Tag: January 17

The Crittenden Compromise

Today in History, January 16, 1861:

“The Crittenden Compromise”.

Senator John J. Crittenden, former Kentucky Governor, US Representative, and US Attorney General, had put forth the Crittenden Compromise in a last ditch effort to prevent Civil War.

The nation had been arguing over the abomination of slavery since it’s inception; and “compromise” had been made before, with the Missouri Compromise which divided the nation north and south regarding which states would have slavery and which would not.

Then the Compromise of 1850, in which each new state got to decide.

During the 1850’s the Republican party was established with it’s primary platform being to prevent the spread of slavery.

Crittenden, a “Constitutional Unionist” suggested several Constitutional amendments that would bring things back to the Missouri Compromise levels since several states had already seceded due to Republican Abraham Lincoln’s election.

This time the Republican majority in the Senate said no to compromise and killed his bill.

As an aside, Crittenden’s grandson (and namesake), would be killed at the Battle of Little Big Horn with Custer.

How America Receives News Changes

Today in History, January 17, 1998:

It depends on what the meaning of the word ‘is’ is.”

Matt Drudge, of the “Drudge Report” breaks the Clinton-Lewinsky Scandal, in which President Bill Clinton was discovered having an affair with a young White House intern.

Amidst a series of lies and cover-ups, Clinton would eventually be found to be in contempt of court, see charges of perjury, the suspension of his law license by the state of Arkansas and by the United States Supreme Court, and impeachment.

The incident also cemented internet news sources as legitimate, much to the chagrin of the mainstream media, which had tried to kill the story to protect the Democrat in the White House.

Many incidents since have demonstrated for Americans just how few individuals had controlled the information they received, and the bias those sources allowed to drive them.