Birthdays
John Hall Allstadt
Turns 38 on this date
Absalom Arter
Turns 12 on this date
Arthur W. Bannister
Turns 12 on this date
Wilson Barrett
Turns 23 on this date
Julia D. Coulter Bates
Turns 50 on this date
Thomas Bayne
Turns 33 on this date
John Yates Beall
Turns 22 on this date
Philip Alexander Bell
Turns 49 on this date
Events
| Cultural | Ashmun Institute opens in Chester County, Pennsylvania | 01/01/1857 |
| Slavery/Abolition | Robert Brown, a fugitive slave from Virginia, arrives in Philadelphia after crossing Potomac on horseback | 01/01/1857 |
| Legal/Political | Roger Taney issues decision in Dred Scott Case | 01/01/1857 |
| Lawmaking/Litigating | The second regular session of the 34th Congress is sitting in Washington, DC between early December and early March |
12/02/1856 to 03/02/1857 |
Documents
| Letter | Frances Watkins Harper to William Still, January 1, 1857 | 01/01/1857 |
| Newspaper | Washington (DC) National Era, "Black Republicanism in Missouri," January 1, 1857 | 01/01/1857 |
| Newspaper | Washington (DC) National Era, "The Future Judged by the Past," January 1, 1857 | 01/01/1857 |
| Newspaper | Washington (DC) National Era, “The Republican Platform,” January 1, 1857 | 01/01/1857 |