dittodat

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)

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.

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.

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.

many poor europeans paid for their passage to america by becoming indentured servants. they signed a document called the indenture, which committed them to work for the person who paid their passage for a period of time-usually seven years. indentured servants could be severely punished for breaking their contracts. at the end of the agreed-upon time period, they received land or money to help them start their lives in freedom.

love is letting someone hurt you.

apple's new tv series about extraordinary athletes. episodes are really short* because the show focuses on the athletes' specific moments of their careers. here are the athletes:

(see: lebron james)
(see: tom brady)
(see: alex morgan)
(see: usain bolt)
(see: shaun white)
(see: kelly slater)
(see: katie ledecky)

(see: #643)

thomas edison was the most famous inventor during the great age of invention. in his lifetime, he was granted 1,093 patents. his inventions included a telegraph that would send and receive messages simultaneously over the same line; a transmitter for bell's telephone; the phonograph; the incandescent light bulb; the mimeograph machine; waxed paper; and the basic system for making motion pictures.

working at his laboratory in menlo park, new jersey, edison worked long hours, slept little, talked to himself, and became lost in his work. in fact, on his wedding night, he forgot about his bride and went back to his lab to work out a problem.