Subjects – Adams, John
The Continental Congress agreed to declare independence from Great Britain
July 02, 1776
The Continental Congress agreed on this date to declare independence from Great Britain.
The first Speaker of the House, Frederick A.C. Muhlenberg of Pennsylvania
June 04, 1781
Frederick A. C. Muhlenberg of Pennsylvania—the House of Representatives’ first Speaker—died in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
The Sedition Act of 1798
July 10, 1798
In one of the first tests of freedom of speech, the House passed the Sedition Act, permitting the deportation, fine, or imprisonment of anyone deemed a threat or publishing “false, scandalous, or malicious writing” against the government of the United States.
The resolution to bury President George Washington at the U.S. Capitol
December 23, 1799
Following the death of President George Washington, the House and Senate resolved that “the family of General Washington be requested to permit his body to be deposited under” a marble monument erected “by the United States in the Capitol, at the city of Washington.”
President George Washington’s Memorial Service
December 26, 1799
On the morning after Christmas Day, the House attended a memorial Joint Session for former President George Washington.
President John Adams’s Annual Message of 1800
November 22, 1800
On this date, President John Adams delivered his fourth annual message to a Joint Session of the 4th Congress (1799–1801) in the new Capitol Building in Washington, D.C.
Representative Matthew Lyon, the first Member to represent two states
August 01, 1822
Matthew Lyon, the first U.S. House Member to represent two states, died.
Representative Benjamin Brown of Massachusetts
September 17, 1831
On this date, Representative Benjamin Brown of Massachusetts died in Waldoboro, Lincoln County, Maine.