workmen laid the cornerstone of the United States Executive Mansion—an act marking the symbolic birth of what would later become known as the White House. The event unfolded amid the fields and forests of a fledgling federal city that existed mostly on paper, a…
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On September 25, 1789, the First Congress of the United States proposed to the state legislatures twelve amendments that would enshrine American freedoms directly into the Constitution. Soon to be called the American Bill of Rights, ten were later ratified by the states and…
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On September 19, 1796, the father of the United States left the stage for a final time, retiring to “sit in safety under his own vine and fig tree” at Mount Vernon. “After two terms in office, Washington decided to retire from public life, writes the…
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On September 11, 1776, in the brief lull following the Battle of Long Island, a small boat ferried three American delegates across the waters of New York Harbor. Their mission was audacious, if not quixotic: to test whether a negotiated peace with Britain might…
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On September 5, 1774, Americans took one step closer toward independence with the meeting of the First Continental Congress. As tensions with Great Britain escalated, the colonies recognized the necessity of a unified response to the increasingly oppressive British policies, which many colonists believed…
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The Alien and Sedition Acts were a series of four laws passed by the Federalist-dominated 5th United States Congress and signed into law by President John Adams on July 14, 1798. These laws were ostensibly enacted in response to the perceived threat of French…
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The late 1790s marked a turning point in American foreign policy, and nothing tested the fledgling country more than the XYZ Affair. Rooted in a failed negotiation with France, the incident triggered a series of events that dramatically altered the course of the French…
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In the minds of many Americans, July 4th is the nation’s birthday—the date celebrated with fireworks, patriotic speeches, and parades across the country. Yet it was on July 2, 1776, that the Continental Congress formally broke ties with Great Britain by adopting the Lee…
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In the sweltering heat of June 1776, the Second Continental Congress convened in Philadelphia and decided to change the course of human events. The delegates, representing the thirteen colonies, faced the monumental task of justifying a rebellion that had already sparked skirmishes and ignited…
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The Library of Congress, located in Washington, D.C., stands as a bastion of knowledge and culture, but its journey to prominence is a tale woven with the threads of history, innovation, and preservation. Established on April 24, 1800, with the signature of President John Adams,…
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