith, November 21, 1859—7:55 a.m.
• A. P. Shutt to William Preston Smith, November 21, 1859—9:20 a.m.
• A. P. Shutt to William Preston Smith, November 21, 1859—2:02 p.m.
• William Preston Smith to Gov. Henry A. Wise, November 21, 1859
• William T. Sherman to George Mason Graham, November 21, 1859
• William Preston Smith to F. J. McCaffrey, November 21, 1859
• F. J. McCaffrey to William Preston Smith, November 21, 1859—4:18 p.m.
• A. P. Shutt to J. T. England, November 21, 1859
• A. P. Shutt to R. A. Caskie, November 21, 1859
• William Preston Smith to A. P. Shutt, November 21, 1859
• A. P. Shutt to William Preston Smith, November 21, 1859
• William Preston Smith to Gov. Henry A. Wise, November 21, 1859—6 p.m.
• Josiah Perham to John W. Garrett, November 21, 1859
• William Preston Smith to A. P. Shutt, November 22, 1859—8 a.m.
• A. P. Shutt to William Preston Smith, November 22, 1859—8:52 a.m.
• A. P. Shutt to William Preston Smith, November 22, 1859—1:23 p.m.
• J. M. Lowe to William Preston Smith, November 22, 1859—4:23 p.m.
• John Brown to Andrew Hunter, November 22, 1859
• John Brown to his Younger Children, November 22, 1859
• Thomas Wentworth Higginson, November 22, 1859
• John Tyler to Robert Tyler, November 23, 1859
• Marian Brown Hand to John Brown, November 23, 1859
• E. N. P. to John Brown, November 23, 1859
• A. M. M., a Scotch Covenanter, to John Brown, November 23, 1859
• L. A. B., a girl from Michigan, to John Brown, November 23, 1859
• John L. Motley to Josiah Quincy III, November 23, 1859
• November 24, 1859, The original first edition of Charles Darwin's On The Origin of Species was published in London, England by John Murray.
• Senator James W. Grimes to Elizabeth S. Nealley Grimes, November 24, 1859
• Samuel Edmund Sewall to John Brown, November 24, 1859
• L. H. C, a Friend in Syracuse to John Brown, November 24, 1859
• J. N. B. to John Brown, November 24, 1859
• J. M. B to John Brown, November 24, 1859
• H. C., a woman of New York, to John Brown, November 24, 1859
• William H. Richardson to John W. Garrett, November 24, 1859
• W. A. Gorton to William Preston Smith, November 24, 1859—4:10 p.m.
• Alexander Diffey to William Preston Smith, November 24, 1859—11:15 p.m.
• William Preston Smith to Alexander Diffey, November 24, 1859
• Theodore Parker to Francis Jackson, November 24, 1859
• Gov. Henry A. Wise to James Buchanan, November 25, 1859
• Gov. Henry A. Wise to Gov. William F. Packer, November 25, 1859
• J. P. to John Brown, November 25, 1859
• N. S. to John Brown, November 25, 1859
• F. E. W. to John Brown, November 25, 1859
• William T. Sherman to Ellen Ewing Sherman, November 25, 1859
• William T. Sherman to George Mason Graham, November 25, 1859
• Henry Tyson to William Preston Smith, November 25, 1859—11:14 a.m.
• Andrew Hunter to John W. Garrett, November 25, 1859
• J. B. Ford to William Preston Smith, November 25, 1859—12:08 p.m.
• “Good-by’s Letter” to John Brown, November 26, 1859
• James Forman to John Brown, November 26, 1859
• B. K. M., an Ohio Clergyman, to John Brown, November 26, 1859
• A Clergyman of Providence Rhode Island to John Brown, November 26, 1859
• E. T. to John Brown, November 26, 1859
• The Colored Women of Brooklyn to John Brown, November 26, 1859
• M. S. Mc. to John Brown, November 26, 1859
• William Preston Smith to T. H. Parsons, November 26, 1859—9:45 a.m.
• J. B. Ford to William Preston Smith, November 26, 1859—11:36 a.m.
• A. P. Shutt to William Preston Smith, November 26, 1859—12:27 p.m.
• William Preston Smith to A. P. Shutt, November 26, 1859—12:40 p.m.
• William Preston Smith to A. P Shutt, November 26, 1859—12:45 p.m.
• Thomas H. Parsons to William Preston Smith, November 26, 1859—2:43 p.m.
• William Preston Smith to Thomas H. Parsons, November 26, 1859—2:50 p.m.
• A. P. Shutt to William Preston Smith, November 26,1859—8:55 p.m.
• C. F. H., a Theological Author, to John Brown, November 27, 1859
• F. G., a Rhode Island Friend, to John Brown, November 27, 1859
• George De F. F. to John Brown, November 27, 1859
• A. E D. to John Brown, November 27, 1859
• J. B. Ford to William Preston Smith, November 27, 1859—8:37 a.m.
• William Preston Smith to J. B. Ford, November 27, 1859
• F. Mantz to William Preston Smith, November 27, 1859 7:25 p.m.
• William T. Sherman to Thomas Ewing, November 27, 1859
• William T. Sherman to D. F. Boyd, November 27, 1859
• John Brown Jr. to John Brown, November 28, 1859
• Annie Lorena Wilson & Frances C. Brown to John Brown, November 28, 1859
• Marcus Spring to John Brown, November 28, 1859
• H. B., an Old Missionary to John Brown, November 28, 1859
• H. A. B. to John Brown, November 28, 1859
• M. M. W. to John Brown, November 28, 1859
• L. C. to John Brown, November 28, 1859
• Two Old Acquaintances to John Brown, November 28, 1859
• Abraham Lincoln to Lyman Trumbull, November 28, 1859
• A. P. Shutt to William Preston Smith, November 28, 1859—8:08 a.m.
• A. P. Shutt to William Preston Smith, November 28, 1859—10:46 a.m.
• John W. Garrett to Andrew Hunter, November 28, 1859
• George W. Mumford to John W. Garrett, November 28, 1859
• A. Diffy to William Preston Smith, November 28, 1859—1:25 p.m.
• William Preston Smith to J. George Heist, November 28, 1859
• William Preston Smith to A. P. Shutt, November 28, 1859
• William Preston Smith to Josiah Perham, November 28, 1859
• Maj. Thomas J. Jackson to Mary Anna Morrison Jackson, November 28, 1859
• John Brown to Samuel Edmund Sewall, November 29, 1859
• William Barton Rogers to Henry Darwin Rogers, November 29, 1859
• Mary Ann Day Brown to John Brown, November 29, 1859
• Ellen Brown to John Brown, undated, likely November 1859
• L. W. T. to John Brown, November 29, 1859
• A Lover of Justice to John Brown, November 29, 1859
• M. E. S. to John Brown, November 29, 1859
• William Preston Smith to William A. Gorton, November 29, 1859
• George F. Gilbert to William Preston Smith, November 29, 1859—5 p.m.
• William Preston Smith to A. P. Shutt, November 29, 1859
• William Preston Smith to Oliver Hoblitzell, November 29, 1859—5:26 p.m.
• William Preston Smith to James Post, November 29, 1859
• Oliver Hoblitzell to William Preston Smith, November 29, 1859—6:19 p.m.
• William Preston Smith to Oliver Hoblitzell, November 29, 1859—7:36 p.m.
• William Preston Smith to Oliver Hoblitzell, November 29, 1859—7:48 p.m.
• Oliver Hoblitzell to William Preston Smith, November 29,1859—8 p.m.
• William Preston Smith to W. W. Shore, November 29, 1859—8:20 p.m.
• William Preston Smith to Oliver Hoblitzell, November 29, 1859—9:05 p.m.
• William Preston Smith to Oliver Hoblitzell, November 29, 1859—9:15 p.m.
• William Preston Smith to J. P. Jackson, November 29, 1859 
• William Preston Smith to E. F. Fuller, Victor Smith & Richard Smith, November 29, 1859
• John W. Garrett to Henry A. Wise, November 29, 1859
• John W. Garrett to Andrew Hunter
• John W. Garrett to William A. Gorton
• Gov. Henry A. Wise to John W. Garrett, November 29, 1859
• John W. Garrett to William Preston Smith, November 30, 1859
• Andrew Hunter to John W. Garrett, November 30, 1859
• William A. Gorton to John W. Garrett, November 30, 1859—12:55 p.m.
• William Preston Smith to John T. Quynn, November 30, 1859—2:20 p.m.
• William Preston Smith to J. B. Ford, November 30, 1859
• William Preston Smith to Thomas H. Parsons et al, November 30, 1859
• William A. Gorton to John W. Garret, November 30, 1859—5.40 p.m.
• William Preston Smith to John W. Garrett, November 30, 1859—6:45 p.m.
• John W. Garrett to William Preston Smith, November 30, 1859
• William Preston Smith to Oliver Hoblitzell, November 30th, 1859—7:35 p.m.
• A. P. Shutt to Oliver Hoblitzell, November 30, 1859–11.39 p.m.
• A. Diffey to William Preston Smith, November 30, 1859–11.54 p.m.
• Rebecca Buffum Spring to the Family of John Brown, November 30, 1859
• Senator James W. Grimes to Elizabeth S. Nealley Grimes, November 30, 1859
• George Mason Graham to Gov. Robert C. Wickliffe, November 30, 1859
• Gov. William F. Packer to Gov. Henry A. Wise, December 1, 1859
• John Brown to James Forman, December 1, 1859
• Charles E. Waters to William Preston Smith, December 1, 1859–3:50 a.m.
• J. B. Ford to William Preston Smith, December 1, 1859—10:58 a.m.
• A. P. Shutt to William Preston Smith, December 1, 1859—2 p.m.
• William Preston Smith to J. T. England, December 1, 1859—8:45 p.m.
• William Preston Smith to A. Diffey, December 1, 1859—9:11 p.m.
• William Preston Smith to C. W. Russell, December 1, 1859
• William Preston Smith to A. Diffey & A. P. Shutt, December 1, 1859
• William Preston Smith to General William B. Taliaferro, et al, December 1, 1859
• William Preston Smith to Maj.-Gen. William B. Taliaferro, December 1, 1859
• S. Bassett French to Maj.-Gen. William B. Taliaferro, December 1, 1859
• S. Colhoun to William Preston Smith, December 1, 1859
• December 2, 1859, John Brown was executed by hanging.
• William Preston Smith to A. Diffey, December 2, 1859
• Last Will and Testament of John Brown, December 2, 1859
• John Brown, December 2, 1859
• Services for John Brown at Concord, Massachusetts, December 2, 1859
• Speech of Theodore Tilton, December 2, 1859—12 p.m.
• Telegram to William Preston Smith, December 2, 1859
• A. P. Shutt to Maj.-Gen. William B. Taliaferro, December 2, 1859
• E. M. Aisquith to John Donohoo, December 2, 1859
• William Preston Smith to Samuel Calhoun & Alfred Gaither, December 2, 1859 
• William T. Sherman to George Mason Graham, December 2, 1859
• William T. Sherman to Ellen Ewing Sherman, December 2, 1859
• Maj. John T. L. Preston to Margaret Junkin Preston, December 2, 1859
• Diary of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, December 2, 1859
• Diary of Theodore Parker, December 2, 1859
• Diary of Thomas Ebenezer Thomas, December 2, 1859
• Victor Hugo, December 2, 1859
• Victor Hugo to Editor of the London News, December 2, 1859
• Maj. Thomas J. Jackson to Mary Anna Morrison Jackson, December 2, 1859
• Abraham Lincoln's Speech at Leavenworth, Kansas, December 3, 1859
• C. W. Russell to William Preston Smith, December 3, 1859
• A. P. Shutt to William Preston Smith, December 3, 1859
• A. P. Shutt to A. Diffey, December 3, 1859
• A. P. Shutt to Maj.-Gen. William B. Taliaferro, December 3, 1859
• A. P. Shutt to Maj.-Gen. William B. Taliaferro, December 3, 1859
• A. P. Shutt to A. Diffey, December 3, 1859—10 p.m.
• A. P. Shutt to J. M. Lowe, December 3, 1859
• William Preston Smith to A. P. Shutt, December 3, 1859
• Rev. Phillips Brooks to William Brooks, December 3, 1859
• Sen. Charles Sumner to James S. Pike, December 4, 1859
• A. P. Shutt to Col. J. Lucius Davis, December 4, 1859
• William G. Allan to Thomas H. Parsons, December 4, 1859—9 p.m.
• Arthur H. Clough to Charles Eliot Norton, December 5, 1859
• John Tyler to Robert Tyler, December 6, 1859
• Charles Eliot Norton to Arthur H. Clough, December 6, 1859
• Francis Preston Blair to Congressman John Sherman, December 6, 1859
• Senator James W. Grimes to Elizabeth S. Nealley Grimes, December 6, 1859
• Theodore Parker to Professor Desor, December 7, 1859
• John Letcher to Sen. Robert M. T. Hunter, December 9, 1859
• Theodore Parker to Ralph Waldo Emerson, December 9, 1859
• Senator James W. Grimes to Elizabeth S. Nealley Grimes, December 10, 1859
• Francis W. Pickens to Sen. Robert M. T. Hunter, December 10, 1859
• Andrew Hunter to John W. Garrett, December 10, 1859
• Theodore Parker to Joseph Lyman, December 10, 1859
• Senator James W. Grimes to Elizabeth S. Nealley Grimes, December 11, 1859
• Diary of to Amos A. Lawrence, December 11, 1859
• John G. Fee to Cassius M. Clay, December 12, 1859
• William T. Sherman to George Mason Graham, December 12, 1859
• William T. Sherman to Ellen Ewing Sherman, December 12, 1859
• William T. Sherman to John Sherman, December 12, 1859
• Diary of to Amos A. Lawrence, December 12, 1859
• Charles Eliot Norton to Ellen Dwight Twisleton, December 13, 1859
• Sen. Charles Sumner to James S. Pike, December 14, 1859
• William Cullen Bryant to John Bigelow, Esq., December 14, 1859
• John W. Garrett to Andrew Hunter, December 15, 1859
• William T. Sherman to Professor David F. Boyd, December 15, 1859
• Braxton Bragg to William T. Sherman, December 16, 1859
• William T. Sherman to Ellen Ewing Sherman, December 16, 1859
• Sen. William Bigler to Robert Tyler, December 16, 1859
• Gov. Salmon P. Chase to Thomas Spooner, December 18, 1859
• Wendell Phillips on the Puritan Principle, December 18, 1859
• Abraham Lincoln to Jesse W. Fell, Lincoln's Autobiography, December 20, 1859
• William T. Sherman to George Mason Graham, December 21, 1859
• W. Farley Grey to John Tyler, December 22, 1859
• Amos A. Lawrence to Sen. Jefferson Davis, December 22, 1859
• William T. Sherman to Ellen Ewing Sherman, December 23, 1859
• William T. Sherman to Thomas Ewing Jr., December 23, 1859
• Elizabeth Cady Stanton to Susan B. Anthony, December 23, 1859
• Sen. William P. Fessenden to his Cousin, December 24, 1859
• Theodore Parker, December 24, 1859
• William T. Sherman to George Mason Graham, December 25, 1859
• Marcus Spring to Mary Ann Day Brown, December 25, 1859
• Sen. Truman Smith to James S. Pike, December 26, 1859
• Salmon Brown, December 27, 1859
• Hawkins Taylor to Abraham Lincoln, December 27, 1859
• William T. Sherman, December 28, 1859