On March 7, 1850, Massachusetts Senator Daniel Webster delivered one of his most famous speeches, the “Seventh of March” speech. It expressed his support for the Compromise of 1850 that would help avert a Civil War but proved disastrous for his Senate career.
On March 1, 1803, Ohio was admitted as the 17th state of the Union. Named for the Ohio River, the word Ohio comes from the Seneca people, meaning “great river.”
On February 26, 1869, the US Senate passed the 15th Amendment to the Constitution, giving people of all races and colors the right to vote. The Amendment would be ratified and become official US law a year later.
On February 22, 1864, some of the first Sanitary Fair stamps were issued. These stamps raised millions of dollars in funds and supplies for the Civil War.
Abraham Lincoln was born in a log cabin near Hodgenville, Kentucky, on February 12, 1809. Despite the lack of a formal education, he became a successful lawyer, politician, and celebrated speaker before taking the nation’s highest office and leading the Union through the Civil War.
On February 8, 1693, a royal charter officially established the College of William and Mary. Today it’s the second-oldest college in America (behind Harvard).
On February 3, 1690, the Massachusetts Bay Colony issued the first paper money in America. Known as a “bill of credit,” it was a popular experiment that was quickly put into use in the other colonies.
On January 29, 1861, Kansas was admitted to the Union as America was on the brink of Civil War.
John C. Frémont was born on January 21, 1813 in Savannah, Georgia. An explorer and soldier, he developed the first scientific map of the American West and was known as “The Pathfinder.”