Many Americans would not consider the year 1831 a turning point in United States history. Louis Masur, in his book 1831: Year of the Eclipse, highlights the pivotal events and cultural changes that occurred in 1831, which shaped the United States today. Masur's metaphorical title suggests the importance of the 1831 eclipse to America. This twelve-month period was marked by leadership transitions, slavery issues, religious controversies, working class issues, and technological advancements in the United States. Even as America spread and developed through technological advancements, controversy over democratic values ​​was a recurring theme that year, revealing the internal collapse of the United States. After the February 12 eclipse, Americans no longer feared the end of the world, but many were still worried about the uncertain fate of their country. Before the February 13 eclipse, many Americans felt "a sort of vague fear, of impending danger—a prophetic presentiment of impending catastrophe" (5). Unfortunately for the nation's new leaders, they found themselves confronting many issues that challenged American ideals, including slavery. 1831 was a pivotal year for the beginning of the abolition of slavery. Shortly after the eclipse, fear spread throughout Virginia of a possible slave rebellion. Even if some slave owners treated their slaves well, that did not mean they were safe from attack. On August 22, Nat Turner killed his master and his family, the first record of a slave rebellion in history. Turner's Rebellion caused Southern slaveholders to fear that a planned attack could occur at any time (19). Thomas R. Gray, a slave owner and lawyer, interrogated slaves behind bars. He spoke with Turner for three days...in the middle of a leaf...in the sky, described as a change from bright color to a "sad universal shade of dull purple" (216). Masur chose to end his book with Trollope's experiences in America to symbolize hope for a better future for Americans. Perhaps the dark storm represents this dark time in American history and the eclipse symbolizes a new, brighter chapter. 1831 marks the start of a slave rebellion, technological advancements, a new generation of leaders, religious unrest, prostitution, and the killing of Indians in America. The year 1831 left Americans with many unfinished tasks in many areas; slavery, Indian relations, expansion, working class ills, politics. There was inevitably a feeling that major reform was needed to restore lost democratic and moral values. Yet, despite all these intolerable acts, there remained hope for a bright future..