165 YEARS AGO: Both the Federal government and the people in the North step up scrutiny of anti-war sentiment, and constitutional guarantees are threatened.
Category: Politics
I Am Here in a Terrible Place
165 YEARS AGO: George B. McClellan continues organizing his new Army of the Potomac and continues feuding with Winfield Scott.
The Confiscation Act
OTD 165 YEARS AGO: Abraham Lincoln reluctantly signs a bill into law allowing Federal commanders to seize slaves from people supporting the Confederacy. But this law does not provide clear enforcement guidelines, thus raising constitutional concerns.
War is a Question of Money
OTD 165 YEARS AGO: During the special session of the U.S. Congress, Republicans unopposed by the South were able to approve several laws meant to pay for the war, including the first-ever personal income tax.
Of Those Made in God’s Image
165 YEARS AGO: General Benjamin F. Butler pushes the Lincoln administration to set a firm policy regarding fugitive slaves behind Federal lines.
General Scott is the Great Obstacle
165 YEARS AGO: George B. McClellan develops a Federal war strategy while complaining that Winfield Scott is standing in his way.