US Steamboats

I came across an article about the drought conditions in the Mississippi/Missouri Rivers recently.  It noted the volume of steamboat traffic on the river systems in the post Civil War era.  This author notes that "it wasn't uncommon in the 1800's to have hundreds of steamboats pass by St. Louis each day..." (that number seems hard to believe).  He also noted that the boats were "sometimes lined up two miles deep and four boats wide in both directions...".  The average life span on a riverboat was about five years but that if a boat make one run from St Louis to Fort Benton, Montana and back it made enough money to pay for itself with a profit.  This created a situation where the owners were not that concerned if they lost a boat to the hazards of the river.  The drought has now turned up the "remains of 500 to 700 steamboats...at the bottom of the Missouri river" with just as many in the Mississippi river.  It is interesting to me to note the level of river traffic occurring at that time.

(Source:  "Drought-plagued rivers reveal sunken troves" by Jim Salter of The AP.  In The Record on 12/23/12)

Slavery in the US

I read recently in a book review about the Amistad Rebellion a number of points I thought interesting.  First, the Denmark Vesey 1822 "supposed uprising" in Charleston is still being debated as to whether it was a "conspiracy in the first place".  Second, there was a major difference between African and American slavery.   

"...slavery in Mende country (the southern third of Sierra Leone) was typically 'paternal and familiar'-a world away from the sweeping cruelties of the American Plantation system".  Third, the Supreme Court in 1841 ordered the freeing of the Amistad Africans, however, it may have created an impression of the existence of "legal and illegal forms of slavery" (in the US) which served to support the southern view that "their institution was properly regulated".  In fact every southern justice-including Roger Taney of Dred Scott fame-ruled in the majority.  Fourth, in 1816 the American Colonization Society was formed to promote the creation of a colony in Liberia for Africans from the US.  However, the colony was only meant for northern free blacks not for southern slaves.  It seems the ACS in New Haven, Conn favored "black removal" (this may be another case of doing the right thing for the wrong reason).

(Source:  "A Peculiar Revolt" by Nicholas Guyatt of the University or York.  Review of The Amistad Rebellion by Marcus Rediker.  The Nation 11/26/12)

Election Results 2012

President Barack Obama won 332 electoral college votes to Mitt Romney's 206 electors.  The Senate now has 53 democrats and 45 republicans; a gain of two seats for democrats.  Bernie Sanders of Vermont is an independent who caucuses with the democrats, giving the democrats in essence 54 seats.  There is one other independent senator who I will have to do research on and add to this post later.  The House is now 234 republicans and 199 democrats, a loss for the republicans of eight seats.  If my math is correct there are five House seats unknown to me at this time; more research is required.  Anyone who knows is welcome to update this post.

(Source:  various articles in the Virginian Pilot and OnLine via google from this week)
Update:  President Obama's popular vote total is 62,611,250 to Mitt Romney's 59,134,475.  The other independent Senate seat won is in Maine and was won by A. King with 52.8 % of the vote against a republican, democrat and two other independents.  I don't know who he/she will caucus with; more research needed.  I checked the same source I did for the above information and got new numbers for the House makeup.  It is now 233 republican and 195 democrats.  That means there are seven seats unaccounted for.  Please advise if you can identify the remaining seven seats.
(Source:  www.politico.com on 11/18/12).

Modern Filibuster

Democratic Whip Richard Durbin made the following comment sometime in Sept of this year.  "I listened to the statement made on the floor by the republican leader.  It was a statement similar to one that was made yesterday...I am disappointed that this session of Congress has been so unproductive, but I know the reason why.  It isn't for lack of effort...We have consistently run into the same problem over and over.  In the last six years...the republicans have created 382 filibusters" (my emphasis).  To my understanding the modern filibuster doesn't require a senator to take the floor and talk until he drops; it only requires a statement by the minority party that they intend to filibuster and if the majority party can not muster 60 votes to force a vote then the legislation is dead.  Question: could it be true that there were 382 filibusters during President Obama's term?  

(Source:  "Yet another dysfunctional day" by Walter Pincus a columnist for the Washington Post.  Printed in the Virginian Pilot on 9/26/12).

First Amendment Case

A California man-Xavier Alvarez-lied about being a recipient of the Congressional Medal of Honor.  He was charged with violation of the Stolen Valor Act, a California law.  The US Supreme Court this year ruled that the law is an unconstitutional violation of the First Amendment's free speech right.  The case is United States v. Alvarez (2012) and the decision was a 6 to 3 vote.  The dissenting judges were Alito, Scalia and Thomas; voting to uphold the law.  

(Source:  On line from 11/7/12)

Japanese American Relocation Camps 1940's

We are all familiar with this shameful episode in American History, one sanctioned by one of the most liberal Presidents ever elected to the White House in FDR.  I will not try to recall that but add a few notes I came across while reading a novel about the effects on two families in Seattle during that time.  The Japanese American community-most of which were Americans by birth and spoke only English-in Seattle were sent to a camp in western Idaho called Minidoka.  This source notes that rebellion within the camp, did not occur even thou the inmates vastly outnumbered the guards, because the inmates were "showing their loyalty to the US by their obedience".  I am sure you all know, but I think it worth repeating, that the War Relocation Authority-that ran the camps-wanted all males 17 and older to "sign of oath of loyalty to the US".  That would allow them to be drafted to serve in the US army fighting Germans and Italians.  Many did just that and formed the "Go for Broke" 442nd Regiment becoming one of the most highly decorated American units in the war.  Some did not sign the oath and were considered "resisters" and sent off to another camp.  I wonder what happened to them.

The author notes an incident of a US soldier shooting and killing a Japanese American inmate in the camp who was trying to direct a construction truck from going the wrong way in the camp.  The soldier was not tried or punished.  He was, however, fined for the "unauthorized use of government property"; that being the bullet he used to kill the inmate.

At wars end, some members of this community returned to their former homes to find nothing left of their homes, businesses and personal property.  The author does note that a large collection of personal papers and photos were stored in the basement of the Panama Hotel in that city and was not found to many years after the war.  The Japanese Americans who did return couldn't find homes or apartments to rent and only a few remained.  The American Friends Service Committee is one, if not the only, groups to help them.

(Source:  Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford.  2009)

Chinese Exclusion Act 1882

I came across this bit of information in a novel about the Japanese Relocation period on the west coast of the US in the early days of WWII.  When the above act was passed it created a problem for fishermen on the west coast as they wanted and needed cheap labor (somethings never change).  At that time the Chinese workers worded for less and worked very hard.  So hard that when canning machines were introduced they were referred to as "Iron Chinks".  Local businessmen however, still needed cheap labor so they got around the Exclusion Act by bringing in Japanese workers.  This created harsh feelings between the Japanese and Chinese communities on the west coast.

(Source:  Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford.  2009