Emancipation Day, A Celebration in Washington, D.C.
THE NEGRO CELEBRATION IN WASHINGTON The occasion of the celebration, which took place April 19, was the abolition of slavery in...
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Significant Events
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The Chesapeake & Canadian Campaigns
The British decided in 1814 to relieve pressure on their forces in Canada by launching diversionary assaults in the Chesapeake Bay...
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The Battle of New Orleans
Andrew Jackson arrived in New Orleans on December 1, 1814, and took charge of the city's defense, commanding that waterways be obstructed...
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Tensions in the Capital
President James Madison arrived back in Washington about 5:00 p.m. on August 27, 1814 and took up temporary lodgings at the F...
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Stephen Pleasonton Saves the State Papers
With news of the British force's approach, a senior State Department clerk, Stephen Pleasonton, swung into action, buying rough but...
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Saving the Washington Portrait
Many Washington residents, fearing the rumored British attack, had packed what they could on wagons or set out on foot...
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Funding the War of 1812
The nation went to war without a wide-ranging financial strategy. The federal government's revenue largely came from customs duties and...
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New England Convention
The Massachusetts legislature released an invitation on October 5, 1814 for a convention of the New England states to meet in Hartford,...
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Woodrow and Edith Wilson: Costumed for the World Stage
Clothes provide a barometer of life, livelihood, status, and culture. They tie the wearer to a moment in history. The...
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Emancipation Day in Washington, D.C.
Congress passed the Compensation Emancipation Act to end slavery in the District of Columbia and President Abraham Lincoln signed the...
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Commodore Stephen Decatur: An Early American Naval War Hero
In President Theodore Roosevelt’s description of the capture of the HMS Macedonian by the USS United States in his 1882 bo...
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The Presidential Sweet Tooth
As the holidays approach, thoughts inevitably turn to sugar plums, gingerbread, and all of the other delectable treats that season...