Disunion Feed

Cincinnati Daily Enquirer @CincinnatiEnquirerOct 20, 1859 · Cincinnati, Ohio

The Northern Abolitionists are implicated — at the bottom of the Harper's Ferry conspiracy. They raised large sums to carry it forward. Garrit Smith gave one hundred dollars; Fred. Douglas, ten dollars. The prominent Republicans may well have known what was going on.

Original passage & context
"It will be seen from the telegraphic dispatches that the Northern Abolitionists are implicated and are at the bottom of the Harper's Ferry conspiracy. They raised large sums of money to carry it forward to a successful termination. GARRIT SMITH gave one hundred dollars, and FRED. DOUGLAS ten dollars. [...] It is very possible that GIDDINGS and the prominent Republicans of the Western reserve knew what was going on, if they were not active participants in it."

The conspiracy-charge line of Northern reaction: a Democratic daily names Gerrit Smith and Frederick Douglass as paymasters three days after the raid — the accusation Douglass answers from Canada later in this feed. Period misspellings 'GARRIT SMITH' / 'FRED. DOUGLAS' preserved as printed.

Read it in the original — Furman Secession Era Editorials transcription ↗

Northern press · Democratic Condensed — not verbatim Verified against the source — see the record
Cincinnati Daily Enquirer, "The Abolitionists of the North Implicated in the Harper's Ferry Insurrection," Oct. 20, 1859 (Furman Secession Era Editorials Project) ↗

Next in order

Staunton Vindicator @StauntonVindicator · Staunton, Va.

So mad and hopeless an enterprise could hardly be credited. But it is true — no less strange than true. These men must have been not only the wildest and silliest of fanatics, but wholly unacquainted with our State and our people.

Original passage & context
"So mad and hopeless an enterprise could hardly be credited. But it is true, and no less strange than true. [...] They must have been not only the wildest and silliest of fanatics, but wholly unacquainted with our State and our people."

Democratic Valley paper's first-issue reaction: dismissal as delusion, days before the same press turned to dread. Fragments from the same article joined with [...].

Read it in the original — Staunton Vindicator, Oct 21, 1859 (Valley of the Shadow) ↗

Southern press · Democratic Condensed — not verbatim Verified against the source — see the record
Staunton Vindicator, "The Doings at Harper's Ferry," Oct. 21, 1859 (Valley of the Shadow transcription) ↗

Where this sits

America has argued itself to the edge before. The words come from 1854–1861; the arguments are the ones we are still having.

One passage from the Harpers Ferry weeks, Oct 18, 1859 – Dec 2, 1859 — 22 posts, each linked to its primary source.

Part of 134 verified passages across 5 flashpoints, Jan 6, 1854 – Apr 13, 1861 — read the feed from the start.

Read on, in order← New-York Daily Tribune, Oct 19, 1859Staunton Vindicator, Oct 21, 1859 →

Anywhere in the feedA passage at random →

In contextHarpers Ferry, 1859

The other flashpointsKansas-Nebraska, 1854The Sumner caning, 1856Dred Scott, 1857The secession winter, 1860–61

How this was made