Hmm, all of this information is about to boil my brain. Just taking the parts about the election and placing them in a section alone it's easy to see how much power the newspapers held back then. Just plant some seeds and with little to no evidence to back up or to disprove the editorial they could lead a state to elect someone, or not. I wonder how much influence they had over maybe those who lived in less populated areas and they attended no political rallies? If they only saw or had read to them editorials from an old newspaper they'd have to decide on their vote on just that, fragments.

I'm like y'all. I do not remember reading very much about a slaves insurrection or attempts to poisen people. I do remember hearing of the one woman, I think in St Francisville, La, using Oleandar in a cake. She intended to make the woman and children sick according to one version so they would feel they needed her when she got them well. Another version said the husband caught her listening at a doorway and he cut off her ears and she was trying to poisen him. That's the only poisen story I've heard. I believe they said the other slaves caught her when she tried to run because if she had gotten away they'd be in worse trouble. She was hung.

Truth be told, I've read little on real facts to back up any cruel and harsh treatment but I'd imagine it existed. If there were more trying to poisen the whites, maybe there's more to the beatings and lynchings than just meanness.

So there was a tax on the Chinese workers? I did not know that either. Did the railroads pay it or was it just in one area? Hmm, don't know.

Reading the reports on the Indian activity sounds like the old Saturday morning tv programs. Very interesting take on it from the non-Native side.

Pam