TERRY WEST introduced John Larson, Department of History, Purdue University, 
whose topic was "An Unwelcome Disaster: The Hoosier Civil War". He reminded us that 151 years ago next month, the attack on Ft. Sumter began a long, bloody war. His description of Indiana in 1850 highlighted political democracy, minimal government, economic liberty, freedom of religion and personal behavior, cheap land on open markets and racial exclusion. The 1851 Indiana Constitution included Article 13, Section 1 which prohibited negroes from entering the state. Seventy-five percent of the population approved this article.
The election of Abraham Lincoln as President resulted in eleven states seceding from the union by January of 1861. By April the President called for volunteers and 22,000 Hoosiers responded. The legislature passed a resolution pledging to support the war, but not to support emancipation. By the end of the war Indiana had supplied the U.S. Army with food, wagons, horses and hay. In addition 208,367 men (one third of the eligible male population) marched off to war; 24,416 died and about 50,000 were wounded.
The Union victory and the resulting Emancipation Proclamation meant that Indiana had to repeal Ar t icle 13, Section 1, but it took 12 years to do it.
