Constitution Daily Blog
Civil War
The story behind the Join or Die snake cartoon
On this day in 1754, Benjamin Franklin published one of the most famous cartoons in history: the Join or Die woodcut. Franklin’s…
The Delaware Companion Cases to Brown v. Board
In this look back at the landmark Brown v. Board in 1954 decision about desegregation, Ronald K.L. Collins and Judge Thomas L.…
On this day, Lee surrenders at Appomattox
On this day, Confederate General Robert E. Lee agreed to surrender his Army of Northern Virginia, marking a symbolic end to the…
The cotton gin: A game-changing social and economic invention
On this day in 1793, young inventor Eli Whitney had his U.S. patent for the cotton gin approved, an invention that would…
On this day, the Confederate Constitution is approved
On March 11, 1861, delegates from the newly formed Confederate States of America agreed on their own constitution. And much of it…
Hiram Revels: The first African American congressman
On this day in 1870, a Black politician was seated in the United States Senate for the first time, but only after Republican…
The last insurrection case considered by Congress
An obscure incident involving the 14th Amendment’s Disqualification Clause is getting some new attention in the lead-up to…
On this day, Grant names little-known Waite as Chief Justice
On January 19, 1874, President Ulysses S. Grant nominated little-known Ohio lawyer Morrison Waite to replace Chief Justice Salmon…
10 fascinating facts about Woodrow Wilson
On the occasion of his birthday, Constitution Daily looks at some unusual facts related to one of the more controversial…
Remembering Zachary Taylor: Military hero, obscure President
On November 24, 1784, future President Zachary Taylor was born in Virginia. Taylor became an unexpected obstacle to slavery’s…
