History According to Dr. Hardeman's Students

Ha ha. Dr. Hardeman's students wrote about some good historical "facts" today that I wanted to share with you. First, did you know that Abraham Lincoln was a Democrat? Hmmm, I always thought he was the first Republican President, but I guess that to a lot of people these days, every true American hero is (or should have been) a Democrat. Then, I learned today that Abraham Lincoln enacted the "three-fifths clause." (That was actually something presented at the Constitutional Convention of 1787 saying that slaves counted as "three-fifths" of a person towards the population of the Southern states, so the Southerners could have more representatives in the House of Representatives--a far cry from the Emancipation Proclamation.) I also learned today that the United States acquired California and Arizona during the French and Indian War--which is impressive since the French and Indian War took place from 1754-1763--over 40 years before the Louisiana Purchase and about 92 years before the war with Mexico! And, I learned that Virginia seceded from the South right before the Civil War. (Granted, West Virginia seceded from Virginia, but the capital of the Confederacy was in Virginia, and it was Robert E. Lee's home state.) And, I learned that John C. Calhoun wrote the Compromise of 1850--he was actually its biggest and most vehement opponent. So, anyway, it was a funny day of good laughs reading papers to Dr. Hardeman.