April 18th 1861
My name is Jackson Calhoun. They say a war is comin’ , so I figured I’d write down some things in this here book because my Ma said it would be a good idea. My Ma is a pretty smart woman, so I’ll do what she says. I guess the best way to start this is by talking a little about myself.
I was born in January of 1842, so I am 19 years old. I’m the tallest one in my family and have to duck to get into all the rooms. I live on a farm in Pennsylvania, right outside of Philadelphia. We do well on our little farm; my Ma and Pa have 3 sons including me. Jeb is 25 and married to Sarah, then there’s me, and I also have a little brother Moses, who is 15. Me and Moses work here on the farm until I find myself a wife someday. I’d love to get hitched someday, there’s a girl named Rose who lives in the next farm over that I like a lot. Her father doesn’t really like my family- since we think that slavery is wrong. Why is it that poor families like us have to work hard every day for our farm, and rich men in the south just buy human beings to do it for them? I read this new book by a lady from Maine, Uncle Tom’s Cabin, that talks about how those southerners treat poor African people. It is not right for them to treat humans like animals. I hope it gets outlawed, then farms like us have a fighting chance. I would do anything to keep my family safe and provided for. If that means fighting in this war, I’ll do it.