Category: U.S. Civil War
Prices of slaves on the eastern shore of Maryland before the Civil War.
Posted onWatched the uplifting and depressing movie Harriet last night. Second time I’ve seen it. Fabulous tale about the efforts of Harriet Tubman in liberating herself from slavery, then liberating most of her family, eventually freeing about 70 people from slavery. After watching the movie again, wanted to pull together a recap of the posts on […]
Pay rate for privates in each of America’s wars
Posted onPay for American soldiers during each major war is provided by We Are the Mighty. Their article, This is how much troops were paid in every major American war, provides the pay for a private in the major wars fought by the U.S. The then-current pay is also adjusted to an equivalent amount of money […]
Prices of slaves on the Eastern Shore of Maryland before the Civil War – Part 4
Posted onThis series of posts focuses on the prices of slaves and some of the economics of the slave system as discussed in the book Bound for the Promised Land: Harriet Tubman: Portrait of an American Hero, by Kate Clifford Larson. First post: introduction, why discuss prices, manumission Second post: term slave, status of children Third […]
Prices of slaves on the Eastern Shore of Maryland before the Civil War – Part 3
Posted onThis series of posts focuses on the prices of slaves and some of the economics of the slave system as discussed in the book Bound for the Promised Land: Harriet Tubman: Portrait of an American Hero, by Kate Clifford Larson. First post: introduction, why discuss prices, manumission Second post: term slave, status of children Prices […]
Prices of slaves on the Eastern Shore of Maryland before the Civil War – Part 2
Posted onThis series of posts focuses on the prices of slaves and some of the economics of the slave system as discussed in the book Bound for the Promised Land: Harriet Tubman: Portrait of an American Hero, by Kate Clifford Larson. First post: introduction, why discuss prices, manumission Term slaves Another grim aspect of a slave […]
Prices of slaves on the Eastern Shore of Maryland before the Civil War – Part 1
Posted onBound for the Promised Land: Harriet Tubman: Portrait of an American Hero, by Kate Clifford Larson provides the first adult biography of Harriet Tubman published since 1943. I read the book after watching the new movie Harriet. I heartily recommend both the book and the movie. If you want to add another hero to the […]
Indicator of soldier’s pay late in the Civil War. Racial disparity in pay rates.
Posted onHymns of the Republic by S. C. Gwynne cites an editorial on May 1, 1864 in the Chicago Tribune titled “Read and Blush” which criticized the wide disparity in pay between black and white soldiers. This editorial is useful for two reasons. First, it reports the pay rates then in effect. Second it reveals the […]
Indicator of coast-to-coast travel cost and wages for school teacher in San Diego back in 1865
Posted onDocent at the School House Museum in the Old Town San Diego State Historical Park explained the people of San Diego hired a professionally trained primary school teacher in 1865. Mary Chase Walker had challenges finding a good position in Massachusetts, so she sailed to San Francisco. When the anticipated job there did not materialize, she […]
Inflation factors during the Civil War and an indication of relative wages in the 1860s.
Posted onAn insightful indicator of wages during the Civil War can be found in The Cause Lost: Myths and Realities of the Confederacy, by William C. Davis. Book also has useful indicators of inflation through 1863. The northern economy was quite strong during the Civil War, with demand for skilled and unskilled workers in industry creating […]