May 16: 1868: The President Is Acquitted

The impeachment trial of President Andrew Johnson, the first such trial in American history, was a highly contentious and politically charged eventĀ that culminatedĀ in his acquittal on May 16, 1868. Johnson, who ascended to the presidency following the assassination of Abraham Lincoln, quickly found himself…

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April 9, 1865: The Surrender At Appomattox

On April 9, 1865, at Appomattox Court House in Virginia, Confederate General Robert E. Lee surrendered to Union General Ulysses S. Grant, marking a critical moment in American history and effectively ending the Civil War. Lee’s decision to surrender came after several military setbacks…

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December 20: 1860: The Union Is Shattered

On December 20, 1860, a secession convention in South Carolina voted unanimously to secede from the Union. Fearing that Republican Abraham Lincoln’s administration would appoint antislavery officials who would undermine slavery, slaveholders chose to abandon the Constitution and form their own nation. To justify…

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