Subjects – Jefferson, Thomas
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 Continental Congress’s ratification of the “Treaty of Paris”
January 14, 1784
The Continental Congress ratified the “Treaty of Paris,” formally concluding the colonies’ war for independence from Great Britain
President George Washington delivered his first regular Annual Message to a Joint Session of Congress
January 08, 1790
On this date, George Washington delivered his first regular Annual Message to a Joint Session of Congress.
The Permanent Seat of Government Act
July 16, 1790
On this date, President George Washington signed into law the Permanent Seat of Government Act, which established the location of the federal city.
The first Bank of the United States
February 08, 1791
On this date, the House of Representatives passed a bill establishing the first Bank of the United States.
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.
Delegate Patrick Henry of Virginia
June 06, 1799
On this date, Patrick Henry, a Virginia Continental Congress delegate and a renowned skeptic of centralized government, died at his Red Hill home near Brookneal in the Old Dominion.
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.
House approval of legislation to establish the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, New York
January 21, 1802
The House passed H.R. 7, “An Act fixing the Military peace establishment of the United States,” creating a military academy for U.S. soldiers in West Point, New York
President Thomas Jefferson’s secret letter to Congress
January 18, 1803
On this date, President Thomas Jefferson sent a secret letter to Congress that requested financing for a transcontinental exploration that became the Lewis and Clark expedition of 1804–1806.
The Louisiana Purchase
November 10, 1803
On this date, President Thomas Jefferson authorized an act to pay France $11 million for the Louisiana Purchase.
Thomas Jefferson’s library
October 10, 1814
On this date a joint resolution to purchase Thomas Jefferson’s library for the new Library of Congress was introduced in the House of Representatives.
The youngest Representative in House history, William Charles Cole Claiborne
November 23, 1817
On this date, William Charles Cole Claiborne of Tennessee, the youngest person ever elected to the House of Representatives died.
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.
Speaker of the House Nathaniel Macon of North Carolina
June 29, 1837
On this date, former Speaker of the House Nathaniel Macon of North Carolina died at “Buck Spring,” his home.
The addition of the statue of President George Washington to the National Statuary Hall Collection
August 03, 1909
The bronze statue of President George Washington arrived at the Capitol.