The Year in Review: 1857

After a contentious presidential election during the previous year, many Americans hoped that 1857 would finally bring political calm. They were sorely disappointed. Two days after James Buchanan (Class of 1809) was inaugurated president, Chief Justice Roger Taney (Class of 1795) announced the Supreme Court's controversial verdict in the Dred Scott Case. The result was more outrage and greater division over slavery. But by the year's end, bad economic news trumped the political storm as nearly five thousand businesses failed during what became known as the Panic of 1857.

     

    January 1857
    Su Mo Tu We Th Fr Sa
            1 2 3
    4 5 6 7 8 9 10
    11 12 13 14 15 16 17
    18 19 20 21 22 23 24
    25 26 27 28 29 30 31
    February 1857
    Su Mo Tu We Th Fr Sa
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7
    8 9 10 11 12 13 14
    15 16 17 18 19 20 21
    22 23 24 25 26 27 28
    March 1857
    Su Mo Tu We Th Fr Sa
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7
    8 9 10 11 12 13 14
    15 16 17 18 19 20 21
    22 23 24 25 26 27 28
    29 30 31        
    April 1857
    Su Mo Tu We Th Fr Sa
          1 2 3 4
    5 6 7 8 9 10 11
    12 13 14 15 16 17 18
    19 20 21 22 23 24 25
    26 27 28 29 30    
    May 1857
    Su Mo Tu We Th Fr Sa
              1 2
    3 4 5 6 7 8 9
    10 11 12 13 14 15 16
    17 18 19 20 21 22 23
    24 25 26 27 28 29 30
    31            
    June 1857
    Su Mo Tu We Th Fr Sa
      1 2 3 4 5 6
    7 8 9 10 11 12 13
    14 15 16 17 18 19 20
    21 22 23 24 25 26 27
    28 29 30        
    July 1857
    Su Mo Tu We Th Fr Sa
          1 2 3 4
    5 6 7 8 9 10 11
    12 13 14 15 16 17 18
    19 20 21 22 23 24 25
    26 27 28 29 30 31  
    August 1857
    Su Mo Tu We Th Fr Sa
                1
    2 3 4 5 6 7 8
    9 10 11 12 13 14 15
    16 17 18 19 20 21 22
    23 24 25 26 27 28 29
    30 31          
    September 1857
    Su Mo Tu We Th Fr Sa
        1 2 3 4 5
    6 7 8 9 10 11 12
    13 14 15 16 17 18 19
    20 21 22 23 24 25 26
    27 28 29 30      
    October 1857
    Su Mo Tu We Th Fr Sa
            1 2 3
    4 5 6 7 8 9 10
    11 12 13 14 15 16 17
    18 19 20 21 22 23 24
    25 26 27 28 29 30 31
    November 1857
    Su Mo Tu We Th Fr Sa
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7
    8 9 10 11 12 13 14
    15 16 17 18 19 20 21
    22 23 24 25 26 27 28
    29 30          
    December 1857
    Su Mo Tu We Th Fr Sa
        1 2 3 4 5
    6 7 8 9 10 11 12
    13 14 15 16 17 18 19
    20 21 22 23 24 25 26
    27 28 29 30 31    

    Notable books published in 1857:

    Eliot, George. Scenes from Clerical Life. Edinburgh: W. Blackwood & Sons, 1857.

    Melville, Herman. The Confidence-man: His Masquerade. London: Longman, Brown, Green, Longmans & Roberts, 1857.

    Trollope, Anthony. Barchester Towers. London: Longman, Brown, Green, Longmans, & Roberts, 1857.

    Webb, Frank J. The Garies and their Friends. London: G. Routledge, 1857. 

    How to Cite This Page: "The Year in Review: 1857," House Divided: The Civil War Research Engine at Dickinson College, https://hd.housedivided.dickinson.edu/almanac/1857.