 George Washington Never Slept Here
October 13, 1792 -
The Cornerstone Of The White House Was Laid
Who was the first president to live in the White House?
Although George Washington helped to choose the site for the
residence while he was president, he never lived at the
famous house. Philadelphia had been the country's capital
before Congress declared the city of Washington the
permanent capital of the United States in 1791.
The cornerstone of the White House was laid on October 13,
1792. Eight years later, John Adams, the second president,
and his wife Abigail, moved into the mansion. A competition
had been held to design the presidential residence. Can you
guess which future president participated in the
competition?
Thomas Jefferson was among the many people who submitted a
plan for the White House. His design, however, was not
chosen. Instead, James Hoban, an Irish immigrant architect
living in Charleston, South Carolina, won the competition
and a $500 prize, with a design modeled after Leinster House
in Dublin, Ireland.
Constructed of white-gray sandstone, the presidential
mansion was called the White House as early as 1812.
President Theodore Roosevelt officially adopted the term in
1901. Over the years, the original building has been
expanded, reinforced, set on fire, and rebuilt.
British troops burned the White House during the War of
1812. The structure was rebuilt, enlarged, and readied for
President James Monroe by 1817. While President and Mrs.
Theodore Roosevelt and their six children lived at the White
House, the second-floor rooms were converted into living
quarters. The West Wing was also built during this period to
house the presidential staff.
Today the White House has more than 130 rooms. The
presidential family lives in the main building, and the
president's office is in the West Wing. Did you know that
the White House also has a swimming pool, a gym, and a movie
theater? About 1.5 million people tour the White House every
year. Have you visited this house where the president lives? |
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Make Your Voice Heard!
January 3, 1793 -
Lucretia Coffin Mott Was Born
Lucretia Coffin Mott worked for the causes she believed in
all her life. Born on this date, January 3, 1793, in
Nantucket, Massachusetts, Mott committed herself to the
fight against slavery and war, the abuse of alcohol, and
especially the inequality of women. Do you know what it was
like for women when Mott was alive?
In Mott's time, women couldn't vote, own property, or go to
college. Mott noticed this inequality even as a girl in
boarding school, where boys and girls had to pay the same to
attend the school. However, once they became teachers, women
were paid half as much as men. She doubled her efforts after
1840 when she traveled all the way to London for the World
Anti-Slavery Conference only to be told she could not
participate because she was a woman.
Lucretia Coffin Mott, along with Elizabeth Cady Stanton,
launched the woman suffrage movement, calling for women's
equal rights in the Declaration of Sentiments of 1848.
Within her lifetime, women came to own their own property
and be admitted into some colleges. Women finally won the
right to vote in 1920, 40 years after her death in 1880. |
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Maryland, Caught in the Middle
May 21, 1796 -
Reverdy Johnson Was Born
The state of Maryland was caught in the middle of the Civil
War. It was a slave-holding state, but some of its leaders,
such as attorney and statesman Reverdy Johnson, wanted to
remain with the Union and not join the rest of the slave
states in forming the Confederacy.
Born on May 21, 1796, in Annapolis, Maryland, Johnson
represented Maryland in the Senate and served as attorney
general under President Zachary Taylor. That's him in the
picture on the far right. Johnson took on several
controversial roles because of his state's position.
Although he personally opposed slavery, Johnson represented
the slave-owning defendant in the 1857 Dred Scot case. The
U.S. Supreme Court decided in this case that slaves were
property and thus could not be citizens of the United
States. The court's decision increased antislavery sentiment
in the North and fed the fire that sparked the Civil War.
Despite the state's support of slavery, Reverdy Johnson
helped to keep Maryland in the Union during the war. This
was of great strategic importance. If you look at the map on
the next page, you might guess why.
Maryland's position kept the District of Columbia, the
capital of the Union, from being surrounded by Confederate
states. However, because of strong Southern sentiments
within the state, Marylanders lived under martial law during
the war; that is, the Union military ruled the state.
Several major Civil War battles took place within Maryland's
borders, including the Battle of Antietam, the single
bloodiest day in American history. After the war, Reverdy
Johnson argued for a less harsh treatment of the South by
the North, again representing the split attitudes of his
state. Do you know which states were slave states and which
were not? Take a look at this map. |
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Father of Four "Little Women"
November 29, 1799 -
Educator Amos Bronson Alcott, Father of Louisa May Alcott,
Was Born
Alcott put his educational theories to the test with his own
family. He and his wife had four daughters, Anna, Louisa,
Elizabeth, and May. Alcott believed that education should be
a pleasant experience, and he included physical education,
dance, art, music, nature study, and daily journal writing
in the course of studies he established at his school. At
first the school was successful, but it later failed when he
insisted on allowing a black child to attend, and by 1835,
all the remaining pupils had withdrawn.
The financial success of Louisa May Alcott (1832-1888), who
wrote about a family based on her own in the classic novel
Little Women (1868-1869), was a big help to the Alcott
family. The Alcotts moved to Orchard House in Concord,
Massachusetts, where Amos Alcott established the Concord
Summer School of Philosophy in a converted barn. The school
flourished until shortly after his death in 1888.
The suffrage movement was not the only cause in which Amos
Alcott believed. He also supported the abolition of slavery.
In 1830, he traveled to Boston to attend a series of
lectures on abolition. There he met Samuel May, a Unitarian
minister in Massachusetts, and his sister Abigail May, a
teacher and social worker.
Amos Bronson Alcott married Abigail May on May 23, 1830.
Over the next few years, the couple moved several times as
Amos Alcott attempted and later abandoned experimental
schools after they proved financially unsuccessful. Alcott's
theory on education was that "early education is the
enduring power" in forming the imagination and moral life of
a human being.
Alcott put his educational theories to the test with his own
family. He and his wife had four daughters, Anna, Louisa,
Lizzie, and May. Alcott believed that education should be a
pleasant experience, and he included physical education,
dance, art, music, nature study, and daily journal writing
in the course of studies he established at his school. At
first the school was successful, but it later failed when he
insisted on allowing a black child to attend, and by 1835,
all the remaining pupils had withdrawn.
The financial success of Louisa May Alcott (1832-1888), who
wrote about a family based on her own in the classic novel
Little Women (1868-1869), was a big help to the Alcott
family. The Alcotts moved to Orchard House in Concord,
Massachusetts, where Amos Alcott established the Concord
Summer School of Philosophy in a converted barn. The school
flourished until shortly after his death in 1888. |
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George Washington, Gentleman Farmer
December 14, 1799 -
George Washington Died at His Mount Vernon Home
After the Revolutionary War, George Washington more than
anything, hoped to live as a gentleman farmer in Virginia.
But his sense of duty to his country was so great that
instead he went on to serve his country as the first
president of the United States in 1789. All in all, he spent
50 years in public service. Finally, at 10 p.m. on December
14, 1799, Washington died at his Mount Vernon home. His time
was brief as a gentleman farmer. But he did leave an
astounding mark on American history and culture.
Washington had already been a star general in the
Revolution, serving as commander in chief of Continental
Army. After his first term as president, Washington was
unanimously re-elected for a second term. Retiring in 1796,
it seemed Washington might finally be able to relax on his
estate in Mount Vernon, Virginia. But in 1798, when war with
France seemed near, Washington again accepted command of
American forces. He died the next year. His eulogy reads,
"first in war, first in peace, and first in the hearts of
his countrymen." If you look at how Washington has been
remembered, you will see this is true.
Today, we call Washington the "father of our country," and
many landmarks and places bear his name: Washington, D.C.,
the state of Washington, the Washington Monument, and
numerous towns across the United States. Perhaps there is a
school, park, street or landmark named after him where you
live.
We celebrate Washington's birthday as a national holiday.
Countless paintings and statues honor him, and money bears
his image too, most notably the quarter and the one-dollar
bill. Places where he lived, fought, worked or visited have
been preserved to remember his contribution in forming the
United States. Washington has been honored for his
leadership and as a symbol of the U.S. the world over. Even
Napoleon's armies and the British channel fleet paid homage
to his memory when he died. So it was lucky for the U.S.
that George Washington spent so little time as a gentleman
farmer. |
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Books, Books and More Than Books
April 24, 1800 -
Books for Congress
How did the Library of Congress get started? On April 24,
1800, President John Adams approved $5,000 for the purchase
of "such books as may be necessary for the use of Congress."
As a result, Congress had a library. Those first books that
arrived from London in 1801 were a collection of 740 volumes
and three maps. They were stored in the U.S. Capitol. In
1802, President Thomas Jefferson, a man who loved learning
and had an impressive personal library, made plans to expand
the Library. This further defined the role and functions of
the new institution, which celebrated 200 years of service
to Congress and all Americans on April 24, 2000.
In the two centuries since its founding, the Library has
taken on the mission of making its resources available and
useful not only to Congress but also to the American people.
The Library of Congress preserves a universal collection of
knowledge and creativity for future generations. The Library
is so big that it outgrew its first building, the Thomas
Jefferson, which opened in 1897. It has expanded to two
other buildings, the John Adams and James Madison buildings.
The vast holdings of the Library number more than 130
million items--and most of those items are not books. They
are manuscripts, prints, photographs, maps, music, video and
sound recordings, and even digital materials. Besides what
you see on this page, what else have you seen of those 130
million holdings? Share with your family the amazing
resources of your Library of Congress. |
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A Tie for the Presidency
February 17, 1801 -
Thomas Jefferson Won the Election and the Presidency
In your school elections, do you vote for a president and a
vice president separately, or does the person with the
second highest number of votes become the vice president? In
our national elections, electoral voters decide separately
to fill the position of president and vice president, but
that wasn't always the case.
On February 17, 1801, Thomas Jefferson was elected president
of the United States, but there was more to it than beating
his opponent.
When Thomas Jefferson ran for president, he beat his
opponent, John Adams, but he tied with his running mate,
Aaron Burr. So, who was to be the president and who was to
be the vice president? It was up to the House of
Representatives to decide, and most of the congressmen did
not like the idea of voting for Jefferson. He wasn't even a
member of the same political party as they were. Jefferson
and Burr campaigned against each other for six days.
Finally, Thomas Jefferson won the support of Congress and
became the third president of the United States. Burr, as a
result, became vice president.
Congress decided to establish a process so they wouldn't
have to make that decision again.
Three years after Jefferson was elected, the Twelfth
Amendment to the Constitution was adopted. This amendment
states that the ballots used in the election process should
indicate which person is running for President and which is
running for Vice President.
Today, if you run for president of the United States, you
won't have to worry about being elected vice president
instead. |
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Hunter, A Man of the South
April 21, 1801 -
Robert M.T. Hunter Was Born
Robert M.T. Hunter was born on April 21, 1801, in Essex
County, Virginia, and educated at the University of
Virginia. He once declared to his son, "I am a Southern
man." Throughout his political career, Hunter remained
uncompromisingly pro-slavery and pro-South. He represented
his home state of Virginia in the U.S. House of
Representatives, serving as Speaker of the House from 1839
to 1841, and in the U.S. Senate from 1847 to 1861. His
loyalties to the South, however, eventually made him a
rebel.
When the Northern and Southern states split over issues like
slavery, Hunter called for union, not with the North, but
among the Southern states. He wanted to form a separate
Southern nation.
During the Civil War, he served as Confederate Secretary of
State and in the Confederate Senate. As an officer of the
Confederate States of America, he was captured and
imprisoned at the war's end. After his release, Hunter
returned to his beloved Virginia, where he continued to
serve in public office until his death. |
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Company, Halt Here to Read About West Point
March 16, 1802 -
Founders Day at West Point
Atten-TION! Fall in, Soldiers. On March 16, 1802, Congress
approved legislation establishing the United States Military
Academy at West Point, one of the oldest military academies
in the world. The site, on the west bank of the Hudson River
50 miles north of New York City, is the oldest continuously
run military post in America. It played an important role in
the Revolutionary War. General George Washington made his
headquarters there in 1779 and kept it from being captured.
What do you think military training is like at West Point?
Would you expect high standards of discipline, study and
honor? Yes, SIR! That's what West Point teaches its
officers-in-training today thanks to Colonel Sylvanus
Thayer, superintendent of West Point from 1817 to 1833. The
"father of the Military Academy" introduced these concepts
to the cadets and trained them as civil engineers as well as
soldiers. After graduation, officers could work on the
battlefield or be employed constructing canals, roads, and
railroads to help expand the U.S. westward. Ask friends and
family if they or anyone they know attended West Point. Ask
about their experiences. Company DIS-missed! |
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The First First Lady
May 22, 1802 -
Martha Washington Died
She was the first of first ladies, but what else do you know
about Martha Dandridge ustis Washington? After an eventful
and varied life, Martha Washington died on May 22, 1802, of
a severe fever.
Martha Washington was 27 years old and a widowed mother of
two when she married George Washington in 1759. She was also
one of the wealthiest women in Virginia, having inherited
some 15,000 acres of farmland from her deceased husband,
Daniel Parke Custis. Her social life changed drastically
once she married George. How do you think it was different?
Washington moved his new wife and newly-adopted
stepchildren, Martha ("Patsy") and John Parke ("Jacky"), to
his home in Mount Vernon, Virginia, about 15 miles south of
Washington, D.C. There the couple delighted in raising their
children and entertaining Virginia society. Between 1768 and
1775, the Washingtons hosted more than 2,000 guests, some
staying for extended periods. After her husband became
president, entertaining became even more important in Martha
Washington's life. She hosted lavish parties in New York and
Philadelphia, the temporary U.S. capitals, to match those
given by the established governments of Europe. This was a
bit exhausting for the first lady.
While the first lady was noted for her generosity and warmth
as the nation's premier hostess, she longed for her private
life in Virginia. In a letter to a niece, she confided: "I
think I am more like a state prisoner than anything else,
there is certain bounds set for me which I must not depart
from." When George's presidency ended, the Washingtons
returned to Mount Vernon, and George passed away only two
years later. After her death, Martha was buried beside him
in a modest tomb on the estate. Could you play host for a
country the way Martha Washington did? What do you know
about other first ladies? |
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Westward Ho!
October 20, 1803 -
Senate Ratified the Louisiana Purchase Treaty
In the 1800s, in the United States, pioneers and
homesteaders eagerly moved west to start a new life in the
plains, hills and mountains west of the Mississippi River.
This movement could not have happened without the Louisiana
Purchase Treaty, approved by the Senate on October 20, 1803,
by a vote of 24-to-7. The agreement, which provided for the
purchase of the western half of the Mississippi River basin
from France at a price of approximately 4 cents per acre,
doubled the size of the country.
The United States started negotiating the purchase with
France in 1802. President Thomas Jefferson feared that
Spain, which had controlled the strategic port of New
Orleans since 1762, might give it back to France. Were New
Orleans under the control of military dictator Napoleon
Bonaparte, Jefferson feared that American settlers living in
the Mississippi valley would lose free access to the port.
After months of inaction, Napoleon offered to sell the
territory to the U.S. in 1803; he needed the money.
Faced with a shortage of cash, a recent military defeat, and
the threat of a war with Great Britain and the United States
over the territory in question, Napoleon decided to cut his
losses. U.S. minister to France Robert Livingston, and James
Monroe made the arrangements for the purchase. The land
stretched from the Mississippi River to the Rocky Mountains.
Twelve days after the signing of the treaty, Meriwether
Lewis and William Clark set out to explore and map the new
area. Settlers, who had had been pushing westward since the
United States' victory in the Revolutionary War, would now
have a vast new expanse of land to homestead. |
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Dueling Politicians
July 11, 1804 -
Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr Dueled to the Death
On the morning of July 11, 1804, Alexander Hamilton and
Aaron Burr raised their dueling pistols and took aim.
Hamilton, the former secretary of the treasury, and Vice
President Burr were longstanding political rivals and
personal enemies. Burr might have been the president instead
of vice president, had it not been for Hamilton's
interference. When Burr's term as vice president was almost
over, he ran for governor of New York. Hamilton, once again,
prevented Burr from winning by opposing his candidacy. Burr
retaliated by challenging Hamilton to a duel.
Standing on the heights of Weehawken, New Jersey, Hamilton
and Burr fired their pistols. Some people said that Hamilton
purposely missed Burr. Burr's shot, however, fatally wounded
Hamilton, leading to his death the following day. Aaron Burr
escaped unharmed.
Hard to believe, but settling differences with a duel had
been the custom before the Revolution. In 1804, however,
dueling was no longer legal in the state of New York, where
both men were political leaders. Burr was indicted for
murder, but the charges were later dropped.
Fortunately, politicians today use debates and the press to
settle their differences. Dueling and other violence have
never been an intelligent way to solve a problem. In a duel,
the loser lost more than just an argument; he lost his life. |
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A Bridge Grows in Brooklyn
June 12, 1806 -
Brooklyn Bridge Designer John A. Roebling Was Born
Born in Prussia on June 12, 1806, John A. Roebling is best
known as the designer and civil engineer for the Brooklyn
Bridge in New York City, which was completed in 1883. With a
main span of 1,596 feet long, the structure was the longest
suspension bridge in the world for many years. Roebling also
invented a way to manufacture the twisted wire cables that
made the bridge possible.
Have you ever been to New York City? If you have, you
probably know that the Brooklyn Bridge crosses the East
River, connecting the boroughs of Manhattan and Brooklyn.
When a bridge is built over water, how do the workers stay
dry? Workers went about 78 feet underwater to dig the
supports for the Brooklyn Bridge. They did not get wet
because pressurized caissons (watertight structures) were
sunk under the water giving the men a dry place to work.
When the Brooklyn Bridge was opened you had to pay three
cents to cross it until it was paid for. When they opened
the bridge everybody went to see it...It took them 14 years
to build the Brooklyn bridge.
David A. Lawrence, New York, New York, interviewed by
Dorothy West on September 6, 1938.
American Life Histories, 1936-1940
It doesn't sound like a lot of money today, but back then,
the three cent toll helped the city pay for the
construction. Now you can cross the Brooklyn Bridge for
free. Sadly, John A. Roebling did not live to see the
completion of his greatest achievement. He died from tetanus
contracted in an accident during construction of the bridge.
But every day since it was completed, people have used and
appreciated the bridge Roebling designed. |
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A "New" American Poet
February 27, 1807 -
Poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow Was Born
Have you ever stood up in front of your class and recited a
poem? When your grandparents and great-grandparents were in
school, they may have been required to recite this poem,
"The Village Blacksmith," by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.
Under a spreading chestnut tree,
The village smithy stands;
The smith, a mighty man is he,
With large and sinewy hands;
And the muscles of his brawny arms
Are strong as iron bands.
Longfellow was born on February 27, 1807, in Portland,
Maine. His poetry was very popular in the 19th century, and
many of his poems are still familiar today. Have you ever
read his poem about Paul Revere's midnight ride on August
18, 1775?
Listen, my children, and you shall hear
Of the midnight ride of Paul Revere
"Paul Revere's Ride" was published in Tales of a Wayside Inn
in 1863. Paul Revere was the patriot who rode on horseback
through the Massachusetts towns of Lexington and Concord
warning of the upcoming British attack. Longfellow's poems
were also popular in Europe. After he died in 1882, he
became the only American commemorated in the Poet's Corner
in England's Westminster Abbey.
While Longfellow was a professor at Harvard University, he
lived in Cambridge, Massachusetts, with his second wife,
Fanny Appleton, (his first wife died) and his six children.
One day, while he was at home, something happened that
inspired him to write a poem about his children.
In "The Children's Hour," Longfellow wrote about an evening
when his daughters tried to catch him by surprise. What do
the first two verses of the poem have to do with the
photograph on this page?
From my study I see in the lamplight,
Descending the broad hall stair,
Grave Alice, and laughing Allegra,
And Edith with golden hair.
A whisper, and then a silence:
Yet I know by their merry eyes
They are plotting and planning together
To take me by surprise.
Can you imagine his daughters playing on this staircase?
Longfellow's poems may seem old-fashioned now, but he was
considered a "new poet" in his day. What would a modern-day
poet write about you? |
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From Tailor to President
December 29, 1808 -
President Andrew Johnson Was Born in Raleigh, North Carolina
If you looked only at Andrew Johnson's childhood, you would
never guess that he would rise to the highest office of the
United States. The 17th president of the United States,
Andrew Johnson was born in Raleigh, North Carolina, on
December 29, 1808. His father died when he was young,
leaving the family in poverty. From ages 10 to 17, young
Johnson worked as an apprentice to a tailor. He worked at
that trade for a number of years, during which time he moved
with his mother to Greenville, Tennessee. Johnson never
attended school. Once married, however, his wife, Eliza
McCardle, became his tutor, providing him with a good common
education.
A gifted political speaker, Johnson climbed the political
ladder quickly. In 1829, he won his first office as an
alderman, or county councilman. In rapid succession he
became mayor of Greenville, a member of the Tennessee state
legislature, U.S. congressman, governor of Tennessee, and
U.S. senator. In Congress, Johnson was a strong advocate of
America's westward expansion. He did not, however, make
friends among his Southern compatriots. He was the only
Southerner in Congress who firmly supported the Union
throughout both the secession crisis and the Civil War.
After federal forces captured portions of Tennessee, Lincoln
appointed Johnson military governor of the state. Johnson
took the job in the face of lynch mobs and bullets.
Two years later, Johnson became Abraham Lincoln's running
mate, despite the fact that he was a Democrat and Lincoln
was a Republican. After Lincoln's assassination in April
1865, Johnson went from vice president to president. In
foreign affairs, things went fairly smoothly. But at home,
Johnson faced a crisis. Trying to reconstruct the country
after the Civil War, radical Northern Republicans thought
his policies toward the South were not harsh enough. Ill
will and deep political disagreements ended with Congress
voting to impeach (accuse of high crimes) Johnson in
February 1868. A few months later, the Senate acquitted
Johnson of the impeachment charges by just one vote. He
served the remainder of his presidential term, but the brand
of impeachment has traveled with his memory. |
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Braille System of Reading
January 4, 1809 -
Louis Braille is Born
Louis Braille was born on January 4, 1809, in a small town
called Coupvray, France. Louis and his family lived in a
small house. His father worked as a master harness maker. He
made saddles for horses.
When Louis was three years old, he blinded one eye in an
accident in his father's tool shop. In a short time, he
became blind in the other eye as well. He then “saw” the
world through his fingers and ears.
Blind children at that time had few opportunities to learn,
but the local priest became Louis's teacher. Louis did so
well in school that at age ten he traveled to Paris to study
at the Royal Institute for Blind Youth. He liked his
classes, especially music lessons, but there were no ways to
take notes, write, or even read music. While there, Louis
became interested in making a written alphabet that would
help the blind to read. At fifteen, he completed a variation
of the alphabet that uses raised dots to make letters.
The braille alphabet uses a system based on dots in cells. A
basic cell is a group of six dots, arranged three down and
two across. A cell represents different letters and numbers
depending on how the dots are organized. It is easy to feel
under one fingertip. Louis spent the rest of his life
teaching and promoting his systems to help the blind
communicate.
During his lifetime, only a small group of people knew
braille. After Louis died in 1852, the popularity of the
braille alphabet spread to other countries. Helen Keller,
the great American writer and activist, was blind and deaf.
She read braille. She compared Louis Brailles work to the
invention of modern printing. |
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"Once Upon A Midnight Dreary"
January 19, 1809 -
Edgar Allan Poe Was Born
If you like horror stories that run shivers up and down your
spine, try reading the work of Edgar Allan Poe. Born on
January 19, 1809, Poe was a master of tales of terror and
the originator of the modern detective story. In his poem
"The Raven," a big black bird comes into the narrator's den,
sits upon a statue, and stares at him. "Nevermore," says the
bird.
In "The Tell-Tale Heart," a man commits a murder and hides
the body under the floorboards in the house. But, he begins
to go mad, hearing the wild beating of his victim's heart
getting louder and louder. Try reading "The Black Cat," or
"Murders in the Rue Morgue."
Poe also wrote romance, like his haunting poem "Annabel
Lee:"
"For the moon never beams without bringing me dreams
Of the beautiful Annabel Lee
And the stars never rise but I see the bright eyes
Of the beautiful Annabel Lee"
What do you know about the life of the man who wrote these
strange tales?
Poe was a successful editor, journalist, and critic of
literature, but his personal life was full of tragedy and
romance, much like his stories. Poe's parents, both actors,
died when he was two. He was left in the care of kind,
childless foster parents, the Allans. They sent him to
excellent schools and supported him in every way, but Poe
had problems with gambling and drinking. He experienced the
loss of many of the women in his life: first his own mother,
then a friend's mother when he was 15, his foster mother
when he was 20, then his frail young wife, Virginia Clem.
Poe died in 1849, but his stories and poems live on as
masterpieces of American horror, mystery, and romance. They
are great to read aloud. Try reading one with your family or
friends. |
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Hats Off to Mary Kies!
May 5, 1809 -
Mary Kies Became the First Woman to Receive a U.S. Patent
Have you ever invented something? If you have, you may want
to do what Mary Kies did: patent it. The Patent Act of 1790
opened the door for anyone, male or female, to protect his
or her invention with a patent. However, because in many
states women could not legally own property independent of
their husbands, many women inventors didn't bother to patent
their new inventions. Mary Kies broke that pattern on May 5,
1809. She became the first woman to receive a U.S. patent
for her method of weaving straw with silk. With her new
method, Kies could make and sell beautiful hats such as this
one, and, by law, no one else could sell hats just like
hers. That's how a patent works.
What if you come up with a great idea for a new invention?
The Good-Hair-Day Hairspray, the perfect spiral football, a
backpack that flies you to school. To protect your new
invention, you would get a patent. A patent is a government
grant that gives the inventor the exclusive right to make,
use, or sell an invention, usually for a limited period.
Nowadays it's 16 to 20 years in most countries. Patents are
granted to new and useful machines, manufactured products,
industrial processes--such as Kies's method of weaving--and
significant improvements of existing processes. Patents
encourage entrepreneurs, like weaver and hat maker Mary Kies,
to create new and better products all the time.
Mary Kies was not the first American woman to improve hat
making. In 1798, New Englander Betsy Metcalf invented a
method of braiding straw. Her method became very popular,
and she employed many women to make her hats, but she didn't
patent her process. When asked why, Metcalf said she didn't
want her name being sent to Congress. Kies had a different
perspective, and she couldn't have picked a better time to
secure her new product, because the U.S. government had
stopped importing European goods. (Napolean was at war with
many nations of Europe at the time, and one way he tried to
win the war was to block trade and hurt his enemies
economically. The U.S. did not want to be drawn into this
conflict.) President Madison was looking for American
industries to replace the lost European goods. First lady
Dolley Madison said hats off to Mary Kies for providing just
such an opportunity. |
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Walla Walla Education
February 16, 1810 -
Cushing Eells Was Born
Whitman College, located in Walla Walla, Washington, is the
oldest educational institution in Washington state. A
missionary by the name of Cushing Eells, who was born on
this day in 1810, founded the college and named it for
Marcus and Narcissa Whitman, fellow missionaries, who were
killed by Native Americans in 1847.
In 1836, the Whitmans set up a mission among the Cayuse
Indians at Waiilatpu not far from where Walla Walla is
today. In addition to promoting the Protestant religion, the
Whitmans set up schools and mills for grinding grain and
introduced crop irrigation. A few years later, Marcus
Whitman helped a group of 1,000 settlers find their way to
the Oregon Territory. When the new settlers arrived,
tensions with the Native Americans increased.
Trouble erupted in 1847 when a measles epidemic spread
through the area. In addition to being a missionary, Marcus
Whitman was also a doctor, and he tried to help those who
caught the disease. For some unknown reason, a greater
number of Native American children died from the measles and
Whitman was accused of using magic to kill off the Native
Americans in order to make room for the settlers. On
November 29, 1847, Cayuse warriors killed Marcus and
Narcissa Whitman and 12 other settlers. This event, known as
the Whitman Massacre, sparked the Cayuse War, which was
fought until 1850. |
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The "Greatest Show On Earth"
July 5, 1810 -
Phineas Taylor Barnum Was Born
Have you ever been to the circus? What about a sideshow with
bearded ladies, giant elephants, and "real" mermaids? P.T.
Barnum would like you to see them all.
Born on July 5, 1810, in Bethel, Connecticut, Phineas Taylor
Barnum became a master showman of both the genuine and the
fantastic. Whether actual wonders or freakish fakes,
Barnum's attractions always drew crowds.
"Along in June P.T. Barnum would come to Waterbury,
[Connecticut]," said a Barnum fan, Art Botsford, "We'd all
go down on the morning train, and spend the day there. Shops
[were] shut down tight. If they didn't nobody would work
anyway."
Barnum was skilled at fooling his audiences. When he was
only 25 years old, he passed off Joice Heth as George
Washington's 161-year-old nurse. You might not have been
fooled by the hoax, but a lot of people came to see her.
What would you pay to see the bearded Princess Ali?
In 1842, P.T. Barnum took over the American Museum in New
York City. He brought oddities of all sorts to the museum.
Among the most famous of his attractions was the fake FeeJee
Mermaid, a cross between a human and a fish.
Barnum's most famous and profitable exhibit was Charles
Stratton, a 25-inch-tall man whom Barnum promoted as General
Tom Thumb. The exhibit drew 20 million people. Barnum even
took Stratton to the White House, where the two of them met
President Abraham Lincoln.
PP.T. Barnum was over 60 when he and James Bailey created the
"Greatest Show on Earth." You may know it as the Ringling
Brothers Barnum and Bailey Circus. There are all kinds of
circuses you can go to today, although it is unlikely you
will ever find another FeeJee Mermaid. |
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Who is the Little Giant?
April 23, 1813 -
Stephen A. Douglas Was Born
People called him the "Little Giant." Though short in
stature, Stephen A. Douglas was very influential in
Congress, thus earning his nickname. Born in Brandon,
Vermont, on April 23, 1813, Douglas was a U.S.
representative, senator, and presidential candidate.
Douglas settled in Illinois at the age of 20. There he
quickly established himself as a leader in the Democratic
Party, first in the House of Representatives and then the
U.S. Senate. Before his death in 1861, what did the "Little
Giant" accomplish in government?
Douglas supported the expansion of U.S. territory. He became
a leader in the effort to negotiate the sensitive issues
regarding the spread of slavery into the territories. When
Kansas was to be admitted as a state, Douglas wanted a
popular election and not a congressional decision to
determine whether it would be a slave or free state.
President James Buchanan was so strongly opposed to
Douglas's point of view that he worked to block Douglas's
reelection. But Douglas remained popular with Illinois
voters. Can you guess who he was running against?
In the Senate campaign of 1858, Democrat Stephen Douglas ran
against Republican Abraham Lincoln. Lincoln challenged
Douglas to a series of seven debates, known today as the
Lincoln-Douglas debates. Douglas won that election, but the
national publicity that Lincoln received led to his victory
when he ran against Douglas a second time in the 1860
presidential election. Do you know a "Little Giant" like
Stephen A. Douglas? |
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Fighting Long Knife
August 9, 1814 -
Jackson Signed the Treaty of Fort Jackson
Do you recognize the man in the photograph? President Andrew
Jackson is on the $20 bill, but the military knew him as
Major General Jackson. The Native Americans called him Long
Knife. Jackson earned his nickname and his reputation as a
ruthless Indian fighter during the Creek War of 1814.
The war began in August 1813, when the Red Sticks, a group
of the Creek Indians, attacked American settlers at Lake
Tensaw, Alabama. Tensions between the frontier settlers and
the Creeks had been brewing since the Revolutionary War era.
It was the settlers' greed that brought on the attack.
As they moved west, settlers took large amounts of land,
often acquired by unfair means. After the attack at Lake
Tensaw, Jackson led militiamen in the destruction of two
Creek villages.
Seven months later, Jackson's forces destroyed the Creek
defenses at the Battle of Horseshoe Bend. Eight hundred
Creek warriors were killed and 500 women and children
captured.
On August 9, 1814, Jackson signed the Treaty of Fort
Jackson, bringing an end to the war. The Creeks lost 23
million acres of their land in present-day Alabama and
Georgia to the United States. |
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Huzza! for General Jackson!
January 8, 1815 -
Winning the Battle of New Orleans
Do you know what many people, especially in the South, used
to celebrate on January 8? On this day in 1815, Major
General Andrew Jackson led a small, poorly equipped army to
victory against 8,000 British troops at the Battle of New
Orleans. Jackson became a hero (and later the seventh
president of the United States). Every January 8, during the
19th century, many people held parties and dances to
celebrate the anniversary of the great victory.
The unexpected victory of Jackson's troops is still
celebrated in our culture today. Americans like to cheer for
the "underdog," or the person no one expects to win. Songs
were written about the day like "Huzza! for General
Jackson." "Huzza" was a word shouted in appreciation, like
"bravo" or "hurrah." Here are some lyrics from the song:
"Remember New Orleans I say,
Where Jackson show'd them Yankee play,
And beat them off and gain'd the day,
And then we heard the people say
Huzza! For Gen'ral Jackson."
The song "The Eighth of January" became a favorite tune for
square dancing even into the 1940s. Perhaps members of your
family have heard the song. Invite them to listen to the
traditional fiddle tune "The Eighth of January" and together
yell "Huzza!" |
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Congress Buys Books from Jefferson
January 30, 1815 -
President James Madison Approved an Act of Congress to
Purchase Thomas Jefferson's Library
How important are libraries to you? Thomas Jefferson and the
U.S. government saw a library as essential. That's why on
January 30, 1815, President James Madison approved an act of
Congress appropriating $23,950 to purchase Thomas
Jefferson's personal library. The United States' first
Library of Congress was destroyed in 1814. After capturing
Washington, D.C., that year, the British burned the U.S.
Capitol where the 3,000-volume library was stored.
Thomas Jefferson, enjoying his retirement at Monticello,
offered to sell his collection of 6,487 volumes to the
Library Committee of Congress in order to rebuild the
collection of the Congressional Library. His personal
collection contained over twice the number of books Congress
had lost in the fire. It also included a wider range of
topics in several languages. The previous library covered
only law, economics, and history. However, Jefferson said of
his collection, "I do not know that it contains any branch
of science which Congress would wish to exclude from their
collection."
Jefferson's collection was the seed from which the Library
of Congress grew into the world's largest library today.
Accessible to all Americans through its Web sites and in
three buildings on Capitol Hill, it continues to grow. Other
than books, the collection includes millions of newspapers,
maps, prints, photographs, sound recordings, films and
digital materials, as well as the personal papers of
hundreds of famous Americans including 23 U.S. presidents.
If you have a shelf of books at home, think of it as the
beginning of your own private library, like Jefferson's. Be
sure to visit your public and school libraries often. From
the beginning, libraries have played a vital role in
American democracy. |
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The Priest And The Politician
October 30, 1815 -
José Manuel Gallegos Was Born
Father José Manuel Gallegos was an influential, popular, and
controversial figure in the history of New Mexico. He was a
man who cared deeply about both religion and politics. Born
on October 30, 1815, in Nuevo México (New Mexico), Gallegos
grew up during the Mexican revolution against Spain. He
received his education from Franciscan missionaries. They
not only taught him about God, but also they filled him with
political ideals.
At the time of his birth, Nuevo México was part of Spanish
colonial Mexico. By the time Nuevo México belonged to the
United States, Gallegos was in his thirties and ready to put
his political beliefs to use.
José Gallegos became a priest around the same time that the
United States went to war with Mexico (the U.S.-Mexican War
started in 1846). When the war ended in 1848, Nuevo México
became the U.S. territory of New Mexico. Gallegos was
elected to New Mexico's first Territorial Council in 1851.
That same year, Gallegos was suspended from the priesthood
for refusing to accept the authority of a French religious
superior. Gallegos now put increasing energy into his
political life.
In 1853, José Gallegos became the second Hispanic U.S.
representative in history. After he won a second term, his
political opponent, Miguel A. Otero, convinced Congress that
Gallegos had won only because Mexican citizens had illegally
voted for him. Gallegos left Washington, but he did not
leave politics.
During the Civil War, the Confederates took over Santa Fe,
New Mexico. Gallegos, however, was a Union supporter, and he
found a way to provide information and assistance to Union
forces. In 1871, Gallegos returned to the U.S. House of
Representatives, once more as a delegate from New Mexico. At
the end of his term, he returned to Santa Fe, where he died
in 1875. |
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The Rock of Chickamauga
July 31, 1816 -
General George H. Thomas, Rock of Chickamauga, Was Born
Born on July 31, 1816, in Southampton County, Virginia,
General George H. Thomas was known as "The Rock of
Chickamauga." He got the nickname by defending the
Chickamauga Creek in northwestern Georgia in 1863 during the
Civil War. He then went on to win more battles for the
Union. Doesn't he look "rock" solid in this old photograph?
A graduate of West Point, Thomas served in the Mexican War
and returned to teach at West Point. When the Civil War
began, he remained loyal to the Union. In 1864, he helped
General William T. Sherman take Atlanta. Thomas also fought
and won conflicts at Franklin and Nashville, Tennessee. This
photograph showing the outer line of Union soldiers at the
Battle of Nashville gives you an idea of how hard life was
for the men living and fighting on the front. The leadership
of the "Rock of Chickamauga" often gave soldiers the courage
to continue the struggle. |
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Following The Beat Of A Different Drum
July 12, 1817 -
Henry David Thoreau Was Born
If Henry David Thoreau were alive today you might think he
was a little odd or you might admire him. Born on July 12,
1817, in Concord, Massachusetts, Thoreau was a philosopher,
naturalist, and writer who believed in living simply. In
1845 he put that belief to the test and moved to a hut on
the edge of Walden Pond near Concord. For two years he lived
with a minimum of possessions and limited his contact with
people. What would you do for two years in a little hut away
from people?
One of the things that Thoreau did was write a series of
essays about his experiences, published in the book Walden,
or, Life in the Woods. He also spent a night in jail for
refusing to pay his voting tax. Thoreau withheld the tax as
a protest against slavery and the war with Mexico, which he
did not support. He wrote "Civil Disobedience" to explain
his reasons. "Under a government which imprisons any
unjustly," he argued, "the true place for a just man is also
a prison." Thoreau, however, did more than just protest
slavery by going to jail. What else do you think he did?
Thoreau also helped runaway slaves and defended those who
fought for the end of slavery. Thoreau's later years were
spent outdoors, where he wrote about nature, like the scene
shown in this photograph. He never made much money from his
writing. When he died in 1862, many people in Concord
considered him to be a failure. Thoreau may not have become
rich, but he was a man who followed his beliefs. "If a man
does not keep pace with his companions," he wrote, "perhaps
it is because he hears a different drummer. Let him step to
the music which he hears, however measured or far away."
Today people continue to be inspired by his writing and his
actions. Do you think Thoreau was a failure? |
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How Many Stars and How Many Stripes?
April 12, 1818 -
A New Flag Flew Over the U.S. Capitol
On April 12, 1818, a new flag flew over the U.S. Capitol for
the first time. The number of stars and stripes on the
American flag had already changed twice because the country
was growing rapidly. The first national flag had 13 stripes
and 13 stars, one star and one stripe for each state. In
1795, when Kentucky and Vermont entered the union, new flags
had to be made with 15 stars and 15 stripes. In 1818, five
more states joined the union with the prospect of more.
Could you imagine the flag now with a dizzying 50 stripes as
well as stars?
After five new states joined the Union in 1818 the
government settled on the present formula with stars
equaling the number of states in the union, and stripes
always representing the 13 original colonies. When a new
state is admitted to the union, on what day does the
government add a new star? Independence Day, of course.
Pass along your flag knowledge to friends and family. |
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Bears, Bulls, Blues, Pizza, and Lincoln
December 3, 1818 -
Illinois Entered the Union as the 21st State
Which state is home to bears, bulls, blues, great pizza, and
Abraham Lincoln? The state of Illinois entered the Union on
December 3, 1818. The 21st state takes its name from Native
American tribes of the area. In Algonquian, "Illinois" means
"tribe of superior men." Illinois can boast of many
outstanding citizens in its long history, going back to a
sophisticated, prehistoric society in the southwestern part
of the state that had developed limited agriculture.
The French claimed, explored, and settled Illinois in the
1600s. They passed the territory onto Great Britain in 1763,
and in 1783, the United States acquired the land. Nicknamed
"Land of Lincoln," the state is very proud of its famous
son, Abraham Lincoln, who came to Illinois in 1830. After
playing a major role in moving the state capital from
Vandalia to Springfield, Lincoln married socially prominent
resident Mary Todd, and settled into his new home to
practice law and build a political career that would bring
him the presidency in 1861. Lincoln was not the only famous
citizen of Illinois.
The city of Chicago became one of the three largest cities
in the U.S. because inventors such as John Deere, with his
steel plow, and Cyrus Hall McCormick, with his wheat reaper,
set up manufacturing plants in the "Windy City." Rand
McNally of Chicago became the world's largest mapmaking
company by 1880.
Illinois, particularly Chicago, has many "firsts" and "biggests,"
like Sears Tower, the tallest building in the United States,
and African American Daniel Hale Williams, who performed the
first open-heart surgery in 1893. He also helped found
Provident Hospital in Chicago in 1891 as an interracial
institution where black doctors and nurses, denied access to
white institutions, could receive medical training, and
where members of Chicago's growing black community could
receive care. What other famous events happened in Chicago?
What other people do you know from the great state of
Illinois? |
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Sew What?
July 9, 1819 -
Inventor Elias Howe Was Born
In the early 1800s, most people didn't have the money, not
to mention a choice of stores in which to buy clothes for
themselves and their families. At that time, everything was
made by hand. Families sewed their pants, shirts, and
dresses using a needle and thread. But Elias Howe changed
all that. Born on July 9, 1819, Howe came up with another
way to make clothes. He patented the first practical
American sewing machine in 1846. Maybe you thought the
inventor was someone named Singer?
At 250 stitches a minute, Howe's machine could out sew the
fastest of hand sewers. Despite its speed, though, Howe's
invention did not sell very well. It wasn't until Isaac
Singer (1811-1875) and Allen Wilson (1824-1888) each added
their own new features to the machine that it became more
popular. Singer invented the up-and-down motion mechanism,
and Wilson created a rotary hook shuttle. (A sewing machine
uses two spools of thread. The shuttle holds the lower
thread and carries this thread through a loop of the upper
thread, resulting in a stitch.) Howe, Singer, and Wilson put
their inventions together, and soon sewing machines were
built and sold to garment factories all over the United
States.
In 1889, an electric sewing machine for use in the home was
designed and marketed by Singer. By 1905, Americans all over
the country were beginning to sew with electrically powered
machines. Today sewing machines in manufacturing plants use
computer technology to create customized clothing with
little human intervention. Have you ever used a sewing
machine? |
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America's Original Private Eye
August 25, 1819 -
Detective Allan Pinkerton Was Born in Glasgow, Scotland
Mulder, Scully and 007, move over for the detective on
horseback. One of America's first undercover agents, a Civil
War scout and guardian of President Lincoln, he was Allan
Pinkerton, Private Eye.
Allan Pinkerton, born in Glasgow, Scotland, on August 25,
1819, founded the Pinkerton National Detective Agency. But
his career as a detective began by chance. After emigrating
to the United States in 1842, he established a barrel-making
shop in a small town outside of Chicago. Pinkerton was an
abolitionist (activist against slavery). His shop functioned
as a "station" for escaped slaves traveling the Underground
Railroad to freedom in the North. One day while out
gathering wood, Pinkerton discovered a gang of
counterfeiters making coins in the area.
Assisting in the arrest of these men and another gang led
first to Pinkerton's appointment as deputy sheriff of Kane
County and, later, as Chicago's first full-time detective.
In 1850, Pinkerton left this post to start his own detective
agency. One of the first of its kind, the Pinkerton National
Detective Agency provided a wide array of private detective
services and specialized in the capture of train robbers and
counterfeiters. By the 1870s, the agency had the world's
largest collection of mug shots and a criminal database. The
agency's logo, the All-Seeing Eye, inspired the term
"Private Eye."
In 1861, while investigating a railway case, Pinkerton
uncovered an assassination plot against Abraham Lincoln. The
conspirators intended to kill Lincoln in Baltimore during a
stop on his way to his inauguration. Pinkerton warned
Lincoln of the threat, and the president-elect's itinerary
was changed so that he passed through the city secretly at
night. Lincoln later hired Pinkerton to organize a "secret
service" to obtain military information in the Southern
states during the Civil War. In Tennessee, Georgia and
Mississippi, he performed his own investigative work and
traveled under the pseudonym (false name) "Major E.J.
Allen."
After the war, in 1865, Pinkerton resumed management of his
detective agency. By this time, the U.S. Secret Service had
been established to fight counterfeiting. By 1901, its
mission included protecting the president. In the late
1800s, Pinkerton guards and agents played an unpopular role
as strike breakers. The agency had a harsh policy toward
labor unions. Pinkerton said that he was helping the men by
opposing unions. Union activists couldn't disagree more.
Confrontations resulted and sometimes became violent. The
Secret Service still plays an important role in Washington,
D.C., as do detective agencies. Have you ever imagined being
a detective? |
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Beauty of Autumn
September 19, 1819 -
John Keats Wrote Ode "To Autumn"
What's your favorite season? Summer, spring, winter, or
fall? Ever write about your favorite time of year? On
September 19, 1819, English poet John Keats was inspired by
the changing season and wrote an ode "To Autumn." Here's how
it begins:
Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness,
Close bosom-friend of the maturing sun; . . .
The lyric poem is all about the beauty of the season and the
melancholy mood that occurs as fall turns into winter.
Where are the songs of Spring? Ay, where are they?
Think not of them, thou hast thy music too, --. . .
John Keats wrote several odes, which many people say are his
greatest poetic achievements. With the exception of "To
Autumn" which he wrote in September, he wrote all the odes
between March and June of 1819. During this time, he was
struggling with a fatal illness as well as mourning the
death of his brother. He also had an intense love affair
with Fanny Brawne, who later became his fiancée. Sadly, John
Keats died from tuberculosis at the age of 25 in 1821.
Observation and description of the natural world were
typical of the English Romantic movement (Romantic writing
is characterized by an idealization of the past.) Poets John
Keats, William Wordsworth, and Samuel Taylor Coleridge had
an influence on American writers such as Henry David
Thoreau. Living on Walden Pond, Thoreau continued the
tradition of Romantic poets in his journals describing his
surroundings. |
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Vikings in Maine?
March 15, 1820 -
Maine Became a State
Ahh, the life in Maine! The Pine Tree State became the 23rd
state in the Union on March 15, 1820. Campers enjoy the
dense woodlands and beautiful scenery. Others prefer a
lobster dinner on Maine's picturesque coastline. What do you
think of when you think of Maine? How about "Red Paint"
people, the Vikings, the French, or Massachusetts?
We don't know much about the "Red Paint" people, the first
inhabitants of the area 5,000 years ago, except that they
used red clay to line the graves of their dead. Five hundred
years before Columbus reached the West Indies, Leif Ericson
and his Vikings landed on the Maine coast. In 1604, the land
was part of a French province. Control of the land was in
dispute between the French and the British until the British
took ownership after their victory in the French and Indian
War in 1763. After the American Revolution, Maine was a
province of Massachusetts. People living in the area began
to demand statehood after Massachusetts failed to provide
adequate protection against British raids during the War of
1812.
Many people moved to Maine for the timber industry, others
for the beauty of the area or a chance to settle somewhere
new. Nearly 300,000 people already lived there when it
became a state. Now it is the most sparsely populated state
east of the Mississippi. The town of Kennebunkport, Maine,
has been a fashionable seaside resort since the early 20th
century. Do you know what former president and first lady
still vacation there? Have you ever visited Maine? |
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Dividing Missouri
August 10, 1821 -
Missouri Became the 24th State
The Missouri territory came to the United States as part of
the 1803 Louisiana Purchase, one of the best real estate
deals the United States ever made. Before Missouri became
the 24th state on August 10, 1821, certain compromises had
to be made to keep a balance in the Union between the slave
and non-slave states. Those compromises would later turn
neighbor against neighbor.
Under the Missouri Compromise of 1820, designed by statesman
Henry Clay, Missouri entered the Union as a slave state, and
Maine entered as a free state, thus keeping the number of
slave and non-slave states equal at 12 each.
John F. Smith recalled in an interview an incident when
Jayhawkers, a group opposed to slavery, came to his house in
1861. One of the Jayhawkers threatened to shoot his father,
a Missouri slave owner.
". . . (then) we heard a shout and looked up the road . . .
The man dropped his gun to his side, when Judge Myers rode
up he was shaking his head and his eyes were blazing fire .
. . All the Jayhawkers turned around and sulked off like
whipped dogs."
The Civil War continued to divide Missourians. Although the
state remained with the Union, some of its citizens chose to
fight for the Confederacy. Smith's father and his rescuer,
Judge Myers, remained best friends despite their conflicting
views on slavery, but the two ended up fighting on opposite
sides of the war.
Ironclad ships, built in Missouri, became part of the
Missouri Squadron. The vessels aided the Union in preventing
the movement of Confederate troops and supplies. |
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5 Million Cubic Yards of Dirt
April 26, 1822 -
Frederick Law Olmsted Was Born
Have you ever been to New York City's Central Park? Born on
April 26, 1822, Frederick Law Olmsted became 19th-century
America's number one landscape architect. As a boy in
Hartford, Connecticut, he had admired natural beauty. Bad
eyesight forced him to abandon his plans to attend
university, so he studied engineering and farming instead.
Eventually he ended up in charge of creating Central Park in
the 1850s.
Olmsted and Calvert Vaux entered a design contest for a new
park and won with a design patterned after gardens and
natural sights that Olmsted had admired around the world. To
create the new park, they shifted nearly 5 million cubic
yards of dirt, blasted rock with 260 tons of gunpowder, and
planted 270,000 trees and shrubs. In 1864, New Yorkers could
stroll along wooded paths, paddle a boat around the lake, or
people-watch from terraces. Today, many people cannot
imagine New York City without its Central Park.
Maybe it was watching those people enjoy his creation that
inspired Olmsted. He became one of the first commissioners
of Yosemite National Park because he was determined to
protect its breathtaking beauty. He did the same for Niagara
Falls and helped turn it into a public reserve. Working well
into his seventies, Olmsted designed more parks and even an
entire Chicago suburb, Riverside. And to think that bad
eyesight led him to create such beautiful places. |
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A Courageous and Woeful Grant
April 27, 1822 -
Ulysses S. Grant Was Born
One of the most honored and respected military leaders in
U.S. history never even wanted a military career. Despite
that, he became a general and served two terms as president
of the United States. Ulysses S. Grant, born on April 27,
1822, in Point Pleasant, Ohio, wrote, "A military life had
no charms for me, and I had not the faintest idea of staying
in the army even if I should be graduated, which I did not
expect." However, Grant did graduate from the U.S. Military
Academy at West Point in 1843 and later began leading
soldiers in battle.
The quiet, unassuming, and keenly intelligent Grant suddenly
found himself on the battlefields of the Mexican War
(1846-48), a conflict he personally opposed but fought with
great bravery. (During the Mexican War, the U.S. fought its
neighbor to the south over disputed Texan land.) After the
war, he returned home to wed his longtime fiancé, Julia
Dent, but the couple had only four years together before
Grant was transferred. Even a promotion did not relieve
Grant's longing for his family and boredom with army
routine. The 32-year-old captain resigned his commission in
1854.
After failed business ventures, Grant returned to the army
in 1861. Within months, he was promoted to brigadier general
and placed in charge of 20,000 Union troops, which he led to
many victories during the Civil War. Grant commanded larger
and larger armies as the war went on and, by 1864, he
commanded the whole U.S. army as general-in-chief. Just as
he had drifted into the military, Grant drifted into
politics. He easily won the presidential elections of 1868
and 1872. In 1884, the war hero, diagnosed with cancer,
managed to write one of the finest military autobiographies
ever written. It was published by his friend, Mark Twain.
Ask your family if they have ever read the memoirs of
Ulysses S. Grant. |
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President By One Vote
October 4, 1822 -
Rutherford Birchard Hayes Was Born
On the night of the 1876 presidential election, Republican
candidate Rutherford B. Hayes went to bed early. He assumed
that he had lost the election to his opponent, Democrat
Samuel J. Tilden. Tilden did win the popular vote that
night, but the Republicans challenged the validity of the
electoral votes from three states. (Under the Electoral
College, each state chooses electors to vote for the
president.) A candidate must win the electoral vote to
become president.
Congress appointed a special Electoral Commission to make a
decision on the matter. The commission was made up of five
senators, five members of the House of Representatives, and
five Supreme Court justices. In the end, the commission
determined that Hayes was elected president by a margin of
one electoral vote. Because of the tension surrounding his
election, Hayes's first official duty was done in secret.
Hayes' first duty was to take the oath of office, which he
did secretly in the Red Room of the White House, becoming
the first president to be sworn in there.
Rutherford Birchard Hayes was born on October 4, 1822. The
Civil War had been over for 12 years by the time Hayes
became president in 1877. Once in office, Hayes withdrew all
remaining federal troops from the South and designated funds
for improvements in the war-torn South. Surprising many,
President Hayes also signed the bill that allowed women
attorneys to appear for the first time before the U.S.
Supreme Court. At least two other "firsts" occurred at the
White House while Hayes was president.
Hayes was the first president to host the "Easter Egg Roll"
for children on the White House lawn. The original site was
on the grounds of the United States Capitol. Congress ended
the tradition after a particularly active "Easter Egg Roll"
in 1876. At the request of several children, President Hayes
brought the event to the White House in 1878.
In 1879, the first telephone was installed in the White
House. President Hayes did not use it very often, however,
because there were not many other telephones in Washington.
Hayes spent his retirement working toward prison reform and
creating educational opportunities for Southern black youth.
He died in 1893 at his home in Fremont, Ohio. |
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The Stockings Were Hung By the Chimney with Care
December 24, 1822 -
Clement Moore Is Believed to Have Written "A Visit from St.
Nicholas"
Perhaps you have read these famous words: "'Twas the night
before Christmas and all through the house, not a creature
was stirring, not even a mouse." 'Twas the day before
Christmas, December 24, the day in 1822 that Clement Moore
is thought to have composed the classic poem that was then
called "A Visit from St. Nicholas." You probably know it as
"The Night Before Christmas." While traveling home from
Greenwich Village, in Manhattan, where he had bought a
turkey to donate to the poor during the holiday season,
Moore penned the story for the amusement of his six
children, with whom he shared the poem that evening.
He was inspired by the plump, bearded Dutchman who took him
by sleigh on his errand through the snow-covered streets of
New York City. Moore's vision of St. Nicholas draws upon
Dutch-American and Norwegian traditions of a magical,
gift-giving figure that appears at Christmas time. It also
is based on the German legend of a visitor who enters homes
through chimneys. Clement Moore knew of such folklore as a
learned man of literature. He was born into a well-respected
New York family in 1779. His father, Benjamin Moore, had
served as president of Columbia University and Episcopal
bishop of New York, participating in the inauguration of
George Washington as the nation's first president.
Clement Moore graduated from Columbia. As a scholar, he is
said to have been embarrassed by the light-hearted holiday
poem, which somehow made its way into the public without his
knowledge in December 1823. Moore did not publish it under
his name until 1844. Many editions of "The Night Before
Christmas" have been published over the years.
American parents still read the tale to their children at
bedtime on December 24, as their parents did to them. This
message from Santa, recorded by the Thomas Edison Company in
1922, didn't quite become a classic. But you might imagine
small children listening to it on an old phonograph,
believing the voice they heard was really that of Santa
Claus, hidden inside the machine. |
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Even a President Needs Good Advice
October 17, 1823 -
James Monroe Sought Advice from Thomas Jefferson
Everyone needs advice at times, even the president of the
United States. On October 17, 1823, President James Monroe
wrote a letter to his friend and Virginia neighbor Thomas
Jefferson seeking advice on foreign policy. The issue at
hand was whether or not to join forces with Britain in a
declaration against Spain's efforts to rule in South
America. "Shall we entangle ourselves at all, in European
politics... on the side of any power?" Monroe asked.
Both Jefferson and former President James Madison, whom
Monroe also consulted, recommended cooperation with Britain.
Monroe's Secretary of State, John Quincy Adams, however, had
a different idea. He thought the U.S. should follow a course
independent of Britain.
President Monroe took Adams's advice. While still supporting
Great Britain's interest, he declared in the "Monroe
Doctrine," "We should consider any attempt [on the part of
European nations] to extend their system to any portion of
this hemisphere as dangerous to our peace and safety."
Theodore Roosevelt in 1904 sought advice in Monroe's
writing, deciding the U.S. should intervene in the internal
affairs of Latin American countries to prevent the
involvement of European nations there. |
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What'd You Call Me?
January 21, 1824 -
Stonewall Jackson Was Born
Do you have a nickname? How did you get yours? Some
nicknames describe the way people look or are variations of
their name. Some people earn nicknames because of something
they've done. "Stonewall" Jackson was born Thomas Jonathon
Jackson on January 21, 1824, in Clarksburg, West Virginia.
He went from being an orphan to one of the most valued
generals in the Southern Army.
Despite the fact that he was mainly self-educated, Jackson
went to West Point Military Academy and graduated 17th in
his class. After he graduated, he was sent as an officer to
fight in the Mexican War. He had some quiet years after
that, teaching military tactics and physical science at the
Virginia Military Institute. He spent summers enjoying art
and culture.
Then in 1861, the Civil War started and Jackson began to
lead troops to battle for the South. It was during the
Battle of Bull Run in Virginia that he received his
nickname. During the gunfire and confusion of the battle,
Brigadier General Barnard E. Bee said, "There is Jackson
standing like a stone wall." The soldiers under his command
came to admire his stubborn courage and started calling him
"Stonewall" Jackson. As General, he fought in many battles,
until he was wounded by friendly fire at the Battle of
Chancellorsville in Virginia in 1863 and died 8 days later
from pneumonia. |
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Riding The Rails
February 28, 1827 -
First U.S. Railway Chartered to Transport Freight and
Passengers
On February 28, 1827, the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad became
the first U.S. railway chartered for commercial transport of
passengers and freight. There were skeptics who doubted that
a steam engine could work along steep, winding grades, but
the Tom Thumb, designed by Peter Cooper, put an end to their
doubts. Investors hoped a railroad would allow Baltimore,
the second largest U.S. city at the time, to successfully
compete with New York for western trade.
The first railroad track in the United States was only 13
miles long, but it caused a lot of excitement when it opened
in 1830. Charles Carroll, the last surviving signer of the
Declaration of Independence, laid the first stone when
construction on the track began at Baltimore harbor on July
4, 1828.
Baltimore and the Ohio River were connected by rail in 1852,
when the B&O was completed at Wheeling, West Virginia. Later
extensions brought the line to Chicago, St. Louis, and
Cleveland. In 1869, the Central Pacific line and the Union
Pacific line joined to create the first transcontinental
railroad. Pioneers continued to travel west by covered
wagon, but as trains became faster and more frequent,
settlements across the continent grew larger and more
quickly.
Train travel continues to hold a romantic appeal for many
people. Songs, stories, poems and plays have been written
about the railways. Here you can listen to Byron Coffin sing
about engineer Casey Jones and his fateful last ride on the
rails. |
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