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…

Read More

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…

Read More

March 20, 1854: The Republicans Get Started

The Republican Party of the United States was officially founded on March 20, 1854, in Ripon, Wisconsin, as a direct response to the Kansas-Nebraska Act—a divisive law that threatened to extend slavery into new territories. The party’s formation reflected the increasing sectional tensions of…

Read More