# data[].attributes.attachment_caption
Published by O. W. Elliot in NY. This is a map showing the line that was drawn across the U.S. to establish what states were slave states and what were not. 

# data[].attributes.body
Politically, it felt like a band-aid on a deep wound. The country kept pretending balance meant peace, but to me that's fake peace. Socially, it showed how people were willing to draw LITERAL lines instead of changing what was wrong. I think it revealed more fear than leadership- everyone trying to avoid the truth that slavery was already tearing the nation apart.

# data[].attributes.wish_content.attachment_props.alternative_text
Missouri Compromise (1820) primary source

# data[].attributes.attachment_caption
Poster from Massachusetts warning citizens about the Fugitive Slave Act, 1851.

# data[].attributes.body
I think that politically, this moment feels like everyone was still trying to pretend unity was possible while avoiding the real issue. The North and the South kept trading laws like they were bargaining chips instead of human lives. To me, it shows how desperate people were to keep things calm, even if it meant ignoring what was clearly very broken. Socially, I think it exposed how divided the country had already become- people living in totally different realities but still calling themselves one nation.

# data[].attributes.attachment_caption
"The Tragic Prelude" by John Steuart Curry, Showing John Brown during the Bleeding Kansas conflict.

# data[].attributes.body
Socially, this whole situation feels like chaos disguised as democracy. Letting the people "vote" on slavery sounded fair on paper, but it just gave anger a place to explode. Politically , I think it showed how weak leadership had become- no one wanted to make real decisions, so they handed it off to the people and hoped it wouldn't blow up. This was when words just had no effect and violence started talking in words absence. Truth does not need to be fought for because it stands on its own.

# data[].attributes.attachment_caption
Pickett's Charge painting by Thure de Thulstrup, 1887

# data[].attributes.body
Socially, it feels like the country finally hit rock bottom- families torn apart, friends fighting on opposite sides. Politically, it marked a shift where people started realizing how high the cost of winning really was. I think Gettysburg was proof that war doesn't just destroy land, but changes how people see eachother.

# data[].attributes.wish_content.attachment_props.alternative_text
Battle of Gettysburg (1863) primary source

# data[].attributes.attachment_caption
Emancipation Proclamation, signed by President Abraham Lincoln.

# data[].attributes.body
Politically, it feels like a turning point where words finally started matching the weight of the war. It was far from perfect, and didn't free everyone overnight but it shifted what the fight was really about. Socially, I think it gave people a reason to hope again- even if that hope was fragile. This really shows how powerful ideas are when they are spoken out loud even if it takes a while for the rest of the world to catch up.

# data[].attributes.attachment_caption
A post-war engraving of Sherman's March to the Sea, Alexander Ritchie. Sherman is sitting on his horse overlooking everything that's being destroyed.

# data[].attributes.body
Socially, this part of the war feels like when anger took over. the destruction wasn't just about winning- it was about breaking something that couldn't be fixed again. Politically, it sent a message that the Union would do whatever it took to end the war, no matter the cost. I think this really shows how winning feels really heavy when it leaves so much ruin behind.

# data[].attributes.wish_content.attachment_props.alternative_text
Sherman's March to the Sea (1864) primary source

# data[].attributes.attachment_caption
Official 13th Amendment document, 1856. Source: U.S. National Archives 

# data[].attributes.body
Politically, this was the moment that finally closed one chapter, the next one opening full of new problems to solve. Its cray how something that big can feel both like an ending and a beginning. Socially, I think freedom looked different depending on where you stood- some saw hope, others saw loss. To me, real change doesn't come from just signing a law; it comes from how people live with it after.

# data[].attributes.attachment_caption
"The Freedmen's Bureau" Illustration by Alfred R. Waud, 1868. Source: Library of Congress.

# data[].attributes.body
Socially, this was one of the few things that actually tried to rebuild people instead of politics. It gave food, jobs, and education to those starting a new life and that matter way more than I think people realized. Politically it showed that progress needs structure- that help cant just be promised but organized. I definitely feel that the Bureau is a small sign of what our country could've become if it had chosen care over control.

# data[].attributes.attachment_caption
 A sketch of the first black man to vote “The First Vote, Engraving published in Harper's Weekly, 1867,” by Artist Alfred Rudolph Waud 

# data[].attributes.body
Politically, this moment feels like the country trying to reset itself by force. The government was done asking- they started dividing, monitoring, and rebuilding on their own terms. Socially, I think it was a mix of hope and tension. Some people finally felt protected, while other felt invaded. I feel like this really shows how fragile "peace" is when its forced.

# data[].attributes.attachment_caption
"The Political Farce of 1876" political cartoon on the Compromise of 1877. Source: Library Of Congress.

# data[].attributes.body
Politically, this feels like the end of trying. After years of fighting to rebuild, the government just wanted quiet, even if that meant walking away from progress. Socially, it left freed people alone to face the same hate that had been there this whole time. I feel this really shows how power often chooses their own comfort over justice. Its always easier to step back than stand firm especially when you don't really face the consequences.