The Underground Railroad

Dear Diary,
The northerners are very upset about the changes Congress has made to the Fugitive Slave Act. Some states have even passed personal liberty laws, according to my dad. These new laws allow the states to arrest slave catchers for kidnapping. I am very pleased to know that Ohio was one of these states.

I recently overheard my father talking with one of our neighbors about the Underground Railroad. From what I understood, it is a way to sneak slaves out from their masters to the north, Canada, and  even sometimes England to free them. The Underground Railroad is apparently not an actual railroad. they use railroad terminology though to explain the network of different passages. My dad was talking about this one slave who is said to have escaped and made almost 24 trips to free slaves. He said her name is Harriet Tubman.

Uncle Tom's Cabin has just came out. I have already read the whole book. The book talks about man, Uncle Tom, who is a slave. It tells about both nice and cruel slave owners. I feel bad for what Uncle Tom had to go through. I wish there was more I could do to help the slaves in the South. Here is a photo of the book:

                                                          That's all for now Diary,
                                                                Rebecca


"Cyclopædia of Political Science, Political Economy, and the Political History of the United 
        States." Lalor, Cyclopaedia of Political Science, V.3, Entry 50, PERSONAL LIBERTY
        LAWS. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Jan. 2016.
Uncle Tom's Cabin. N.d. Crisis Magazine. Web. 22 Jan. 2016. 
        <http://www.crisismagazine.com/wp-
        content/uploads/2012/09/Uncle-Toms-Cabin-Pic.jpg>.

Election of 1848 and Compromise of 1850

Dear Diary,
Today I overheard my dad telling his friends how he is worried about the election this year. He thinks that with popular sovereignty, the new territories will become slave states. From what I understand, popular sovereignty lets the territories choose whether they want to be slave or free states. I think the new territories will do what is right and choose to be free states. My dad thinks that slavery is bad, but he worries that if too many black men come to the north then he might get put out of a job. Jeanette thinks it is crazy to let black people work for a normal wage. She thinks they are below us just because they have different color skin. Daddy voted for Governor Lewis Cass today. I hope he wins because I don't like that Mr. Taylor has slaves.
                                                         That's all for now Diary,
                                                               Rebecca


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Dear Diary,
Mr. Taylor was elected president. According to my dad, he did not win by much. I was glad to hear that the Free-Soil Party did get 10% of the votes. I think that if I could vote, I would vote for them. I really like the fact that they do not support slavery. My cousin thinks it is crazy to let the slaves go free. Here is a photo of President Taylor:

I just heard about the Compromise of 1850. Supposedly, Senator Clay came up with compromise. There are five main parts from what I understand.
1) Congress lets California enter the union as a free state.
2) New Mexico and Utah territories get to decide how they want to enter the union based off of popular sovereignty.
3) Slave trade has ended in Washington D.C., but not slavery.
4) Congres must past a stricter fugitive slave law.
5) Texas has now given up its claim to New Mexico in return for $10 million.

The new fugitive slave act that came out of the compromise has had a huge impact in the north.The new updates to the law now make it where if a citizen helps a fugitive slave, they can be fined or imprisoned. Even the people that have fought for their freedom are being taken back to be slaves again. I do not support the new law. My dad thinks that it is not right to take them back. Jeanette has been awful lately. She has been trying to get the bounty hunters to take even the free black men in our area. we have grown apart because of what is happening lately in politics. We never see eye to eye anymore.
                                                          That's all for now Diary,
                                                                Rebecca


Zachary Taylor. N.d. History. Web. 22 Jan. 2016.
      <http://cdn.history.com/sites/2/2013/12/taylor-
       color.jpg>.

About Me

I am a 15 year old girl from Ohio. My name is Rebecca Davis. I am the only girl in my family and the youngest. I have four brothers. I was born July 5th, 1833. My cousin has recently come to live with us from Mississippi. Her name is Jeanette Dunn.  We have always gotten along for the most part. Jeanette is only a couple months older than me. Her family has slaves. She thinks it is crazy that my family doesn't. My parents are Whigs. I have grown up listening to my father talk politics with his friends. My father often ask me of my own opioions on things that are happening in Congress.

This is a photo of Jeanette and me. Jeanette is in the green dress. I am in the brown dress.


















"Old Rags." Old Rags. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Jan. 2016.
         <http://oldrags.tumblr.com/page/43>.