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June 21, 1852

Ethan’s friend, Yenn, is a 20 year old farm owner who has graciously accepted Ethan and I into his home. He was out farming when we arrived, and though Ethan went straight inside the beautiful farm house that Yenn lived in, I went out back, grabbed a spare steel plow, and immediately went to work beside Yenn. To say he was surprised would be an understatement. However, I thought it only fair that, since he would be allowing us under his roof, it would only be right to help him in his farming.
It soon became apparent that Yenn was someone worth talking to. He wasn’t someone who looked down on women empowerment - which I support full heartedly - but rather encouraged it whenever he could. He didn’t look at us with scorn, thinking we were helpless maidens; instead he appreciated the strength and skills that women could provide to the world. He also wasn’t afraid to say his opinions out loud, and defend them fiercely. That was a man I could strongly appreciate.
While we were working, I asked Yenn about the South and its general beliefs. What shocked me was how it was practically a stark contrast from the North! I had expected this a little bit, as the North was industry minded while the South was agriculture minded, but to this degree, I would have never thought…
The North was pro-tariffs because it would protect their products from being undersold by foreigners. The South was anti-tariffs because they wanted - no, needed to keep their products on favorable prices in order to be able to trade them. Indeed it was a matter of protecting each section’s economy, but despite that, to have such opposing requirements to keep economy going within one country... Which will Congress rule with?
I had originally assumed that all of America used coins as currency, but the South uses paper bills, not coins. Yet another difference between the North and South.
When Yenn mentioned the preferity of slaves, I immediately rounded onto him, lecturing about human rights and racism. To my current embarrassment, Ethan chose that moment to walk out towards us and overheard my rant. Once I had heard his deep chuckle, I stopped and turned around with a glare, demanding what he found so funny. He explained with a smile still on his face that Yenn didn’t own any slaves, and deeply disapproved of slave owning. However, it was the beliefs of the vast majority of the South that slaves were only property, not human, and deserved to be treated as such.
This is yet another difference between the North and South. The North supported free labor, preferring a skilled workforce for business, while the South supported slave labor to get farming done for them rather than do it themselves. It’s genuinely shameful how blind one could be to think that just because someone has a dark skin tone, they are not as human as the rest of us! Goodness. This mindset alone is a particular reason I already dislike the South, despite the fact that I love the peace and quiet, and being able to just be in pure nature. No factories billowing smoke and polluting the air, no building constructions tearing down trees.. Just us humans and the breeze.
Yenn decided that we had done enough work for the day (I am not sure why, as I believe we were only out there for about an hour… But he did), so we came inside and Yenn cooked us a late lunch. Then he had to go out and run an errand, so Ethan and I are alone. He retired to the room that I suppose he always uses when he comes here, and Yenn showed me to a spare one before he left. Therefore, I am currently sitting on the bed detailing the past happenings of today until this moment.
Tomorrow I want to go out to the town square and see whether it’s as different from NYC’s market as everything seems to be between the North and South. If I am to be completely truthful, I would not be at all surprised if a civil war broke out between the North and South in the upcoming years because of how bad the economic and political differences are!

Yenn is back. I’ll go see whether he needs any help. Until tomorrow!

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