Today in History: Treaty of Paris Ratified, Formally Ending War for Independence
Today in history, on January 14, 1784, the United States ratified the Treaty of Paris with Britain, bringing a formal end to the American War of Independence. Although few actual scuffles with the British had occurred since the 1781 Battle of Yorktown, the war...
Today in History: Embargo Act of 1807 Signed as Law
Today in history, the Embargo Act of 1807 was signed into law by President Thomas Jefferson. Passed at the height of the Napoleonic Wars in Europe, Jefferson and the Republicans hoped to use the embargo to preserve American neutrality and avoid foreign entanglements....
Today in History: Bill of Rights Ratified
Today in 1791, the first ten amendments were ratified by the requisite number of American states. As stated in the Preamble of the document, at the time of the Constitution’s adoption many within the states expressed a desire to prevent “misconstruction or abuse” of...