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.
Tag: Civil Liberties
Ex Parte Merryman
OTD 165 YEARS AGO: Pennsylvania militia arrest a Maryland farmer in his Maryland home for suspected secessionist activity. This provokes a controversial legal dispute between the president and the U.S. chief justice and leads to ongoing violations of civil liberties during the war.
Davis Urges Suspension of Habeas Corpus
President Jefferson Davis delivers a message to the Confederate Congress asking for the authority to suspend the writ of habeas corpus.
The Vallandigham Affair Continues
Exiled Copperhead Clement L. Vallandigham is nominated to run for governor of Ohio, and President Abraham Lincoln issues a response to those protesting his banishment of Vallandigham out of the U.S.
The Chicago Times Suppression
Ambrose E. Burnside follows up his arrest of Clement Vallandigham by ordering the closure of the anti-war Chicago Times.
This Establishes Military Despotism
President Abraham Lincoln issues orders to banish former Congressman Clement L. Vallandigham to the South for voicing anti-war views that the administration considers dangerous.