History of slavery in Nebraska
Encyclopedia
The history of slavery in Nebraska is generally seen as short and limited. The issue was contentious for the legislature between the creation of the Nebraska Territory
in 1854 and the outbreak of the American Civil War
in 1861. However, there was apparently a particular acceptance of African Americans in the Nebraska Territory when they first arrived en masse. According to a publication by the Federal Writers Project,
, an enslaved African American held by William Clark, traveled and worked with him in 1804 and 1806 as part of the famous Lewis and Clark expedition
's exploration of the Missouri River
lands. He was the first black person recorded in what would become Nebraska.
In 1820, the United States Congress
passed the Missouri Compromise
. It prohibited slavery in the unorganized lands that would become the Nebraska Territory. The topic of slavery in Nebraska would not be revisited by Congress until 1854.
created the Nebraska Territory. The act overturned the Missouri Compromise by allowing legislatures of the Nebraska and Kansas territories to determine whether to permit or abolish slavery. From 1855 on, what to do about slavery was a recurring topic of debate in the Territorial Legislature
.
On November 25, 1858 two slaves owned by S.F. Nuckolls of Nebraska City escaped, and on June 30, 1860 six slaves owned by Alexander Majors of Nebraska City did the same thing. Two slaves were sold at public auction
in Nebraska City on December 5, 1860.
In 1859, the Daily Nebraskian newspaper reported its favoring of slavery
, writing,
During that period, several local newspapers openly editorialized against the presence of blacks in Omaha, for the Confederacy
and against the election and re-election of Abraham Lincoln
. Nebraska Territory Governor Samuel W. Black
vetoed two antislavery bills during these years, arguing that popular sovereignty
, as defined by the Kansas-Nebraska Act, made it the responsibility of the drafters of the state constitution to outlaw slavery, as opposed to the Territorial Legislature. There were many legislators who argued that Nebraska simply did not need a law because slavery did not exist "in any practical form" in the state.
The 1860 census showed that of the 81 Negroes in Nebraska, only 10 were enslaved.
Answering the criticism of legislators who opposed an anti-slavery law, Mr. Little, a legislator, remarked in session that,
In 1861 the territorial legislature passed a bill prohibiting slavery in Nebraska, but the governor vetoed it. A vote of ten to three in the Territory Council, and thirty-three to three in the Territorial House overrode his veto and slavery was forbidden. Thus the Territorial Legislature voted a future in which all men would be free.
Although the Territory prohibited slavery, at first the legislators limited suffrage to "free white males", as was typical of many states. Following the Civil War, having this clause in the proposed 1866 Nebraska State Constitution delayed Nebraska's entrance to the Union for nearly a year, until the legislature changed it.
, is the Mayhew Cabin
. Built in 1854, it was owned by Allen and Barbara (Kagi) Mayhew. John Henri Kagi, Barbara's brother, met and was deeply influenced by abolitionist John Brown
in 1856. Kagi became the secretary of war in Brown’s army. Kagi made his sister’s farm a stop on the Underground Railroad
to house slaves escaping from the South. In 2005 the Mayhew Cabin & Historic Village was rehabilitated. Today it houses the Mt. Zion African Methodist Episcopal Church
, one of the first black churches established west of the Missouri River.
Nebraska Territory
The Territory of Nebraska was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from May 30, 1854, until March 1, 1867, when the final extent of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Nebraska. The Nebraska Territory was created by the Kansas–Nebraska Act of 1854...
in 1854 and the outbreak of the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
in 1861. However, there was apparently a particular acceptance of African Americans in the Nebraska Territory when they first arrived en masse. According to a publication by the Federal Writers Project,
- "In the Territory of Nebraska the fight to exclude slavery from within the territorial boundaries spread from the Senate to the press and to the pulpit. Even among the slaves in the South the word spread that here was a place where the attitude toward Negroes was tempered with tolerance."
Early developments
YorkYork (Lewis and Clark)
York was an African American slave best known for his participation with the Lewis and Clark Expedition. As William Clark's slave, he performed hard manual labor without pay, but participated as a full member of the expedition. Like many other expedition members, his ultimate fate is unclear...
, an enslaved African American held by William Clark, traveled and worked with him in 1804 and 1806 as part of the famous Lewis and Clark expedition
Lewis and Clark Expedition
The Lewis and Clark Expedition, or ″Corps of Discovery Expedition" was the first transcontinental expedition to the Pacific Coast by the United States. Commissioned by President Thomas Jefferson and led by two Virginia-born veterans of Indian wars in the Ohio Valley, Meriwether Lewis and William...
's exploration of the Missouri River
Missouri River
The Missouri River flows through the central United States, and is a tributary of the Mississippi River. It is the longest river in North America and drains the third largest area, though only the thirteenth largest by discharge. The Missouri's watershed encompasses most of the American Great...
lands. He was the first black person recorded in what would become Nebraska.
In 1820, the United States Congress
United States Congress
The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....
passed the Missouri Compromise
Missouri Compromise
The Missouri Compromise was an agreement passed in 1820 between the pro-slavery and anti-slavery factions in the United States Congress, involving primarily the regulation of slavery in the western territories. It prohibited slavery in the former Louisiana Territory north of the parallel 36°30'...
. It prohibited slavery in the unorganized lands that would become the Nebraska Territory. The topic of slavery in Nebraska would not be revisited by Congress until 1854.
Kansas-Nebraska Act
In 1854 the Kansas-Nebraska ActKansas-Nebraska Act
The Kansas–Nebraska Act of 1854 created the territories of Kansas and Nebraska, opening new lands for settlement, and had the effect of repealing the Missouri Compromise of 1820 by allowing settlers in those territories to determine through Popular Sovereignty if they would allow slavery within...
created the Nebraska Territory. The act overturned the Missouri Compromise by allowing legislatures of the Nebraska and Kansas territories to determine whether to permit or abolish slavery. From 1855 on, what to do about slavery was a recurring topic of debate in the Territorial Legislature
Nebraska Territorial Legislature
The Nebraska Territorial Legislature was held from January 16, 1855 until 1865 in Omaha City, Nebraska Territory.- Slavery :In 1854 the Kansas-Nebraska Act created the Nebraska Territory, overturning the Missouri Compromise by allowing legislatures of the Nebraska and Kansas territories to...
.
Incidents
Meanwhile, some migrant farmers from southern states brought a small number of slaves with them into the territory. "In Nebraska the people never voted for slavery, but people coming here from the South brought slaves with them. In 1855 there were thirteen slaves in Nebraska and in 1860 there were ten. Most of these were held at Nebraska City."On November 25, 1858 two slaves owned by S.F. Nuckolls of Nebraska City escaped, and on June 30, 1860 six slaves owned by Alexander Majors of Nebraska City did the same thing. Two slaves were sold at public auction
Auction
An auction is a process of buying and selling goods or services by offering them up for bid, taking bids, and then selling the item to the highest bidder...
in Nebraska City on December 5, 1860.
In 1859, the Daily Nebraskian newspaper reported its favoring of slavery
Slavery
Slavery is a system under which people are treated as property to be bought and sold, and are forced to work. Slaves can be held against their will from the time of their capture, purchase or birth, and deprived of the right to leave, to refuse to work, or to demand compensation...
, writing,
- The bill introduced in [Omaha City] Council, for the abolition of slaveryAbolitionismAbolitionism is a movement to end slavery.In western Europe and the Americas abolitionism was a movement to end the slave trade and set slaves free. At the behest of Dominican priest Bartolomé de las Casas who was shocked at the treatment of natives in the New World, Spain enacted the first...
in this Territory, was called up yesterday, and its further consideration postponed for two weeks. A strong effort will be made among the Republicans to secure its passage; we think, however, it will fail. The farce certainly cannot be enacted if the Democrats do their duty.
During that period, several local newspapers openly editorialized against the presence of blacks in Omaha, for the Confederacy
Confederate States of America
The Confederate States of America was a government set up from 1861 to 1865 by 11 Southern slave states of the United States of America that had declared their secession from the U.S...
and against the election and re-election of Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States, serving from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. He successfully led his country through a great constitutional, military and moral crisis – the American Civil War – preserving the Union, while ending slavery, and...
. Nebraska Territory Governor Samuel W. Black
Samuel W. Black
Samuel Watson Black was a Pennsylvania Democrat best known for being the 7th Governor of the Nebraska Territory. The son of John Black, he was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in 1816. He graduated from the Western University of Pennsylvania, known today as the University of Pittsburgh, in 1834...
vetoed two antislavery bills during these years, arguing that popular sovereignty
Popular sovereignty
Popular sovereignty or the sovereignty of the people is the political principle that the legitimacy of the state is created and sustained by the will or consent of its people, who are the source of all political power. It is closely associated with Republicanism and the social contract...
, as defined by the Kansas-Nebraska Act, made it the responsibility of the drafters of the state constitution to outlaw slavery, as opposed to the Territorial Legislature. There were many legislators who argued that Nebraska simply did not need a law because slavery did not exist "in any practical form" in the state.
The 1860 census showed that of the 81 Negroes in Nebraska, only 10 were enslaved.
Answering the criticism of legislators who opposed an anti-slavery law, Mr. Little, a legislator, remarked in session that,
- The opponents of this measure have not a single reason to advance why this bill should not pass. They put forth, however, some excuses for opposing it. They come forth with the miserable plea that they are opposed to blotting our statute books with useless legislation. Sir, this is not so much a plea against this law as it is in favor of blotting our territory with slavery. They say that slavery does not exist here, and that this measure is useless. This excuse will not now hold good, for a president's message has just reached us, in which it is declared, and in this opinion he is backed by a powerful party, that men have the right to bring slaves here, and to hold them as such, and that this is slave territory... If the friends of slavery insist that they have the right to hold slaves here, shall we tamely submit to it? If they insist on making this a slave territory, which they do, shall we not insist that it shall be forever free?
In 1861 the territorial legislature passed a bill prohibiting slavery in Nebraska, but the governor vetoed it. A vote of ten to three in the Territory Council, and thirty-three to three in the Territorial House overrode his veto and slavery was forbidden. Thus the Territorial Legislature voted a future in which all men would be free.
Although the Territory prohibited slavery, at first the legislators limited suffrage to "free white males", as was typical of many states. Following the Civil War, having this clause in the proposed 1866 Nebraska State Constitution delayed Nebraska's entrance to the Union for nearly a year, until the legislature changed it.
Mayhew Cabin
Located just outside of Nebraska City, NebraskaNebraska City, Nebraska
Nebraska City is a city in Otoe County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 7,228 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Otoe County...
, is the Mayhew Cabin
Mayhew Cabin
Built in 1855, the Mayhew Cabin and Historic Village in Nebraska City, Nebraska is the only National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom site in Nebraska officially recognized by the National Park Service.- History :...
. Built in 1854, it was owned by Allen and Barbara (Kagi) Mayhew. John Henri Kagi, Barbara's brother, met and was deeply influenced by abolitionist John Brown
John Brown (abolitionist)
John Brown was an American revolutionary abolitionist, who in the 1850s advocated and practiced armed insurrection as a means to abolish slavery in the United States. He led the Pottawatomie Massacre during which five men were killed, in 1856 in Bleeding Kansas, and made his name in the...
in 1856. Kagi became the secretary of war in Brown’s army. Kagi made his sister’s farm a stop on the Underground Railroad
Underground Railroad
The Underground Railroad was an informal network of secret routes and safe houses used by 19th-century black slaves in the United States to escape to free states and Canada with the aid of abolitionists and allies who were sympathetic to their cause. The term is also applied to the abolitionists,...
to house slaves escaping from the South. In 2005 the Mayhew Cabin & Historic Village was rehabilitated. Today it houses the Mt. Zion African Methodist Episcopal Church
African Methodist Episcopal Church
The African Methodist Episcopal Church, usually called the A.M.E. Church, is a predominantly African American Methodist denomination based in the United States. It was founded by the Rev. Richard Allen in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 1816 from several black Methodist congregations in the...
, one of the first black churches established west of the Missouri River.
External links
- (nd) CHAPTER XX: SLAVERY IN NEBRASKA. NeGenWeb. Retrieved 5/29/07.
- Photo of the original document outlawing slavery in Nebraska.
- History of Slavery in Nebraska, in Andreas' History of Nebraska. Retrieved 5/29/07.
