Today’s Bonus Fact is a continuation of the main story because I couldn’t figure out how to make it flow as one story. (You’ll see.) — Dan

As a general rule in the United States, if you want to buy a book — any book — you’re free to do so, regardless of how offensive or obscene the content may be. You may get some dirty looks if people find out and it could hurt you reputationally, but it’s not going to lead to your arrest — the Constitution guarantees that much.

But that wasn’t always the case. And at least three people lost their lives because of it.

In the 1850s, the issue of slavery was coming to a boil in the United States. Northern states, where slavery was outlawed, wanted to ban the practice nationwide. Southern states wanted to preserve the corrupt institution. Ultimately, after the election of Abraham Lincoln to the Presidency, many Southern states — in anticipation of the end of slavery — tried to secede from the Union. The Civil War began shortly thereafter.

But despite the clear North/South divide on the issue, not many white Southerners actually owned slaves themselves. Only about a quarter of white households owned slaves. That led to a weird economic divide among southern Whites. Most of the population — particularly those who didn’t own slaves — lived on meager budgets, especially compared to those who owned many slaves and lived on large plantations. Further, because the South had an agrarian, slave-fueled economy, it was missing out on many of the industrialized gains being seen in the North. There was a clear case to be made that vast majority of Southerners would be better off, economically, if the South were to drop slavery and become more like the industrialized, free North.

In 1857, an author named Hinton Rowan Helper made that case, writing a book titled “The Impending Crisis of the South.” His goal was to convince non-slaveowning Southern whites to push for abolitionism, but not because of some love for blacks or on humanitarian grounds. Per Wikipedia, “he deployed statistics from the census to show that land values, literacy levels, and manufacturing rates were considerably lower in the South than in the North. He warned of the devastation caused by slavery through deforestation.” And he did so while also asserting that he, himself, was a white supremist, arguing for the deportation of the to-be-freed blacks to Africa or Latin America. Helper believed that the only way forward for the American South was to be free of slavery, but also, free of Black people, as he argued.

The book became very popular, but also failed to reach Helper’s target audience. He originally wrote the book in Baltimore but couldn’t get it published there; as the New York Times reported, “the printer pointed out a Maryland law, passed in 1831, that prohibited the printing of anything that ‘had a tendency to excite discontent or stir up insurrection amongst people of color.’” Helper eventually found a publisher in the North, and the book became a best seller there.

But across the South, it was universally banned. Printing “The Impending Crisis” was strictly forbidden, as was selling it. According to the book “Bookbanning in America,” booksellers in Maryland and Virginia were arrested and fined for distributing the book. At least ten people in North Carolina — including a reverend — were arrested for sharing copies of the book or (in the case of the reverend) speaking about it from the pulpit. And they got off easy. Per “Bookbanning,” “in Arkansas, three men were hanged for having the book in their possession.”

Today, of course, you can read the book without putting yourself in any such danger. It’s available, for free, here — even in the state where men were once hanged for possessing it.

Over the last 6 years, home insurance rates have increased by up to 76% in some states. Between inflation, costlier repairs, and extreme weather, premiums are climbing fast – but that doesn’t mean you have to overpay. Many homeowners are saving hundreds a year by switching providers. Check out Money’s home insurance tool to compare companies and see if you can save.

Compare coverage

Today’s Bonus fact: Helper’s book also caused Congress to shut down for over a month. In 1859, the House of Representatives reconvened, and Northern Republicans used the opportunity to get more awareness for “The Impending Crisis.” As the Chicago Tribune shared in a contemporaneous report (available here, but reader beware, it has some highly offensive language), “the Republicans have been trying to give circulation to [the book] for the last two years and have failed,” so the Republicans decided to use the House as a way to change that, demanding that “the only subject to be discussed will be Helper and his ‘Impending Crisis.’'“ As a result, according to this paper from the Journal of Southern History, “southern politicians refused to accept as Speaker anyone who had supported Helper.” It took the House 44 days — the second-longest period at the time — to elect a new Speaker.

From the Archives: Frederick Douglass Is Not Amused: Why Frederick Douglass didn’t smile for the camera.

Now I Know is supported by readers like you. Yes, you! Many of my readers donate a few dollars a month to help Now I Know grow and thrive. And in exchange, they get an ad-free version!

Interested in supporting Now I Know? Click here!

And thanks! — Dan