Maine history and American history overview

Geology (Stratigraphy)

The period in American history between the years of 1854 -- 1857 marked the years just prior to the horrible yet necessary Civil War, or war of civility, between the Union (North) and the Confederate (South). These years purported dichotic views depending on whether one were situation above or below the Mason/Dixie line that separated the North from the South. As America was expanding beyond the original 13 colonies and emerging into a grandeur union to include the land of Texas and land both adjacent and immediate to the Mississippi River, the socio-cultural, socio-political, and socio-economic climate of the day differed drastically from the North to the South.

The state of Maine, home to poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow is a state located as far north as one can get in the union during this period. According to Fisher (1993), "Just in case your high-school memories of naturalist henry David Thoreau, poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, and New England military history have faded alongside the Twist, white socks, and Cherry Coke, we're talking about northern Maine, that vast expanse at the top of New England, variously described as "the last great American frontier in the East," "The Crown of Maine," "The Forest Primeval," Up North." Or simply "The County" -- a term that, as far as northern Mainers are concerned, needs no further explanation." (Fisher, 1993)

The aforementioned quote delves quite deeply into the socio-political and socio-economic mentality of the Maine population during this period. Indeed, their offspring have developed into a hearty and self-sustaining society, which is a function of ancestry that grew up in Maine during the period just prior to the Civil War. Additionally, socio-economic conditions were further hindered by what was referred to as 'The Drouth in Maine" (New York Daily Times, 1854).

According to the New York Daily Times (1854), "In Main its force was not broken until the rains came some two weeks since. The beds of the Androscoggin and the Kennebee have seldom been drier than they were on the first of November. Doubtless, it contributed very much toward keeping up the price of lumber -- the fact that on account of the failure of mill streams, most of the sawmills had to stop running." (New York Daily Times, 1854) Certainly, the effect of the drought for Maine during this period had economic and social burdens that were not of the sort experienced elsewhere in America.

Although the south was experiencing economic hardships, the north was also with economic issues as well. Evidenced by events in Maine, the north did share tangential hardship with the south yet the north was perceived as the wealthier half of the union. The politics of the time was centered around the Whig delegates as the Governorship was up for grabs. According to the New York Daily Times (1854), "Hon. Shepard Cary, liberal Democratic candidate for Governor, spoke here last night (Bangor, Tuesday June 27, 1854). He took strong ground against the Portland Regular Convention and its candidate, Judge Parris, denouncing the Convention as a packed concern, and declaring the Democratic party to be dissolved. According to the report in the Whig this morning, he evaded the Nebraska question, and placed the present issue on the Liquor law along. The Whig delegates to the State Convention from this vicinity, will generally go for nominating a Whig candidate for Governor." (New York Daily Times, 1854)

The liquor law plays a role in the aforementioned news story of the day. Socio-economic issues were tied in directly to socio-political and socio-economic issues as was the case not only in Maine but throughout the new union as well. Socio-political and socio-economic links were abundant in the south and were critical to the start of the bitter Civil War battles. Just after this period, the commencement of the Civil War in 1861 to its end in 1865. The period just after the culmination of the Civil War is known as the period of Reconstruction, which defines the era of post war rebuilding and strengthening of socio-economic, socio-political, and socio-cultural ties.

Maine's exposure to these periods after 1857 was not as prolific as were in many areas of the union and the confederacy. In fact, there were no Civil War battles fought on Maine soil. The majority of the issues that faced Maine were secondary to the issues that faced the rest of the amalgamating nation. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow demonstrated the populous Maine spirit during his prime in the 1850s

. The artistry and poetry of the era emanating from Maine society was rich with linguistic quality and ripe with sentiment and culture from an era and region where the seasons change in a dramatic fashion and where the citizens are thick-skinned and hearty.

However, about a decade before 1854, the Northeast Boundary Dispute

between Maine and New Brunswick provided a complete and different experience for Maine that was not related to the conflict between the north and the south. The dispute became increasingly heated between each side to the point of apportioning troops to the border to protect Main's border claims. The U.S. Congress approved an amount of $10 million USD to pay for military expenses if a war did indeed break out between the two sides over the border. In 1842, a treaty between the U.S. Secretary of State and the English special minister labeled the Webster-Ashburton Treaty finally settled the border dispute.