dittodat

in 1874, the discovery of gold in the black hills of dakota sent thousands of gold seekers through sacred sioux lands. war parties responded by raiding white settlements. after two years of warfare, a group of sioux and cheyenne warriors confronted a u.s. cavalry column at the little bighorn river in montana territory. instead of waiting for reinforcements, general george a. custer led his 264 troopers into battle. they were surrounded, and every last man, including custer, was killed.

the battle of the little bighorn was the indians' greatest victory, but it was also their last. by 1881, all the plains tribes had been forced to move to reservations.

from 1860 to 1862, the pony express operated as a mail service between san francisco, california, and st. joseph, missouri, with the u.s. postal service carrying the mail east from there. people were captivated by the image of brave riders speeding alone across the landscape, leaping onto fresh horses at every 10-mile station until they had completed their 200 miles. the pony express was fast - it took only eight days to get a letter to san francisco but it was stopped when the first transcontinental telegraph line was completed in 1862.

thomas nast was a 20-year-old german immigrant when the civil war began. he first became famous as an artist for harper's weekly with a drawing called "emancipation," which showed what life might be like for freed slaves. but nast is most remembered for his later work. from the mid-1860s to the 1880s, nast drew editorial cartoons to attack political corruption. he also created the elephant symbol for the republican party and the democrats' donkey. and it was nast's drawings of santa claus as the jolly, red-suited figure handing out gifts from his sleigh that gave the world the modern image we know today.

lincoln personally opposed slavery, but he insisted that the civil war was being fought to preserve the union, not abolish slavery. the emancipation proclamation, issued in january 1863, was lincoln's official declaration of freedom, or emancipation, for slaves in the confederacy. it was meant to satisfy abolitionists who pressured lincoln to make ending slavery a goal of the war. it was also a strategic move to help the north win the war—the south had an advantage, since the confederates could force slaves to help the war effort.

ultimately, the document was more a symbolic than an actual end to slavery, since the union could not force the rebellious southern states to free slaves, and it did not pertain to slaves in border states loyal to the union, such as maryland and kentucky. the thirteenth amendment to the constitution freed the remaining slaves.

(see: abraham lincoln)

jefferson davis had served as congressman, senator, and secretary of war in the u.s. government. after the 1860 presidential election, he hoped southerners would accept lincoln as their leader. but when his own state of mississippi joined six others in forming the confederacy and chose him as president, davis felt obligated to serve.

(see: #643)

in 1857, northerners who opposed slavery received another shock when the supreme court ruled against a slave named dred scott who was suing for his freedom. scott's owners had brought him with them from the south to a northern free state to live. the court declared that it did not matter whether scott lived in a slave state or a free state, because slaves were property and owners could take their property wherever they pleased.

most southerners were happy with the ruling, which meant that slavery could be extended into any territory, whether voters approved of it or not.

dred scott and his family, pictured in a newspaper article about the case. image

on october 16, 1859, a wild-eyed abolitionist named john brown led a small band of men in a raid on a federal arsenal at harpers ferry, west virginia. brown, who had fought against pro-slavers in kansas a few years earlier, planned to use the arsenal's weapons to arm a great slave rebellion. the raid was quickly stopped by the army and militia under colonel robert e. lee. brown and six others were tried, convicted, and executed. many northerners, while horrified by the violence, considered brown a martyr to the cause of freedom. southerners were worried because they feared the event was a sign that abolitionists were taking control of the north.

it was an idea romanticized by some americans. the woman represents "american progress" leading settlers toward land and success. the print shows the stagecoaches once used to transport mail and passengers, the railroads that replaced them, and the "prairie schooner" wagons in which pioneers traveled with their belongings. the open landscape was originally home to indians and the buffalo they hunted, but settlers had arrived to farm the land. image

(aka the lone star state) in the 1820s, moses austin, followed by his son stephen, gained permission from the mexican government to settle 300 american families in the state of coahuila, soon to be known as texas. thousands more settlers were granted permission and followed. by 1830, they outnumbered mexicans in the region four to one.

in 1835, the dictator of mexico, general santa anna, moved an army into texas to establish military control. about 100 texans defended their settlements at the alamo. on march 6, 1836, surrounded by 5,000 troops, they were all killed. other conflicts followed. the texans, inspired by the rallying cry "remember the alamo!" overwhelmed the mexicans and captured santa anna. in september, the republic of texas was formed, with sam houston as president. the lone star republic would remain independent until 1845, when it was annexed by the united states.

napoleon bonaparte, emperor of france, planned to base an empire in north america after establishing a naval base on the island of hispaniola in the caribbean sea. his plans were ruined by toussaint louverture, who led a revolution of slaves and free blacks there. louverture was captured, but his followers kept the revolution alive, frustrating napoleon's plans. napoleon lost interest in louisiana and sold it to the united states.

the most revered person in america. when john adams took office in march 1797, washington was relieved that he could finally leave public life. in his farewell address in september 1796, he left the american people with two warnings: to be careful of the "continual mischiefs of party politics, and to "steer clear of permanent alliances with any portion of the foreign world."

one of the most popular european military officers to serve in the patriot cause was the marquis de lafayette, a wealthy french nobleman. he became a favorite of washington and his men, and was a brilliant general. in 1826, a half-century later, lafayette returned to the united states to a hero's welcome.

in the autumn of 1776, a 21-year-old schoolteacher named nathan hale volunteered to be a spy to investigate british troop strength in new york city. hale was discovered by the british and taken prisoner. since he was not in uniform, he didn't need to be considered a prisoner of war-so he was hanged. hale's last words, recorded by a bystander, served as an inspiring motto for patriots:

"i regret that i have but one life to give for my country."

was a mainstay of the southern economy in the 1700s because of the dye made from its leaves. indigo became valuable due to the innovations of 17-year-old eliza lucas of south carolina who developed a deep blue dye that became wildly popular.