Category Archives: 150 Years Ago This Week

News from 150 years ago

Memphis riots

According to The Freedmen’s Bureau Report on the Memphis Race Riots of 1866 the immediate cause of the Memphis riots of 1866 was an altercation between white policemen and blacks on the evening of April 30, 1866. The following afternoon … Continue reading

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emancipation celebration

[I forgot to publish this yesterday morning. The celebration occurred April 19, 1866. Sorry] 150 years ago today Washington, D.C. celebrated the April 16, 1862 abolition of slavery in the nation’s capital. Thanks to Google and the University of Tennessee … Continue reading

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“Treason and Slavery” did it

To commemorate the first anniversary of the assassination of Abraham Lincoln, President Johnson ordered public offices closed. The House of Representatives met to adjourn – and Congressman James Garfield from Ohio spoke some words of tribute. From The Works of … Continue reading

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historic “cause of irritation”

April 9, 1866 marked the first anniversary of General Lee’s surrender at Appomattox. On that same day the United States House of Representatives overrode President Andrew Johnson’s veto of the Civil Rights Act of 1866. In conjunction with the Senate’s … Continue reading

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this just in

On April 2, 1866 President Andrew Johnson proclaimed the American Civil War officially ended, finished, no more. You read the document at the Library of Congress and at The American Presidency Project. Here’s a bit of it: … Whereas there … Continue reading

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nay-a-gainsayer

In February 1866 President Andrew Johnson vetoed the Freedmen’s Bureau extension act. On March 27th he vetoed the Civil Rights Act of 1866. Here’s an 1896 summary from The Struggle between President Johnson and Congress over Reconstruction by Charles Ernest … Continue reading

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birthday bashing

Back in 1861 even small towns celebrated Washington’s Birthday with cannon fire and bells. Five years later there were definitely some fireworks in Washington, D.C. as a crowd looked for a speech from President Andrew Johnson. It was a couple … Continue reading

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veto takes

On February 19, 1866 President Andrew Johnson vetoed the Freedmen’s Bureau Extension bill. Here is a review of commentary from more modern scholars. Walter Stahr points out that Mr. Johnson vetoed the bill because he agreed with Southern whites who … Continue reading

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just saying no

150 years ago today President Andrew Johnson vetoed legislation that would have extended the jurisdiction of the Freedmen’s Bureau. Here is an 1896 summary. (However, the date of the veto is the 19th) From The Struggle between President Johnson and … Continue reading

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president’s day

Big doings in Washington, D. C. 150 years ago today as the nation’s capital commemorated the birthday of the martyred Abraham Lincoln.

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