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

March 14, 1794: Eli Whitney Gets His Patent

On March 14, 1794, Eli Whitney, a young inventor from Massachusetts, impacted the landscape of American agriculture, industry, and the proliferation of slavery in the United States with his patent for the cotton gin. Born in 1765, Whitney had exhibited a knack for engineering…

Read More

March 9, 1841: The Amistad Ruling

The U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in United States v. The Amistad on March 9, 1841, was a pivotal moment in American legal history, addressing issues of slavery, international law, and human rights. The case involved a group of Africans who had been illegally enslaved,…

Read More
1 2 3