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Harper's Encyclopedia of United States History (ed. Benson Lossing), Homestead laws. (search)
y in the speculative era. The plan to give the public lands to the States was again thrust forward and was advocated by President Tyler in his first message, but though a number of bills were brought before Congress proposing such a distribution, none actually became laws, except one providing for a gift of land to new States, which was passed in 1841, as part of the first pre-emption law. The cession of public lands to railroads on a large scale was begun in 1850, and has since led to the disposal of a very large proportion of the public lands. About 1852 a homestead law, which was warmly advocated by the Free-soil Democracy, became a national question. Several bills passed one House of Congress but failed in the other. In 1860 a homestead bill actually passed, but was vetoed by President Buchanan on the plea that its provisions were not fair to all classes concerned. It was not until 1862 that the homestead law, as we have it to-day, was adopted. See exemptions from taxation.
Harper's Encyclopedia of United States History (ed. Benson Lossing), Kansas, (search)
oice of the majority of the people. The canvass for a new President was now in operation, and so absorbed public attention that Kansas had rest for a while. James Buchanan was elected by the Democratic party. At the beginning of his administration the Dred Scott case greatly intensified the strife between the pro-slavery and anti-slavery men, especially in Kansas. Mr. Buchanan favored the views of the pro-slavery men, and his strong support gave them, in Kansas, renewed courage. Then the opposing parties were working with energy for the admission of Kansas as a State, with opposing ends in view. The pro-slavery party, in convention at Lecompton early people for adoption or rejection. It was rejected by over 10,000 majority. Notwithstanding this strong popular condemnation of the Lecompton constitution, President Buchanan sent it in to Congress (Feb. 2, 1858), wherein was a large Democratic majority, with a message in which he recommended its acceptance and ratification. In
Harper's Encyclopedia of United States History (ed. Benson Lossing), King, Horatio 1811-1897 (search)
King, Horatio 1811-1897 Lawyer; born in Paris, Me., June 21, 1811; received a common school education; studied law, and was admitted to the bar; became a clerk in the Post-Office Department in Washington in 1839; was made first assistant Postmaster-General in 1854, and was Postmaster-General from Feb. 12 to March 7, 1861, during which time he introduced the official-penalty envelope. Later he engaged in the practice of his profession in Washington. He published Turning on the light (a review of the administration of President Buchanan), etc. He died in Washington, D. C., May 20, 1897.
Harper's Encyclopedia of United States History (ed. Benson Lossing), Nicaragua. (search)
t this restless adventurer fitted out another expedition at New Orleans, landed on the Nicaraguan coast, Nov. 25, and was seized by Commodore Paulding, United States navy, Dec. 3, with 230 of his followers, and taken to New York as prisoner. James Buchanan was then President of the United States. He privately commended Paulding's act, but for prudential reasons, he said, he publicly condemned the commodore in a special message to Congress, Jan. 7, 1858, for thus violating the sovereignty of a foreign country! Buchanan set Walker and his followers free, and they traversed the slave-labor States, preaching a new crusade against Central America, and collecting funds for a new invasion. Walker sailed from Mobile on a third expedition, but was arrested off the mouth of the Mississippi River, but only for having left port without a clearance. He was tried at New Orleans by the United States Court and acquitted, when he hastened to Central America, and after making much mischief there
Harper's Encyclopedia of United States History (ed. Benson Lossing), Norfolk, destruction of (search)
of a mile in width. In the river the largest vessels of war might float, and everything for building and finishing such vessels was seen there in greatest perfection. The quantities of arms and munitions laid up were enormous. There were at least 2,000 pieces of heavy cannon fit for service, 300 of which were new Dahlgren guns. It was estimated that the aggregate value of the property there was between $9,000,000 and $10,000,000. Besides this, several war-vessels were afloat there. The Buchanan administration, to avoid irritating the Virginia politicians, had left all of this public property to exposure or destruction. Even the new administration of President Lincoln was for a time very circumspect. When directing (April 4, 1861) Commodore McCauley to put the shipping and public property in condition to be moved and placed beyond danger should it become necessary, he was warned to take no steps that would give needless alarm. Meanwhile, the Virginia Confederates had proposed to
Harper's Encyclopedia of United States History (ed. Benson Lossing), State of Oregon, (search)
ates in 1846, and also a proposition to adjust the question by making the boundary on the parallel of 49°. This was rejected by the British, who claimed the whole of Oregon. The President then directed the proposition of compromise to be withdrawn, and the title of the United States to the whole territory of 54° 40′ N. lat. to be asserted. The question at one time threatened war between the two nations, but it was finally settled by a treaty negotiated at Washington, June 15, 1846, by James Buchanan on the part of the United States and Mr. Pakenham for Great Britain, by which the boundary-line was fixed at 49° N. lat. In 1833 immigration to this region, Scene on the Columbia River, discovered by Captain Gray. Oregon Indians. overland, began, and in 1850 many thousands had reached Oregon; but very soon many of the settlers were drawn to California by the gold excitement there. To encourage immigration the Congress, in 1850, passed the donation law, giving to every man who s
Harper's Encyclopedia of United States History (ed. Benson Lossing), Ostend manifesto. (search)
Ostend manifesto. In July, 1853, William L. Marcy, the Secretary of State, wrote to Pierre Soule, American minister at Madrid, directing him to urge upon the Spanish government the sale or cession of Cuba to the United States. Nothing more was done until after the affair of the Black Warrior in the winter of 1854. In April, 1854, Mr. Soule was instructed and clothed with full power to negotiate for the purchase of the island. In August the Secretary suggested to Minister Buchanan in London, Minister Mason at Paris, and Minister Soule at Madrid the propriety of holding a conference for the purpose of adopting measures for a concert of action in aid of negotiations with Spain. They accordingly met at Ostend, a seaport town in Belgium, Oct. 9, 1854. After a session of three days they adjourned to Aix-la-Chapelle, in Rhenish Prussia, and thence they addressed a letter, Oct. 18, to the United States government embodying their views. In it they suggested that an earnest effort t
Harper's Encyclopedia of United States History (ed. Benson Lossing), Peace Congresses. (search)
to be held in the city of Washington on Feb. 4, for the purpose of effecting a general and permanent pacification; commending the Crittenden compromise as a just basis of settlement; and appointing two commissioners, one to go to the President of the United States, and the other to the governors of the seceding States, to ask them to abstain from all hostile action pending the proceedings of the proposed convention. The proposition for such a convention was received with great favor. President Buchanan laid it before Congress with a commendatory message, but the Virginians had accompanied this proposition with a menace. On the same day the legislature resolved, That if all efforts to reconcile the unhappy differences between the sections of our country shall prove abortive, then every consideration of honor and interest demands that Virginia shall unite her destinies with the slave-holding States. Delegates to the peace convention were chosen from nearly every State but the seven s
Harper's Encyclopedia of United States History (ed. Benson Lossing), State of Pennsylvania, (search)
th to 9th1801 to 1805 Samuel Maclay8th to 10th1803 to 1808 Andrew Gregg10th to 13th1807 to 1813 Michael Leib10th to 13th1809 to 1814 Abner Lacock13th to 16th1813 to 1819 Jonathan Roberts13th to 17th1814 to 1821 Walter Lowrie16th to 19th1819 to 1825 William Findley17th to 20th1821 to 1827 William Marks19th to 22d1825 to 1831 Isaac D. Barnard20th to 22d1827 to 1831 George M. Dallas22d to 23d1831 to 1833 William Wilkins22d to 23d1831 to 1834 Samuel McKean23d to 26th1833 to 1839 James Buchanan23d to 29th1834 to 1845 Daniel Sturgeon26th to 32d1839 to 1851 Simon Cameron29th to 31st1845 to 1849 James Cooper31st to 34th1849 to 1855 Richard Brodhead32d to 35th1851 to 1857 William Bigler34th to 37th1855 to 1861 Simon Cameron35th to 37th1857 to 1861 David Wilmot37th to 38th1861 to 1863 Edgar Cowan37th to 40th1861 to 1867 Charles R. Buckalew38th to 41st1863 to 1869 Simon Cameron40th to 45th1867 to 1877 John Scott41st to 44th1869 to 1875 William A. Wallace44th to47th1875 to
Harper's Encyclopedia of United States History (ed. Benson Lossing), Phillips, Wendell 1811-1884 (search)
this demented mass, the 8,000,000 will find out for the first time in their lives that they have got souls of their own, tell us so, and then we shall all be piloted back, float back, drift back into the good old times of Franklin Pierce and James Buchanan. There is a measure of truth in that. I believe that if, a year ago, when the thing first showed itself, Jefferson Davis and Toombs and Keitt and Wise, and the rest, had been hung for traitors at Washington, and a couple of frigates anchorer one, that every dollar spent in this war is worse than wasted, that every life lost is a public murder, and that every statesman who leads States back to reconstruction will be damned to an infamy compared with which Arnold was a saint, and James Buchanan a public benefactor. I said reconstruction is not possible. I do not believe it is, for this reason; the moment these States begin to appear victorious, the moment our armies do anything that evinces final success, the wily statesmanship an
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