The Slavery,The Bravery, and The Free

1820 was the story  of the Missouri Compromise . Was Missouri going to be free and unable to command slavery? Or were they about to begin treacherous acts against unfortunate people? Well, for all any of the women knew of, there was just a disagreement in congress about these decisions . Of course, everyone wanted to be able to declare their own territories status, but that was in congress's hands.

"Elizabeth, What will our husbands do shall we become entitled to rekindle slavery?" Martha Bennett was the wife  of Nathaniel Bennett, the courageous leader of their  village.  Mrs. Bennett had a mind full of fear as she sat there questioning her best friend Elizabeth Samuels . Elizabeth took a long sip of her tea  while trying to stall an answer to that question. "Martha, you are not to worry about that as of the moment, focus on the children and keeping yourself  healthy. But, as I being your best friend, I am obligated to provide an answer full of my opinionated honesty. But, I don't know. I do not know what shall happen if violence is once again welcomed by the men of our blood. What I do know is that  our emotions  must be prohibited for there is nothing we can bring to this situation except a clean home and well fed men".

Cracking twigs and heavy breathing was all Elizabeth could hear as she sat on her front porch in the dark of the night. Out of the corner of her eye, Martha  is running to her embrace in her nightclothes! The decision was made that Missouri was pronounced as a slave state. "Oh Martha, I know, I know" Elizabeth tried to calm down her sobbing friend but nothing she said or did was enough to keep that woman from weeping. After five solid minutes of pouring her emotions onto Elizabeth's shoulders, Martha looked up with red swollen eyes and said "Our children. Our children will be surrounded by the disgust of violence this state is going to endear".  The two women had talked, and then decided to go to sleep, for the next day would bring swarms of emotions and opinions.

"Boom. Boom. Boom" Martha heard her husband Nathaniel coming down stairs with his loud clunky boots, as she hurried to prepare his breakfast and care for the children. "Maine was declared free. We weren't. Congress wanted balanced states". That was the only thing her husband said. Martha absolutely could not let her emotions show at a time like this in front of her husband and children. "Oh." She quietly replied while placing food in front of her husband. Between bites, Nathaniel had mentioned "Heck. For all we know this will be memorable history in the far future.  I can just hear people talking about it. Probably something like, way back when in 1820, Missouri was declared a slave state ." Nathaniel huffed and continued eating.  Martha hesitantly nodded in agreement as she boiled a pot of tea.

After  a day of cleaning and cooking, Martha decided it was a decent idea to write in her journal . The blue leather booklet had  dust crawling up the sides since she hadn't touched it in years. With reluctance, Martha began to write." I just don't understand. Why was Maine allowed free and we weren't? Why couldn't we be granted advantages for once? Sure, a lot of my state wanted   slavery, but not me. Not my family. I was informed today that every state North of us would be free, and every which one south will be a slave state .  Oh, the unfairness. "

 Time went on and the Bennett and Samuels families, and a lot more, dealt with things that were unthinkable to them.  They coped with each other and pushed through the hard times.

   

With her beige dress dragging up the stairs, Martha went to write in her even dustier journal. "It is year 1854 at the moment. I am 65 years old and still writing in my beautiful journal.  Slavery in our state was dropped  . Information is now going around about something called the Kansas-Nebraska act . I fear my husband is reaching illness. Terrible coughs and fatigue are overtaking his body. I must go take care of him right now."