Yesterday in class we talked about Abraham Lincoln and his decision to suspend habeas corpus, or the writ of liberty. He did this because he felt threatened by the actions taken against the Union and against the Civil war. Since the states were in "rebellion" Lincoln deemed it necessary to suspend habeas corpus. This gave generals and officers the right to hold peopl without a just cause. Today in class we focused on the beginning of the civil war, and war leaders such as Lee and Tomas Jackson. Thomas Jackson received the name "Stonewall" Jackson after refusing to move andtreat to Union forces. He is claimed to have stood "like a stone wall" and inspired others to "determine to die here" and "conquer." The Confederates won the first major battle of the Civil War at th Battle of Bull Run. Later, they felt the need to win a battle on northern soil in order to get England to ally with them, which would never have happened anyways.

The past teo days in class we have been focusing on the secession of South Carolina. South Carolina believed they had a just reason to leave the Union because they weren't being listened to and felt targeted by the north. They felt it was their right to leave the Union as they had the right to "alter or to abolish" their existing government. Abraham Lincoln believe that South Carolina had no reason for leaving the Union. All the states signed the Constitution, and all states must agree to void that document. Therefore, South Carolina could not secede because not all states said that it could.

On friday we had a sub. He was from Chicago and said we were all eating unhealthy. We did a packet on secession, which happened when the south wanted to separate from the Union; it was an idea. The packet was kind of confusing because the primary source document didn't really make sense. Today in class we looke at a caricature cartoon about the election of 1860. There were four major parties; northern democrats, southern democrats, republicans, and constitutional party. The republicans were against slavery, while the southern democrats wanted to spread it. The northern democrats wanted to have popular sovereignty. The constitutional party just wanted everyone to get along. Lincoln won the election.


I have reliezed my goal is actually going better than I originally thought. Between dance and track I'm stretching at least once a day six times a week. Anyways, even though I haven't been really doing it all the time, it wasn't a complete waste.

Today in class we read worksheets on John Brown. John Brown was an abolitionist that wanted to take control of the arsenal at Harper's Ferry in Virginia. He was warned against this course of action by Frederick Douglass, and in the end, ten of his men were killed, seven were captured, and five escaped. John Brown himself was sentenced to hanging.

Goal: So I figured out the days I have track and dance I stretch. All the others, not so much.

The past two days in class we focused on the Dred Scott case. Dred Scott was a slave that was trying to sue his masters for his freedom. Unfortunately, he had bad-timing, and if he had addressed the case at an earlier date, he probably would have won. Today in class, we focused on Abraham vs. Stephen Douglas in the Senate race. Abraham was one of the first Republicans, that strongly opposed slavery. Stephen Douglas believed it should be up to the state to allow or abolish it.

My goal: Yeah so my goal isn't going very well. I occasionally do it, but there just aren't enough hours in the day.

The past two days in class we have been talking about the Missouri Compromise. The compromise gave the Senate equal power between slave states and free states. However, it gave far more land to the free North than it did to the slave South.

My goal is not going well. However, I have been trying to every other day.