Author: Administrador

(May 16, 1801–October 10, 1872), was Governor of the State of New York, 1839–43; U.S. Senator 1849–61; and Secretary of State under President Lincoln during the War between the States, 1861–65. Lincoln’s assassins also attempted to kill him; one of John Wilkes Booth’s accomplices broke into Seward’s home and wounded him. He later served as … Continue reading “SEWARD,
WILLIAM HENRY”

(September 23, 1800–May 4, 1873), was an American educator. He was the president of Ohio University, professor at the University of Virginia and the department chairman at the Miami University of Ohio. He was responsible for forming the first teachers’ association in that part of the nation. Considered the “Schoolmaster of the Nation,” McGuffey published … Continue reading “MCGUFFEY,
WILLIAM HOLMES”

(October 3, 1800–January 17, 1891), was a historian, diplomat and educator. He served as Secretary of Navy under President Polk, 1845–46, directing the establishment of the U.S. Naval Academy at Annapolis, as well as the Naval Observatory at Washington, D.C. He served as U.S. Minister to Great Britain, 1846–49; and later Germany. In 1834, he … Continue reading “BANCROFT,
GEORGE”

(1800), was set up primarily to assist Congressmen in preparing laws, although it is open to all scholars. Burned by the British during the War of 1812, it was subsequently rebuilt. In 1897, it was relocated into its present building, and, in 1938, an annex was added. Numerous quotations from Scripture can be found within … Continue reading “LIBRARY
OF CONGRESS”

(January 7, 1800–March 8, 1874), was the 13th President of the United States, 1850–53; Vice-President under Zachary Taylor, 1848–50, assuming the Presidency upon Taylor’s death; sent Commodore Perry to Japan, opening the trade routes to the Far East; signed the Compromise Act of 1850; admitted California, which had just begun the Gold Rush, into the … Continue reading “FILLMORE,
MILLARD”

(May 9, 1800–December 2, 1859), was an abolitionist, reformer and northern martyr. In his efforts to free the slaves, he opened his barn in Pennsylvania as a station on the Underground Railroad, and even lived in a black community for a time. He also took extreme steps, most notably the killing of settlers who believed … Continue reading “BROWN,
JOHN”

(October 1, 1799–July 13, 1859), was a lawyer, U.S. Representative from Massachusetts, 1831–34, and U.S. Senator, 1841–45. Before he was six years old, he had become so familiar with John Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress as to repeat from memory large portions of it. Famous for his definition of a lawyer’s vacation being “the space between a … Continue reading “CHOATE,
RUFUS”

(June 24, 1798–May 27, 1831), was an American trader and explorer. His expeditions were exceeded in importance only by those of Lewis and Clark. He help lead expeditions up the Missouri River, with characters such as keelboatmen Mike Fink, Talbot, and Carpenter. He led expeditions across the Rocky Mountains, 1822–26; from California to the Oregon … Continue reading “SMITH,
JEDEDIAH STRONG”

(November 16, 1798), stated: III. Resolved, that it is true as a general principle, and is also expressly declared by one of the amendments of the Constitution that “the powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively or to the … Continue reading “KENTUCKY
RESOLUTIONS”

(1799), decided the case of M’Creery’s Lessee v. Allender, a dispute over whether an Irish emigrant, Thomas M’Creery, had become a naturalized American citizen and was thereby able to leave an estate to a relative who still lived in Ireland. The court decided in M’Creery’s favor, based on a certificate executed before Justice Samuel Chase. … Continue reading “MARYLAND
SUPREME COURT”