New Release -- The Abolitionist’s Secret (Cotillion Ball Saga Book 2) by Becky Lower

New York City debutante Heather Fitzpatrick leads a double life—one that could see her tossed in jail if her secret is exposed.  Though her mother is determined to see Heather land a husband during the society “season”, Heather has other things on her mind—such as her passion for abolishing slavery and her Underground Railroad activities. 

Handsome Army Lieutenant David Whitman arrives in New York City just in time for the whirlwind of activities that the season offers, but he has eyes for only one woman—Heather. When they dance at the Cotillion Ball, Heather loses her heart to him, as well, even knowing that his background as a Southern slave owner is something she can never accept. Yet, when he escorts her home, one kiss tells her she will forever be his—somehow.

Romance blossoms quickly and an engagement follows, and when David must return home for a family emergency, Heather and her maid accompany him. But David’s mother, Mrs. Whitman, has plans of her own for her son—and they don’t include Heather Fitzpatrick! When Heather’s twin sister writes a damning letter in a fit of jealousy, it could be the tool Mrs. Whitman needs to put her son’s relationship with Heather to an abrupt end. 

Can David and Heather create a future together in spite of THE ABOLITIONIST’S SECRET?

EXCERPT

     Charlotte suddenly stopped in the middle of the sidewalk and cocked her head. "Do you hear that?"

     Heather bumped into her mother’s backside. "Hear what? Why are you stopping? Didn’t Papa just tell you we should hurry away from Downing’s front door?”

     "No, wait. Just listen carefully. Don't you hear a baby crying?"

     Heather stood still and listened. At last, she made out a faint whimper. She pointed in the direction of the sound.

     "It’s coming from the alley."

     The three of them darted into the dark and narrow road, which smelled strongly of rotting oyster shells. About halfway down, they halted in their steps and looked around. A baby began crying again.

     "The sound is coming from over here," Heather said as she moved behind a pile of refuse. She gasped. "Oh, my word.”

     Charlotte and George rushed to her side, and spied a young, pretty Negro woman passed out and lying in the alley. A baby crawled through the nearby filth. Charlotte picked up the dirty child with ease and rocked it back and forth in her arms. Its whimpers became more hushed as she continued to soothe the child.

     "What in heaven's name happened to this poor woman?" Heather exclaimed while she investigated the young lady. Charlotte walked around the woman while the baby rode on her hip. "Do you think she’s a runaway slave?” Heather whispered. 

      

Celebrating the Passage of the 13th Amendment ..... By Gail L. Jenner

On January 31, 1865, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the 13th Amendment to the Constitution, which abolished slavery in the United States of America. The amendment read, “Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude…shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction.”

It was a fight, however, to get passage of the bill earlier on: in 1864, an amendment abolishing slavery had passed the U.S. Senate but died in the House as Democrats rallied under the cry of of states’ rights. However, the election of 1864 brought Lincoln back to the White House—along with a Republican majority in both houses. This propelled the amendment forward, insuring its passage when the new Congress convened in March 1865.

Ironically, when the Civil War began, President Abraham Lincoln’s proposed goal had been the restoration of the Union. 

But early in the war, the Union began keeping escaped slaves rather than returning them to their owners. In a sense it could be said that slavery as an extended institution ended wherever the Union army was victorious. This also raised the issue of whether slavery could be established in any of the newer states entering the Union. Debates raged throughout the border states that had not seceded and in those proposed states, as well.


From a book that I’ve had for years, first published in 1889, I found a heartfelt “Slave’s Prayer.”

Written by a Virginia slave who “had heard of the President’s promise concerning the proclamation to be issued on the 1^st of January, then only a few days away, and was heard praying with great earnestness and a deeply affected heart....” It went like this:  “O God Almighty! Keep the engine of the rebellion going till New Year’s! Good Lord I pray, don’t let off the steam.  Lord, don’t reverse the engine; don’t back up; Lord, don’t put on the brakes! But pray, good Lord, put on more steam! Make it go a mile a minute. Yes, Lord, pray make it go sixty miles an hour! Amen! Do, good Lord, don’t let the express train of rebellion smash up till the 1^st of January! Don’t let the rebels back down, but harden their hears as hard as Pharoah’s, and keep all hands going, till the train reaches the Depot of Emancipation!”

As that slave prayed, in 1862, Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation, which freed all slaves in areas that were still in rebellion against the Union. Can you imagine the joy?

The next step, of course, would be an amendment to the Constitution.

In 1864, an amendment abolishing slavery passed the U.S. Senate but died in the House as Southern Democrats rallied in the name of states’ rights. The re-election of Lincoln in 1864, along with significant Republican majorities in both houses insured that the amendment was headed for passage when the new Congress convened in March 1865. The amendment passed 119 to 56, seven votes more than the necessary two-thirds majority. Only a few Democrats voted in favor of the amendment while several Democrats abstained and most opposed it. With its passage, the 13th Amendment was sent to the states for ratification, which came in December 1865.

============================================================

Gail L. Jenner is the author of several books and short stories, including the WILLA Award-winning
Across the Sweet Grass Hills, published by Prairie Rose Publications

and July's Bride

For more, check out her biography and titles on amazon: 

http://www.amazon.com/Gail-Fiorini-Jenner/e/B005GHR47O