The 1860s were a turbulent time in American history. The Civil War raged from 1861 - 1865, dividing the nation, families, and friends. On January 31, 1865, Congress passed the 13th Amendment to abolish slavery, and it was ratified on December 6, 1865. The United States government purchased Alaska in 1867, while the rest of the country was struggling to recover from the war. Many other things occurred during the decade from 1860 - 1869, including new inventions, music, and food items. Below are some highlights of the 1860s.
U.S. Presidents:
1860-1865 Abraham Lincoln
1865-1869 Andrew Johnson
1869-1877 - Ulysses S. Grant
Important Dates:
1861-1865 Civil War
1863 Gettysburg Address
1863 Emancipation Proclamation
1864 "In God We Trust" added to U.S. coins
April 15, 1865 President Lincoln is assassinated
 |
| 1860 Census Map |
New U.S. States:
1863 West Virginia
1864 Kansas & Nevada
1867 Nebraska
New U.S. Territories:
1863 Arizona & Idaho
1864 Montana
 |
| Sleeper Rail Car |
1860 Internal combustion engine, linoleum, repeating rifle
1861 Postcards, hand-cranked machine gun, quad-wheel roller skates, twisted drill bits
1862 Speed of light measured
1863 Barbed wire, double-barrel cannon, paper dress patterns
1864 Spar torpedo
1865 Cowboy hat, railroad sleeper cars, rotary printing press
1866 Chuckwagons, urinals in restrooms
1867 Motorcycles, typewriters, paper clip, ticker tape, refrigerated railcars
1868 Paper bags, tape measures
1869 American football, pipe wrench, clothes hangers
1860 San Francisco boasts 145 opera performances
1861 Harriet Tubman's "Go Down Moses" is first black spiritual published with music in the U.S.
1862 Julia Ward Howe writes poem for Atlantic Monthly, "Battle Hymn of the Republic"
based on hymn, "John Brown's Body"
1863 George F. Root's "The Battle Cry of Freedom becomes a rallying cry for Union soldiersbased on hymn, "John Brown's Body"
1865 Tony Pastor's Opera House opens in New York, marking the beginning of the vaudeville
1866 Musical play, The Black Crook, forerunner of musical comedy of 1920s
1867 The Boston Conservatory, Chicago Musical College, New England Conservatory, & the
Cincinnati Conservatory are all founded
Cincinnati Conservatory are all founded
Food:
1861 Jelly beans, beef stroganoff, popcorn balls
1862 Vernor's Ginger Ale
1863 Fruit salad, breakfast cereal
1866 Candy conversation hearts
1867 Synthetic baby food
1868 Tabasco sauce, Fleischmann's yeast
1869 Welch's grape juice, parfaits
I learned a lot while researching this article. Who knew that jelly beans and popcorn balls had been around for so long? I hope you enjoyed this peak into the decade of the 1860s. In the following months, I'll posting the rest of the decades through the end of the 19th century. Look for my posts on the 10th of each month.
Gabe Coulter has a successful night gambling, but a drunken cowboy who wants his money back confronts him in a dark alley. Gabe refuses, and a gunfight ensues. The dying man tells Gabe the money was for his wife and son. Though the shooting was self-defense, Gabe wrestles with guilt. The only way he knows to get rid of it is to return the money he fairly won to the man’s wife. Lara Talbot sees Gabe as a derelict like her husband and wants nothing to do with him. But as she struggles to feed her family, she wonders if God might have sent the gambler to help.
1863 Fruit salad, breakfast cereal
1866 Candy conversation hearts
1867 Synthetic baby food
1868 Tabasco sauce, Fleischmann's yeast
1869 Welch's grape juice, parfaits
I learned a lot while researching this article. Who knew that jelly beans and popcorn balls had been around for so long? I hope you enjoyed this peak into the decade of the 1860s. In the following months, I'll posting the rest of the decades through the end of the 19th century. Look for my posts on the 10th of each month.
Vickie McDonough is the best selling author of 35 books and novellas. Her novels include the fun and feisty Texas Boardinghouse Brides series and the 3rd & 6th books in the Texas Trails series. Her novel, Long Trail Home, won the Inspirational category of the 2012 Booksellers’ Best Awards. Song of the Prairie, the final book in her Pioneer Promises series, set in 1870s Kansas, recently released. Vickie had three Christmas novellas in collections releasing this fall: Westward Christmas Brides, The Christmas Brides Collection, and The 12 Brides of Christmas. To learn more about Vickie or to sign-up to receive Vickie's newsletter, visit her website: www.vickiemcdonough.com
