Fanny J. Crosby: An Autobiography by Fanny J. Crosby

For the country at large and for our Institution in particular the year 1848 was an important one. The nation was entering upon a new era of prosperity after the Mexican War; and all eyes were turning toward the South, to face the grim prospect of another dreadful conflict, this time, however, within our own borders, a struggle that was to decide once for all a number of the great questions in dispute. Already there was some talk of disunion-but we all anxiously hoped that our statesmen might yet devise some way out of the difficulty. The discussion of important national affairs was very interesting to our pupils, and many of us were as prolific in compromise measures as was Henry Clay himself; until it seemed that we had arrived at a more satisfactory solution to the problem than any of the great senators at Washington.

At this period, when we were so much interested in public affairs, it was an added source of satisfaction for us to receive visits from a peerless trio of statesmen, all of whom were taking a prominent part in the councils of our nation. One of these men was president of the United States and the other two wanted to be. They were James K. Polk, Henry Clay and Winfield Scott. After serving a number of years in Congress, Mr. Polk had been elected governor of Tennessee; and when a compromise candidate for president had been suggested in 1844, he was nominated against Clay and triumphantly elected.