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9. Governor Martin .- Chancellor Joshua Lanier Martin, of Tuskaloosa, championing "bank reform," was elected governor in the hot political campaign of 1845. ITis opponent was Nathaniel Terry. Gov- ernor Martin recommended the closing of the banks, and endeared himself to the people by bold measures that brought about the settlement of the bank mat- ters. The Mexican War was of deep interest to Ala- bamians, many of whom volunteered for service; but only one regiment, under Colonel John R. Coffey, one battalion, under Colonel John J. Seibels, and a company from Limestone, were accepted, and they were not permitted to take active part in the cam-
1841 10 1845
1845 to 1817
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paigns into Mexico. Professor Michael Tuomey, who was elected State geologist in 1848, began to explore the State to learn what minerals were to be found in it. His reports, and those of Sir Charles Lyell, a noted English geologist, directed attention to the great mineral wealth of the State. The capitol, on "Goat Hill," in Montgomery, was finished, and the State archives were removed to it from Tuskaloosa.
1847 to
1819
10. Governor Chapman .- Reuben Chapman, of Madison, defeated Nicholas Davis in the race for the office of governor. He devoted himself to relieving the State debt and to the passage of laws for taxes with which to pay these debts. Railroads were creating much interest in the State, and great politi- cal speeches were showing the interest Alabamians were taking in matters touching the State and the nation.
1849 to 1853
11. Governor Collier .- Henry Watkins Collier, of Tuskaloosa, had been long on the supreme bench, and had decided a great many cases that came before the supreme court. Other judges who read his opinions said that he was a very able judge. He was elected governor with hardly any opposition. He was very popular. His wife Mary, the sister of Mr. Alfred Battle, did every thing she could to help him rise to high positions. His home was the center of culture and liberal hospitality. Under him the State made steady and remarkable advances in general improve- ments; schools, churches, farms, railroads, and every branch of business thrived.
1853 to 1857
12. Governor Winston .- Johr Anthony Winston, of Sumter, enjoyed the distinction of being the first
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native-born governor of Alabama. His birthplace was in Madison county. He was descended from Revolutionary stock in the Old Dominion. He made a strong governor. He was careful in spending public moneys, and no doubt saved the State from losing a great deal. He vetoed many bills which per- mitted the use of large sums for building railroads and making other improvements in the State, and for this reason was called the "Veto Governor." His frequent clashes with the legislature did not make him any the less popular. He approved the bill for establishing the public school system. ITis bold, firm character not only influenced the men of his day, but left its impression upon the history of the State.
13. Governor Moore .- Andrew Barry Moore, of Perry, became governor in 1857. His first term was noted for the establishment of the Bryce Hospital and the Institute for the Deaf and Dumb. The great mineral wealth of the State, to which attention had been directed, began to be developed.
SUMMARY
Among the important events of the first forty years of state- hood may be mentioned the rapid increase of population from 1820 to 1830, the establishment and failure of the State Bank and its branches, the removal of the capitol to Tuskaloosa and then to Montgomery, the founding of the University, the removal of the Indians to lands in the West, the building of railroads, in- provement of schools and churches, the establishment of the public school system, and the development of the great mineral resources of the State.
QUESTIONS
1. Describe the growth of the State immediately after its admission into the Union. 2. Give the chief events of Governor Pickens's administration. 3. To what place was the capitol
1857 to 1859
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removed? Why? 4. Give the terms of the Treaty of Dancing Rabbit Creek; of Cusseta; of the Pontotoc Council House; of New Echota. 5. What trouble occurred between the United States government and Alabama because of the Creek Indians? 6. Give an account of the Indian uprising during Governor Clay's administration. 7. Mention the chief events of the administra- tion of Governor Bagby; of Governor Fitzpatrick. 8. How did the election of Mr. Joshua L. Martin affect the State Bank? 9. Who was appointed State geologist in 1848, and what work did he do for the State? 10. What important events occurred during the administration of Reuben Chapman; of Henry W. Collier; of John A. Winston; of Andrew Barry Moore? 11. Name the gov- ernors of Alabama from 1820 to 1859. 12. During whose admin- istration was the University chartered? When and at what place were its buildings begun ?
Period III. Secession and War
William Lowndes Yancey
CHAPTER XIV
WILLIAM LOWNDES YANCEY (1814-1863)
1. Parentage and Early Life .- William Lowndes Yancey was born at O gee'chee Shoals, in Georgia. After having the best of instruction in a preparatory school, he went to Williams College. Before finish- ing the courses for his degree, he entered upon the study of law in the office of Benjamin F. Perry, in Greenville, South Carolina. He was soon engaged in public debates on questions that were giving the people a great deal of concern and that were to be settled in Congress. He opposed strongly the "Ordi-
1814
[131].
1
132
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nance of Nullification" in a Fourth-of-July speech when he was but twenty years of age, and at that time he showed the forces of brain and heart which carried him on to fame.
His mother was a daughter of Colonel William Bird, whose home in Pennsylvania was a resting place for oppressed patriots of the Revolution. One of Colonel Bird's sisters married a signer of the Declaration of Independence, and two others married Revolutionary statesmen.
Mr. Yancey's father was of Welsh extraction and Revolutionary connections; after serving gallantly as a midshipman on the United States warship The Constitution, he took up the practice of law. This gifted father died early, leaving his two sons, Wil- liam Lowndes and Benjamin Cudworth, to the care of their mother, a woman of remarkable mind and strong character. Her influence had a great deal to do with the success of her sons in after life.
In 1834, William L. Yancey was editor of the Greenville Mountaineer, and he made it a strong advocate of liberty and the Union. In public speeches he startled audiences by his eloquence and reasoning. Two years later he came with his young wife to Alabama, and settled on a plantation in Dallas county.
2. Fined and Sentenced to Imprisonment .-- On a visit to Greenville, South Carolina, while in conver- sation with some gentlemen about candidates for Congress, he was given the "lie" by Elias Earle, a youth of seventeen and a cousin to Mrs. Yancey. Mr. Yancey boxed the young man's jaws. Young Earle
1834
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WILLIAM LOWNDES YANCEY
resented manfully with his riding whip. His father, Dr. Robinson Earle, a few days later attacked Mr. Yancey. In the fight which followed, Dr. Earle was shot to death. Mr. Yancey was tried, convicted, and fined $1,500 and given twelve months' imprisonment. The judge stated that "he could impute no moral guilt, as what had happened seemed to be entirely accidental." Governor Patrick Noble removed the penalty of imprisonment and remitted $1,000 of the fine.
3. Mr. Yancey as a Planter .- Mr. Yancey returned to Alabama. He bought a few acres in Coosa county, where he could spend the summers with his family away from the malaria of his newly-cleared planta- tion. He was happy with his family and in the suc- cess of his business. He had negroes enough to make a good living, and he was giving his thoughts to the raising of crops and the study of government.
In 1839, during his summer absence in Coosa county, his overseer on his plantation in Dallas county offended a neighbor's overseer. A spring of water at which Mr. Yancey's overseer was accus- tomed to drink was poisoned. The overseer on that special day did not pass the spring as usual, but the negroes drank of it and were poisoned. The skill of physicians and Mr. Yancey's careful nursing and personal attention saved but few of them. Crops went to ruin and Mr. Yancey was thrown into debt. Hle at once began to plan to redeem his losses by pushing the Wetumpka Argus, of which he was editor, and by going again into the practice of law. Though urged by friends to take the benefit of the
1839
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ALABAMA HISTORY
bankrupt laws, he refused to do so, and proudly pressed forward until he paid all his debts.
1841
4. Member of Alabama Legislature .- Mr. Yancey was a member of the Alabama legislature in 1841. The following year he formed a law-partnership in Wetumpka with the eloquent and polished Sampson W. Harris, gave up the editorship of newspapers, and shared the profits of a successful law business. As State senator from Coosa and Autauga counties in 1843, he opposed the counting of negroes along with the whites in order to determine how many repre- sentatives were to be chosen. He aided to enact the law protecting the estates of married women. He was scarcely thirty years old at this time, but he was considered a very wise man and a great orator.
1844
5. Member of Congress .- Mr. Yancey succeeded to the seat of Dixon HI. Lewis as representative in Con- gress. While in Congress he replied to Thomas L. Clingman, of North Carolina, whose bitter speech against Southern Democrats charged them as being disturbers of the peace. This reply was remarkable for power and directness. It brought Mr. Cling- man's challenge for a duel. The civil officers tried to prevent the duel, but it came off as agreed upon. Neither man was hurt, and the two afterwards became friends.
The laws of Alabama said that no duelist should hold a State office, but the legislature of the following winter passed, over Governor Martin's veto, a bill which changed the law so that Mr. Yancey would not be barred from holding office. His popularity made him a welcome guest in all communities and reelected
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WILLIAM LOWNDES YANCEY
him to Congress by a large vote. He said that his canvasses for the two elections did not cost hiin five dollars.
He was a very influential member of Congress. He worked hard and made some notable speeches. These were so masterful and eloquent that news- papers and people compared him with the great orators of the Old World. He resigned his seat in Congress before the end of his second term, profess- ing himself too poor to be a congressman.
6. Mr. Yancey as a Party Man .- Mr. Yancey was a staunch Democrat, a scholarly gentleman, and a lover of justice. In his public, as well as in his pri- vate life, he lived up to the resolution to "commit no wrong, relinquish no right." His enemies sometimes doubted his judgment, but never his honor. On the questions of slavery and States rights, he was a strong defender of the South. He loved the Union, but he became convinced that the settled policies of the more populous North would continue to be unjust to the South.
After resigning from Congress, he removed to Montgomery, and there continued the practice of law. Here, too, lived his distinguished opponent, the superb Henry W. Hilliard. These two, with their friends, made Montgomery the center of political opinions as held by the South.
Mr. Yancey was a delegate to most of the conven- tions of his party. He wrote the "Alabama Plat- form," which was adopted by the State Democratic convention in 1848, and six years later by the national Democratic convention at Cincinnati. This
1848
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ALABAMA HISTORY
platform declared that the territory of the United States was the common property of all the States; that every man had the right to take into any terri- tory all his property, whether stock or negroes; and that in exercising this right the United States ought to protect him.
1848
A coolness came between Mr. Yancey and his party in 1848. He denounced the Baltimore conven- tion that nominated Mr. Cass for President, and in the election refused to vote for him. He wanted the political opinion of the nominee for President to agree with the Alabama Platform. Mr. Cass sided with those who believed in slavery, but he leaned to "squatter sovereignty," which was the doctrine that the people of a territory could vote, when it asked to be admitted into the Union, whether it would be a slave State or not. From 1848 to 1856 Mr. Yancey was altogether out of favor with the Democratic party, but the convention of 1856 held in Montgomery restored him to leadership, and henceforth he absolutely controlled political action in Alabama.
7. Leader of the Southern Democrats .- In many ways the Northern people were showing their con- tempt for the laws of the Union respecting slavery and States rights. As a result, Mr. Yancey and the South were forced to fight for honor, liberty, and life.
1860
He led the Alabama delegation out of the Charles- ton convention in 1860, when it refused to endorse the Alabama Platform. He then aided in nominating John C. Breckinridge, of Kentucky, for the presi-
.
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WILLIAM LOWNDES YANCEY
dency, and became leader of the States rights wing* of the Democratic party. He toured the country for Mr. Breckinridge, speaking in New York, Ohio, Ken- tucky, and other States, pleading for the cool judg- ment that would preserve justice, States rights, and the Union. To this end he would defeat the election of Mr. Lincoln to the presidency of the United States.
After the election of Mr. Lincoln, Mr. Yancey drew up the "Ordinance of Secession" and secured its passage. He believed that secession could be effected without war, but in this he was mistaken.
8. Commissioner to England .-- Mr. Yancey vainly urged President Davis to place a low tariff on imports from England and France, provided those countries would recognize the Confederate States as a nation, and would not consider them a section of the United States in rebellion. Mr. Davis would not do this, but offered to Mr. Yancey any official posi- tion in the Confederate States government that he might choose. Mr. Yancey refused to choose, but accepted the appointment of commissioner of the Confederate States to England. As he believed before leaving this country, he was not recognized at the English court, nor could he persuade England
*The split in the Democratic party at the Charleston conven- tion resulted in the nomination of three candidates for the presi- dency-Stephen A. Douglas, who leaned to "squatter sover- eignty"; John Bell, who wanted to uphold the constitution and preserve the Union, and John C. Breckinridge, who was a firm believer in States rights. These were opposed by the Republican candidate, Abraham Lincoln.
Jan. 11, 1861
الـ
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ALABAMA HISTORY
to acknowledge the independence of the Confederate States.
1862
9. Confederate Senator and Death .- In February, 1862, he returned home, broken in health and depressed in spirits. He was elected to the Con- federate States senate and served his country with his usual activity and patriotism.
He died in Montgomery July 27, 1863.
10. Mr. Yancey as an Orator and Patriot .- Yancey was the truest of patriots and the greatest orator* of his day. His perfect mastery over the passions of men was shown in New York, Cincinnati, Memphis, and other places. When he began to speak, his opponents would sometimes hiss and scoff him; but before he concluded, they would be quieted into respectful silence by his masterful eloquence and his
*Dr. J. B. Hawthorne, the eminent Baptist divine, himself a most eloquent orator, says that Mr. Yancey possessed "the four . great elements of oratory-reason, imagination, passion, and action. In argument he was the peer of Webster and Calhoun. He was as resistless as an Alpine avalanche. When he had finished his discussion, it seemed impossible to escape from his conclusions or to view the subject in any other light than that in which he had presented it. In imagination, he was not the equal of Webster or Burke or Prentiss. His flights were sometimes vaulting, but always easy and natural. There was never the semblance of extravagance. His fancy, like Milton's Eve, was graceful in every step. He was always impassioned, and when the storm of his invective burst upon his political adversaries they smelt brimstone in the air and felt that the day of judgment had come. But with all of his passion and impetuosity, there was the most perfect self-control. His gestures were few and unpre- meditated, but magnetic in the last degree. In the strength, flexi- bility, compass, clearness, and vibrant quality of his voice, Yancey had no equal."
139
WILLIAM LOWNDES YANCEY
forceful arguments. "It must be so, Yancey; thou reasonest well," was the conclusion forced upon many who had come to take issue with him, but who went away convinced that he was right.
Measured by the devotion of the South to the cause he advocated and the four long war-stained years, with battles such as the world never before wit- nessed, Yancey must rank among the greatest men of our nation. He has been justly called the "Demos- thenes of the South" and the "Patrick Henry of the second revolution."
SUMMARY
William Lowndes Yancey, a native of Georgia, at an early age attracted attention as an orator and public man. Misfortune overtook him as a planter, but by untiring efforts he paid all his debts. As a member of the general assembly and of Congress, he served the people faithfully and honestly. He became one of the leaders of the Democratic party in the South, and drafted the Alabama Platform. In his young manhood he had been a Union man, but the attitude of the North toward the South finally made him a strong advocate of States rights. He drafted the "Ordinance of Secession," was commissioner to England, and Confederate senator. In the years just preceding the war, no man was his superior as a lawyer, editor, or orator.
QUESTIONS
1. Give an account of the parentage and youth of William L. Yancey. 2. Narrate the incidents of his being fined and im- prisoned. 3. What misfortune befell him as a planter, and how did he meet it? 4. What did he do as a member of the legisla- ture? As a member of Congress? 5. Describe Mr. Yancey as a party man. 6. What was the "Alabama Platform"? 7. Give an account of the coolness between Mr. Yancey and his party. 8. What did he do as leader of the Southern Democrats? 9. What positions did he hold under the Confederate government? 10. Describe Mr. Yancey as an orator and patriot.
Henry Washington Hilliard
CHAPTER XV
HENRY WASHINGTON HILLIARD (1808-1892)
1808
1. Early Life .- Henry W. Hilliard (hil' yard) was a North Carolinian by birth, but during his early boyhood his parents moved into South Carolina and settled in Columbia. Here he spent his youth. When eighteen years old he was graduated with distinction from the University of South Carolina. He studied law and was admitted to the bar at Athens, Georgia.
1831 to 1834
2. Professor of English Literature .- From 1831 to 1834 he filled the chair of English literature in the University of Alabama. He was well fitted for this
[140]
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HENRY WASHINGTON HILLIARD
chair. He liked to read the best books in English and Latin and other languages, and to introduce young men to the beauties and merits of literature. He was a good reader, and he delighted to entertain his pupils and older friends in reading from the best authors.
He loved the productions of the ancient masters, and devoted himself closely to the works of Demos- thenes and Cicero, trying to understand what it was that made them great orators. He developed into a master of the art of public speaking. His voice was naturally sweet and under perfect control, while his great mind and splendid figure combined to impress people that he was a distinguished man.
He took an interest in so many things that he ·· became dissatisfied with the quietude of college life. He resigned his chair in the University and entered upon the practice of law in the city of Montgomery. Here he added to his friends and won his fame.
3. Minister to Belgium .- Through the State legis- lature he moved into higher public offices. Upon the nomination of William Henry Harrison for the presidency of the United States, Mr. Hilliard placed before the great Whig convention at Harrisburg the name of John Tyler, of Virginia, for Vice-President. This act commended him to Mr. Tyler, who after- ward appointed him minister to Belgium. While holding this position, he mingled with kings and queens and with the most cultured people from all countries. Judge William R. Smith says of him, "He was a man to stand before the king. His per-
1812 to 1844
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ALABAMA HISTORY
sonal appearance at all times and in all places was elegant, commanding, and courtly."
The annexation of Texas was at this time exciting the two worlds. Hilliard secured the full confidence of King Leopold, and Belgium did not protest against the annexation.
4. Member of Congress .- Upon his return to Ala- bama, Mr. Hilliard was elected to represent the State in the United States Congress. In that great body he displayed much energy and interest in affairs of the times. England and the United States were con- tending about the northwest boundary line between Canada and this country. Some people wanted the United States to claim up to 54° 40' north latitude, and to fight England if this was not granted. Mr. Hilliard's speech on the subject of this boundary line was in sympathy with the sentiment "fifty-four forty or fight." He presented his side of the ques- tion so clearly and eloquently that John Quincy Adams walked across the hall of the house of repre- sentatives to congratulate him. Mr. Yancey opposed Mr. Hilliard on the question of the boundary line.
Congress disappointed Mr. Hilliard. The great orators of past ages whom he had studied as models made their speeches when publie questions were set- tled before assemblies of the people themselves. In Congress, however, Mr. Hilliard was not addressing the people, and consequently his speeches were not received as he had expected. It worried him to look upon members of Congress engaged in cracking jokes, eating peanuts, writing letters, mailing papers, and wholly indifferent to his fiery orations.
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HENRY WASHINGTON HILLIARD
Mr. Hilliard opposed the doctrine of secession, but he did not favor the passage of laws which excluded slavery from the territories.
5. Services to the Confederacy .- He followed Ala- bama in secession, and on the outbreak of war he was made commissioner to Tennessee to arrange for its admission into the Confederacy. He afterwards raised "Hilliard's Legion" of three thousand men for the Confederate service. After the war he returned to Georgia and practiced law in Augusta.
1861
1877
6. Minister to Brazil .- President Hayes appointed Mr. Hilliard minister to Brazil. While in this ser- vice he aided in freeing the slaves. Upon request made by the government of Brazil for his views on slavery, he submitted a letter which was published throughout the world, and which produced a deep impression, coming as it did from one who had owned slaves. In his letter he not only advocated the freeing of slaves, but suggested seven years as the time in which this should be done. He was enter- tained by the Anti-Slavery Society of Brazil, and his speech on that occasion gave him reputation throughout the world. It was published in the official Bluebook of Great Britain.
7. Later Life .- He resigned his office as minister to Brazil when Garfield became President, and resumed the practice of law in Augusta, Georgia.
HIe died in Augusta on December 17, 1892.
8. Writings .- Mr. Hilliard was a graceful writer. He has left a volume of Speeches and Addresses; Roman Nights; and De Vane, a Story of Plebeians and Patricians. His Politics and Pen Pictures is an
1881
Dec. 17, 1892
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account of some interesting events in his political life. It also tells of his experiences among courts and people abroad. De Vane is a charming novel, full of beautiful descriptions of college and home life. It is a sweet love-story, which pictures the religious conditions of the day.
9. Hilliard and Yancey Compared .- Mr. Hilliard was not the equal of Mr. Yancey as an orator, but he was the only man in the State who could meet Yancey in debate, always share in the applause, and sometimes come off victor. The two were opposites in politics, but were united on some of the great questions that touched the South. Both condemned the policy that would exclude slavery from the terri- tories or interfere with it in the States; but Mr. Hilliard accepted compromises to which Mr. Yancey would not listen. Mr. Hilliard was the gentler, more polished, more cultured of the two; but Mr. Yancey was the more profound thinker and the better judge of men. Mr. Hilliard never failed to entertain. He always sustained his reputation as a thorough states- man and a brilliant orator. Mr. Yancey seldom failed to eclipse his past. Especially did he rise in public opinion when he met, before Northern audi- ences, the men that most strongly opposed him. No compromise, but perfect composure and confident power marked his speech.
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