The Importation of Slaves into the United States was Prohibited
WE Americans live in a society awash in historical celebrations. The last few years have witnessed commemorations of the bicentennial of the Louisiana Purchase (2003) …
Thomas Jefferson: “Nothing can now be believed which is seen in a newspaper. Truth itself becomes suspicious by being put into that polluted vehicle.”
Thomas Jefferson in a Letter to John Norvell, June 11, 1807: “Nothing can now be believed which is seen in a newspaper. Truth itself becomes …
Aaron Burr Indicted by a Grand Jury on Charges of Treason against the United States of America.
“I consider Burr as a man to be shunned … an unprincipled adventurer.” –James Monroe to James Madison, August 5, 1795 Given that nearly every …
Thomas Jefferson’s Second Inaugural Address
Proceeding, fellow citizens, to that qualification which the constitution requires, before my entrance on the charge again conferred upon me, it is my duty to …
The ‘Plumb-pudding in danger’, or, ‘State Epicures taking un Petit Souper’ Cartoon
Hailed by British cartoonist and writer Martin Rowson as “the greatest political cartoon ever”, James Gillray’s The Plumb-pudding in Danger is typical of the Georgian-era caricaturist’s biting satire. Drawn …
Former United States Secretary of the Treasury Alexander Hamilton duals Vice President Aaron Burr
Hamilton intentionally fired into the air, but his political rival, Vice President Aaron Burr, took deadly aim and fatally shot him in a duel July …
Lewis and Clark Expedition Begins Voyage to the Pacific Coast
“Ocian in view! O! the joy,” wrote William Clark in his journal, but the next day, Nov. 8, 1805, Lewis and Clark realized they were …
Little v. Barreme: SCOTUS Finds that the POTUS does not have “Inherent Authority” or “Inherent Powers” that Allow him to Ignore a Law Passed by the US Congress
Many people know the first Supreme Court decision to declare an act of Congress unconstitutional (It’s Marbury, of course), but few people could identify the …
Marbury v. Madison: The Supreme Court Case that introduced Judicial Review
The first pivotal case by a young U.S. Supreme Court was Marbury v. Madison – a landmark case in United States law and in the …
Thomas Jefferson sends his ‘Wall of Separation’ Danbury Letter: Did He Intend to Separate Church and State?
Thomas Jefferson sent his ‘wall of separation’ letter to the Danbury Baptist Association to assure them that although the state offered them religious freedoms only …