1.
Confederate States Secretary of War
–
The Confederate States Secretary of War was a member of the Confederate States Presidents Cabinet during the American Civil War. The Secretary of War was head of the Confederate States Department of War, the position ended in May 1865 when the Confederacy crumbled during John C. The Secretary of War, a Confederate cabinet position, was the officer of the Confederate War Department. Answerable to Jefferson Davis, the Secretary of War controlled all matters regarding the army and Indian tribes and this designation allowed the Secretary of War to create what eventually became the biggest department in the Confederacy. Related to the war effort, the Secretary of War managed important aspects of the war effort like medical distribution, engineering devices, prisoners of war and fort cessions. During the war the Confederate Secretary of War’s report on the war effort became important information for the Confederate Congress, the President had the power to appoint and fire the Secretary of War for unnecessary, dishonest and inefficient work performance. The Secretary of War was also subject to impeachment proceedings from the Confederate Congress, Confederate President Jefferson Davis was twenty-third Secretary of War of the United States, serving under U. S. President Franklin Pierce from 7th March 1853 until 4th March 1857. However, he never served in capacity in the Confederate States. Davis appointed Leroy Pope Walker as the first Confederate Secretary of War in February of 1861, walker’s first major role involved the situation at Fort Sumter. Beauregard, he advocated for no direct clash with the Union and he also focused on the Border States, and was instrumental in ordering the muster, organization and supply of the upper states when they seceded. His stint as Secretary of War was marked by inefficiency and clashes with Jefferson Davis and his lack of experience in the military field hampered his ability to manage the war effort, and he received the blame for the early supply and organizational issues of the Confederacy. Walker resigned in September 1861 after a dispute with President Jefferson Davis, Davis named Judah P. Benjamin acting Secretary of War the same September, and he was confirmed in November 1861. Benjamin’s addition responded to the shortcomings that the War Department office was criticized for most. However, Benjamin clashed repeatedly with Confederate generals, and the downturn, Davis responded to the criticism of his trusted adviser by naming him Acting Secretary of State in March 1862. Next, Davis tapped Brigadier General George W. Randolph to succeed Benjamin, Randolph placed more emphasis on organization in the Western theater of the war, and his meticulous organization and strong work ethic increased the efficiency of the War Department. However, health problems and conflict with Davis resulted in the resignation of G. W. By 1862 Jefferson Davis had to replace three Secretaries of War, Davis appointed James Seddon to the position of Secretary of War next, and Seddon would be the Confederate official to hold the position for the longest. Seddon’s reportedly malleable nature as Secretary of War meshed perfectly with the nature of Jefferson Davis’ interactions with the war effort
Confederate States Secretary of War
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This timeline provides an accurate depiction of the Secretaries of War for the Confederate States of America.
Confederate States Secretary of War
Confederate States Secretary of War
Confederate States Secretary of War
2.
Jefferson Davis
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Jefferson Finis Davis was an American politician who was a Democratic U. S. Representative and Senator from Mississippi, the 23rd U. S. Secretary of War, and he took personal charge of the Confederate war plans but was unable to find a strategy to defeat the more populous and industrialized Union. Davis was born in Kentucky to a prosperous farmer, and grew up on his older brother Josephs large cotton plantations in Mississippi. Joseph Davis also secured his appointment to the U. S, after graduating, Jefferson Davis served six years as a lieutenant in the U. S. Army. He fought in the Mexican–American War, as the colonel of a volunteer regiment and he served as the U. S. Secretary of War from 1853 to 1857 under President Franklin Pierce, and as a Democratic U. S. senator from Mississippi. Before the war, he operated a cotton plantation in Mississippi. After the war had ended, he remained a proud apologist for the cause of slavery for which he, although Davis argued against secession in 1858, he believed that each state was sovereign and had an unquestionable right to secede from the Union. Daviss first wife, Sarah Knox Taylor, died of malaria three months of marriage, and he also struggled with recurring bouts of the disease. He was unhealthy for much of his life, at the age of 36, Davis married again, to 18-year-old Varina Howell, a native of Natchez who had been educated in Philadelphia and had some family ties in the North. Only two survived him, and only one married and had children, many historians attribute the Confederacys weaknesses to the poor leadership of President Davis. Historians agree he was a less effective war leader than his Union counterpart Abraham Lincoln. After Davis was captured in 1865, he was accused of treason and he was never tried and was released after two years. While not disgraced, Davis had been displaced in ex-Confederate affection after the war by his leading general, Davis wrote a memoir entitled The Rise and Fall of the Confederate Government, which he completed in 1881. By the late 1880s, he began to encourage reconciliation, telling Southerners to be loyal to the Union, ex-Confederates came to appreciate his role in the war, seeing him as a Southern patriot, and he became a hero of the Lost Cause in the post-Reconstruction South. Daviss paternal grandparents each immigrated separately to North America from the region of Snowdonia in North Wales in the early 18th century, the rest of his ancestry was English. After arriving in Philadelphia, Daviss paternal grandfather Evan settled in the colony of Georgia and he married the widow Lydia Emory Williams, who had two sons from a previous marriage. Their son Samuel Emory Davis was born in 1756 and he served in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War, along with his two older half-brothers. In 1783, after the war, he married Jane Cook and she was born in 1759 to William Cook and his wife Sarah Simpson in what is now Christian County, Kentucky
Jefferson Davis
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Jefferson Davis
Jefferson Davis
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Wedding photograph of Jefferson Davis and Varina Howell, 1845
Jefferson Davis
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Jefferson Davis around age 39, c. 1847
Jefferson Davis
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Jefferson Davis is sworn in as President of the Confederate States of America on February 18, 1861, on the steps of the
Alabama State Capitol.
3.
George W. Randolph
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George Wythe Randolph was a lawyer, planter, and Confederate general. He was President Thomas Jeffersons youngest grandson by his daughter Martha Jefferson Randolph and their youngest son, he was named in honor of George Wythe, a signer of the Declaration of Independence and law professor of his grandfather Thomas Jefferson. Randolph briefly attended preparatory schools in Cambridge, Massachusetts and Washington, DC and his father had incurred much debt. He served as a midshipman in the United States Navy from 1831 to 1839, on April 10,1852, he married the young widow Mary Elizabeth Adams Pope. After studying at the University of Virginia, Randolph read the law with a firm and was admitted to the bar in 1840. He practiced law in Charlottesville, Virginia, and he and Mary lived at his plantation of Edgehill and they moved to the capital of Richmond in 1849. He became active in the community as well as having his law practice and he founded the Richmond Mechanics Institute and was an officer in the Virginia Historical Society. As the Confederacy formed after southern states secession, the United States divided into two camps and the sections moved toward open conflict. A special delegation, composed of Randolph, William B, preston and Alexander H. H. Stuart, traveled to Washington, D. C. where they met President Abraham Lincoln on April 12,1861. Finding the President firm in his resolve to hold the Federal forts in the South, Randolph was commissioned a major in the Confederate Army, and later served as a colonel of the artillery in the Battle of Big Bethel. He was promoted to general on February 12,1862. Mary Randolph was active in the Richmond Ladies Association, which organized welfare, Randolph was appointed by Jefferson Davis as Secretary of War on March 18,1862, and he took office on March 24,1862. He helped reform the department, improving procurement and writing a law similar to one he had created for Virginia. He was most well known for his strengthening the Confederacys western and southern defenses, with weakening health due to tuberculosis, he resigned on November 17,1862. In 1864, Randolph took his family to exile in Europe, staying in England and they returned to Virginia in 1866. He died of tuberculosis in March 1867 at his Edgehill plantation and he is buried at Monticello in the Jefferson family graveyard. Randolph was portrayed on the $100 bill printed by the Confederate States of America, list of American Civil War generals Eicher, John H. and David J. Eicher, Civil War High Commands. Goldberg, David E. George Wythe Randolph, Virginia Foundation for the Humanities, accessed 6 April 2011
George W. Randolph
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George Randolph
George W. Randolph
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George W. Randolph depicted on a 1863 Confederate
$100 banknote (with
Lucy Pickens).
4.
John C. Breckinridge
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John Cabell Breckinridge was a lawyer, politician, and soldier from the U. S. state of Kentucky. He represented the state in both houses of Congress and became the 14th and youngest-ever Vice President of the United States and he served in the U. S. Senate during the outbreak of the American Civil War, but was expelled after joining the Confederate Army. He remains the only Senator of the United States convicted of treason against the United States of America by the Senate and he was appointed Confederate Secretary of War late in the war. Elected to the U. S. House of Representatives in 1851, after reapportionment in 1854 made his re-election unlikely, he declined to run for another term. The Democrats won the election, but Breckinridge had little influence with Buchanan and, as presiding officer of the Senate, in 1859, he was elected to succeed U. S. Senator John J. Crittenden at the end of Crittendens term in 1861, as vice president, Breckinridge joined with Buchanan in supporting the pro-slavery Lecompton Constitution for Kansas, which led to a split in the Democratic Party. The Southern wing was led by Breckinridge, doughfaced Northerner Buchanan, and the northern wing, a third party, the Constitutional Union Party, nominated John Bell. Taking his seat in the Senate, he urged compromise to preserve the Union although seven states had already seceded, Unionists took control of the state legislature when Kentuckys neutrality was breached. After this occurred, Breckinridge fled behind Confederate battle lines where he was commissioned a brigadier general, following the Battle of Shiloh in April 1862, he was promoted to major general, and in October he was assigned to the Army of Mississippi under General Braxton Bragg. After participating in Jubal Earlys 1864 campaigns in the Shenandoah Valley, Breckinridge was charged with defending Confederate supplies in Tennessee, in February 1865, Confederate President Jefferson Davis appointed him Secretary of War. Concluding that the war was hopeless, he urged Davis to arrange a national surrender, after the fall of the Confederate capital at Richmond, he ensured the preservation of Confederate military and governmental records. He traveled south from Richmond and managed to capture by Federal forces. He then fled to Cuba, Great Britain, and finally, in exile, he toured Europe from August 1866 to June 1868. When President Andrew Johnson extended amnesty to all former Confederates in late 1868, he returned to Kentucky, War injuries sapped his health, and after two operations, he died on May 17,1875. John Cabell Breckinridge was born at Thorn Hill, his familys estate near Lexington, Kentucky, the fourth of six children born to Joseph Cabell and Mary Clay Breckinridge, he was their only son. His mother was the daughter of Samuel Stanhope Smith, who founded Hampden–Sydney College in 1775, and granddaughter of John Witherspoon, having previously served as Speaker of the Kentucky House of Representatives, his father had been appointed Kentuckys Secretary of State just prior to his sons birth. In February, the family moved with Governor John Adair to the Governors Mansion in Frankfort, in August 1823, an illness referred to as the prevailing fever struck Frankfort, and Cabell Breckinridge took his children to stay with his mother in Lexington. On his return, both he and his wife fell ill, he died, but she survived and his assets were not enough to pay his debts, and his wife joined the children in Lexington, supported by her mother-in-law
John C. Breckinridge
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John C. Breckinridge
John C. Breckinridge
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Breckinridge, circa 1850
John C. Breckinridge
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Former Governor Robert P. Letcher was unable to unseat Breckinridge in 1853.
John C. Breckinridge
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John C. Breckinridge, photograph by
Mathew Brady
5.
United States House of Representatives
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The United States House of Representatives is the lower chamber of the United States Congress which, along with the Senate, composes the legislature of the United States. The composition and powers of the House are established by Article One of the United States Constitution, since its inception in 1789, all representatives are elected popularly. The total number of voting representatives is fixed by law at 435, the House is charged with the passage of federal legislation, known as bills, which, after concurrence by the Senate, are sent to the President for consideration. The presiding officer is the Speaker of the House, who is elected by the members thereof and is traditionally the leader of the controlling party. He or she and other leaders are chosen by the Democratic Caucus or the Republican Conferences. The House meets in the wing of the United States Capitol. Under the Articles of Confederation, the Congress of the Confederation was a body in which each state was equally represented. All states except Rhode Island agreed to send delegates, the issue of how to structure Congress was one of the most divisive among the founders during the Convention. The House is referred to as the house, with the Senate being the upper house. Both houses approval is necessary for the passage of legislation, the Virginia Plan drew the support of delegates from large states such as Virginia, Massachusetts, and Pennsylvania, as it called for representation based on population. The smaller states, however, favored the New Jersey Plan, the Constitution was ratified by the requisite number of states in 1788, but its implementation was set for March 4,1789. The House began work on April 1,1789, when it achieved a quorum for the first time, during the first half of the 19th century, the House was frequently in conflict with the Senate over regionally divisive issues, including slavery. The North was much more populous than the South, and therefore dominated the House of Representatives, However, the North held no such advantage in the Senate, where the equal representation of states prevailed. Regional conflict was most pronounced over the issue of slavery, One example of a provision repeatedly supported by the House but blocked by the Senate was the Wilmot Proviso, which sought to ban slavery in the land gained during the Mexican–American War. Conflict over slavery and other issues persisted until the Civil War, the war culminated in the Souths defeat and in the abolition of slavery. Because all southern senators except Andrew Johnson resigned their seats at the beginning of the war, the years of Reconstruction that followed witnessed large majorities for the Republican Party, which many Americans associated with the Unions victory in the Civil War and the ending of slavery. The Reconstruction period ended in about 1877, the ensuing era, the Democratic and the Republican Party held majorities in the House at various times. The late 19th and early 20th centuries also saw an increase in the power of the Speaker of the House
United States House of Representatives
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United States House of Representatives
United States House of Representatives
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Seal of the House
United States House of Representatives
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Republican
Thomas Brackett Reed, occasionally ridiculed as "Czar Reed", was a U.S. Representative from
Maine, and
Speaker of the House from 1889 to 1891 and from 1895 to 1899.
United States House of Representatives
–
House Speaker
Nancy Pelosi, Majority Leader
Steny Hoyer, and Education and Labor Committee Chairman
George Miller confer with President
Barack Obama at the
Oval Office in 2009.
6.
John Botts
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John Minor Botts was a nineteenth-century politician, planter and lawyer from Virginia. He was a prominent Unionist in Richmond, Virginia during the American Civil War, Botts was born in Dumfries, Virginia to prominent lawyer Benjamin Gaines Botts and his wife Jane Tyler Botts. Both of his parents died in the Richmond Theatre fire on 26 December 1811, so John, Botts attended the common schools in Richmond, Virginia, then studied law. He married Mary Whiting Blair, and they had several children. Two sons died in young, their firstborn son, Archibald Blair Botts, joined the U. S. Army and died in Mexico in 1847. Thus, only Beverly Blair Botts, Rosalie S. Botts Lewis, after admission to the Virginia bar in 1830. Botts moved to Henrico County, Virginia outside Richmond and he operated a plantation called Half Sink on the Chickahominy River in Varina Farms area about nine miles east of downtown Richmond. He used the progressive agricultural methods advocated by his brother Charles Taylor Botts in the Southern Planter, Botts also raised racehorses and practiced law, and gained the nickname Bison. Botts lost his first run for office in 1831, but won the following year. In 1835, he seemed to lose to William B, randolph, but successfully challenged the results in court. In 1836, he appeared to lose, to William N. Whiting. In 1838, voters elected Botts as a Whig to the United States House of Representatives and he gained a reputations for independent spirit as well as partisanship. For example, Botts repeatedly blamed the financial hardship caused by the Panic of 1837 on Democrats, Botts served in Congress from 1839 to 1843. He was defeated for reelection in 1842, although a slaveholder, Botts vehemently opposed extension of slavery into territories, and blamed Democrat John C. Calhoun for increasing sectional animosities by trying to annex Texas. This position was the opposite of fellow position and President John Tyler, the Botts bill, however, was tabled until the following January, when it was rejected after Botts defeat for re-election, 127−83. After this defeat, Botts continued to publish letters and articles opposing Texas annexation, Botts won election to Congress again in 1846, serving from 1847 to 1849. He was chairman of the Committee on Military Affairs from 1847 to 1849, voters once again failed to reelect Botts in 1848, but he won again in 1850. Botts also served as one of six delegates represented the city of Richmond and the counties of Charles City, Henrico, and New Kent in the Virginia Constitutional Convention of 1850-1851
John Botts
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John Minor Botts
John Botts
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Botts's home in
Culpeper, Virginia, Botts and family on porch, 1863.
7.
John Caskie
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John Samuels Caskie was a nineteenth-century congressman, lawyer and judge from Virginia. Born in Richmond, Virginia, Caskie graduated from the University of Virginia in 1842, studied law and was admitted to the bar in around 1842 and he was the prosecuting attorney of Richmond from 1842 to 1846 and judge of the Richmond and Henrico circuits from 1846 to 1849. Caskie was elected a Democrat to the United States House of Representatives in 1850, after being unsuccessful for reelection in 1858, he resumed practicing law until his death in Richmond, Virginia on December 16,1869. He was interred there in Hollywood Cemetery,1851, Caskie was elected to the U. S. House of Representatives with 54. 49% of the vote, defeating Whig John Minor Botts. 1853, Caskie was re-elected with 54. 89% of the vote,1855, Caskie was re-elected with 52. 12% of the vote, defeating American William C. Scott. 1857, Caskie was re-elected 63. 72% of the vote,1859, Caskie was defeated for re-election. Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
John Caskie
–
John Samuels Caskie
8.
John Winston Jones
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John Winston Jones was an American politician and lawyer. Born 22 November 1791 in Amelia County, Virginia, he graduated from the College of William and he practiced law in Chesterfield County, Virginia before being appointed Prosecuting Attorney for Virginias 5th Judicial Circuit in 1818. He was a delegate to the constitutional convention 1829 -1830. Jones was elected as a Democratic Congressman from Virginia and served from 1835 to 1845 and he was the Speaker of the House between 1843 and 1845. He then returned to his native Virginia to serve as Speaker of the Virginia House of Delegates in 1847, Jones was elected to a second state House term in November, but did not attend the session due to illness. He resigned his seat on December 17, and was succeeded by his son, Jones died 29 January 1848 at his Dellwood plantation northwest of Petersburg, Virginia, and is buried there. John Winston Jones is also related to the photographer O,1835, Jones was elected to the U. S. House of Representatives with 68. 09% of the vote, defeating Whig William Segar Archer. 1839, Jones was re-elected with 58. 51% of the vote,1841, Jones was re-elected with 69. 47% of the vote, defeating Independents Junius E. Leigh and Thomas Miller. Clerk of the House of Delegates, supervising, speakers and Clerks of the Virginia House of Delegates, 1776-2007. Richmond, Virginia, Virginia House of Delegates, Dellwood Plantation Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
John Winston Jones
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John Winston Jones
9.
Falmouth, Virginia
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Falmouth is a census-designated place in Stafford County, Virginia, United States. Situated on the bank of the Rappahannock River at the falls. Recognized by the U. S. Census Bureau as a census-designated place and his agent, Robert King Carter, promoted the establishment of the town, and the Carter family played a dominant role in the towns development throughout much of the colonial period. Originally located within King George County, Falmouth became part of Stafford County when county lines were redrawn in 1776, today Falmouth is a residential community and a suburb of Fredericksburg. Among the communitys significant historic structures is Belmont, the home of American artist Gari Melchers, chatham Manor, the 1771 home of William Fitzhugh and a Union headquarters during the Civil War, is located downstream from Falmouth, opposite the historic district of Fredericksburg. It is administered by the National Park Service as part of Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania County Battlefields Memorial National Military Park and now serves as park headquarters. In addition to Belmont, Carlton, Clearview, Conway House, Falmouth Historic District, Hunters Ironworks, Falmouth is located at 38°19′54″N 77°27′41″W. According to the United States Census Bureau, Falmouth has an area of 3.2 square miles. As of the census of 2000, there were 3,624 people,1,323 households, the population density was 1,155.6 people per square mile. There were 1,412 housing units at a density of 450. 3/sq mi. The racial makeup of the CDP was 89. 29% White,6. 46% Black or African American,0. 22% Native American,1. 08% Asian,0. 61% from other races, hispanic or Latino of any race were 2. 15% of the population. 18. 9% of all households were made up of individuals and 6. 7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older, the average household size was 2.68 and the average family size was 3.03. In the CDP, the population was out with 26. 2% under the age of 18,7. 3% from 18 to 24,27. 6% from 25 to 44,25. 6% from 45 to 64. The median age was 38 years, for every 100 females there were 92.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.3 males, the median income for a household in the CDP was $57,697, and the median income for a family was $66,989. Males had an income of $39,280 versus $31,202 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $25,544, about 5. 9% of families and 7. 3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 12. 6% of those under age 18 and none of those age 65 or over. Moncure Daniel Conway, abolitionist Bazil Gordon, Americas first millionaire, wellington Gordon, Virginia state legislator William J. Howell, Speaker of the Virginia House of Delegates Gari Melchers, artist
Falmouth, Virginia
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The skyline of Falmouth as seen from Belmont house
10.
Goochland County, Virginia
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Goochland County is a county located in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2010 census, the population was 21,717, Goochland County is included in the Greater Richmond Region Native Americans had lived along the waterways for several thousand years. Siouan-speaking tribes were the ones encountered by English colonists and their numbers were sharply reduced by European infectious diseases to which they had no immunity, which caused widespread social disruption. In 1634, the government organized the territory of Virginia into eight shires. Henrico was one of these shires, Goochland was founded in 1728 as the first county formed from Henrico shire, followed by Chesterfield County in 1749. Goochland originally included all of the land from Tuckahoe Creek, on sides of the James River, west as far as the Blue Ridge Mountains. Goochland was named for Sir William Gooch, 1st Baronet, the lieutenant governor from 1727 to 1749, at which time the nominal governor. After the Revolution, tobacco did not yield as high profits, in Goochland, as in other areas of Virginia, many planters switched to growing wheat and mixed crops. The first court was held in May 1728, when the vast county was divided in 1744, old Albemarle County retained the original county seat. The location of second Goochland County courthouse had to be moved east, then once more in the early-19th century the courthouse was moved to its current location along Rt.6 in central Goochland. The Goochland County Court Square was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1970, during the early part of 1781, Lord Cornwallis marched his sizable army through the boundaries of Goochland. They occupied and thoroughly destroyed Elkhill, an estate of Thomas Jefferson, slaughtering the livestock for food, burning barns and fences. They took 27 slaves as prisoners of war, and 24 died of disease in the camp, One point along the James River came to be known as Cornwallis Hill. It is said that the British General, who paused here on his way to Yorktown, General Lafayette returned to visit Virginia during his grand tour of the United States in 1824 and 1825. On November 2,1824, General Lafayette left Richmond on his way to Monticello to visit Mr. Jefferson, on the way, Gen. Lafayette stopped at Powells Tavern in Goochland. While there, the met with American officers and many citizens of the county. Almost 100 years after Cornwallis marched his army through Goochland, the county was the site of another battle, by the year 1864, the young Union Colonel Ulric Dahlgren was an officer. He had a plan to infiltrate central Virginia, break out nearly 12,000 Union prisoners on Belle Isle in Richmond, the Confederate capital, on March 1,1864, Dahlgrens forces reached Sabot Hill, Dover, and Eastwood in eastern Goochland
Goochland County, Virginia
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Goochland County Courthouse
Goochland County, Virginia
–
Seal
Goochland County, Virginia
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Dover Mills, depicted in 1865
11.
Democratic Party (United States)
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The Democratic Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The Democrats dominant worldview was once socially conservative and fiscally classical liberalism, while, especially in the rural South, since Franklin D. Roosevelt and his New Deal coalition in the 1930s, the Democratic Party has also promoted a social-liberal platform, supporting social justice. Today, the House Democratic caucus is composed mostly of progressives and centrists, the partys philosophy of modern liberalism advocates social and economic equality, along with the welfare state. It seeks to provide government intervention and regulation in the economy, the party has united with smaller left-wing regional parties throughout the country, such as the Farmer–Labor Party in Minnesota and the Nonpartisan League in North Dakota. Well into the 20th century, the party had conservative pro-business, the New Deal Coalition of 1932–1964 attracted strong support from voters of recent European extraction—many of whom were Catholics based in the cities. After Franklin D. Roosevelts New Deal of the 1930s, the pro-business wing withered outside the South, after the racial turmoil of the 1960s, most southern whites and many northern Catholics moved into the Republican Party at the presidential level. The once-powerful labor union element became smaller and less supportive after the 1970s, white Evangelicals and Southerners became heavily Republican at the state and local level in the 1990s. However, African Americans became a major Democratic element after 1964, after 2000, Hispanic and Latino Americans, Asian Americans, the LGBT community, single women and professional women moved towards the party as well. The Northeast and the West Coast became Democratic strongholds by 1990 after the Republicans stopped appealing to socially liberal voters there, overall, the Democratic Party has retained a membership lead over its major rival the Republican Party. The most recent was the 44th president Barack Obama, who held the office from 2009 to 2017, in the 115th Congress, following the 2016 elections, Democrats are the opposition party, holding a minority of seats in both the House of Representatives and the Senate. The party also holds a minority of governorships, and state legislatures, though they do control the mayoralty of cities such as New York City, Los Angeles, Chicago, Houston, and Washington, D. C. The Democratic Party traces its origins to the inspiration of the Democratic-Republican Party, founded by Thomas Jefferson, James Madison and that party also inspired the Whigs and modern Republicans. Organizationally, the modern Democratic Party truly arose in the 1830s, since the nomination of William Jennings Bryan in 1896, the party has generally positioned itself to the left of the Republican Party on economic issues. They have been liberal on civil rights issues since 1948. On foreign policy both parties changed position several times and that party, the Democratic-Republican Party, came to power in the election of 1800. After the War of 1812 the Federalists virtually disappeared and the national political party left was the Democratic-Republicans. The Democratic-Republican party still had its own factions, however. As Norton explains the transformation in 1828, Jacksonians believed the peoples will had finally prevailed, through a lavishly financed coalition of state parties, political leaders, and newspaper editors, a popular movement had elected the president
Democratic Party (United States)
–
Andrew Jackson was the first Democratic
President of the United States
Democratic Party (United States)
Democratic Party (United States)
–
The three leaders of the Democratic party during the first half of the 20th century: President
Woodrow Wilson (nominated in 1912 and '16) Sec. of State
William J. Bryan (nominated in 1896, 1900 and 1908),
Josephus Daniels,
Breckinridge Long,
William Phillips, and
Franklin D. Roosevelt (nominated for VP in 1920 and for president in 1932, 36,'40 and 44)
Democratic Party (United States)
–
John F. Kennedy,
35th President of the United States (1961–1963)
12.
Alma mater
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Alma mater is an allegorical Latin phrase for a university or college. In modern usage, it is a school or university which an individual has attended, the phrase is variously translated as nourishing mother, nursing mother, or fostering mother, suggesting that a school provides intellectual nourishment to its students. Before its modern usage, Alma mater was a title in Latin for various mother goddesses, especially Ceres or Cybele. The source of its current use is the motto, Alma Mater Studiorum, of the oldest university in continuous operation in the Western world and it is related to the term alumnus, denoting a university graduate, which literally means a nursling or one who is nourished. The phrase can also denote a song or hymn associated with a school, although alma was a common epithet for Ceres, Cybele, Venus, and other mother goddesses, it was not frequently used in conjunction with mater in classical Latin. Alma Redemptoris Mater is a well-known 11th century antiphon devoted to Mary, the earliest documented English use of the term to refer to a university is in 1600, when University of Cambridge printer John Legate began using an emblem for the universitys press. In English etymological reference works, the first university-related usage is often cited in 1710, many historic European universities have adopted Alma Mater as part of the Latin translation of their official name. The University of Bologna Latin name, Alma Mater Studiorum, refers to its status as the oldest continuously operating university in the world. At least one, the Alma Mater Europaea in Salzburg, Austria, the College of William & Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia, has been called the Alma Mater of the Nation because of its ties to the founding of the United States. At Queens University in Kingston, Ontario, and the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, British Columbia, the ancient Roman world had many statues of the Alma Mater, some still extant. Modern sculptures are found in prominent locations on several American university campuses, outside the United States, there is an Alma Mater sculpture on the steps of the monumental entrance to the Universidad de La Habana, in Havana, Cuba. Media related to Alma mater at Wikimedia Commons The dictionary definition of alma mater at Wiktionary Alma Mater Europaea website
Alma mater
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The Alma Mater statue by
Mario Korbel, at the entrance of the
University of Havana in
Cuba.
Alma mater
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John Legate's Alma Mater for Cambridge in 1600
Alma mater
–
Alma Mater (1929, Lorado Taft),
University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign
13.
University of Virginia
–
The University of Virginia, frequently referred to simply as Virginia, is a public research university and the flagship for the Commonwealth of Virginia. Founded in 1819 by Declaration of Independence author Thomas Jefferson, UVA is known for its foundations, student-run honor code. UNESCO designated UVA as Americas first and only collegiate World Heritage Site in 1987, the university was established in 1819, and its original governing Board of Visitors included Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, and James Monroe. Monroe was the sitting President of the United States at the time of its foundation, former Presidents Jefferson and Madison were UVAs first two rectors and the Academical Village and Jefferson conceived and designed the original courses of study. The universitys research endeavors are highly recognized, in 2015, Science honored UVA faculty for discovering two of its top 10 annual scientific breakthroughs, from the fields of Medicine and Psychology. UVA is one of 62 institutions in the Association of American Universities and it is the only AAU member university in Virginia. UVA is classified as a Research University with Very High Research by the Carnegie Foundation, the university was the first non-founding member, and the first university of the American South, to attain AAU membership in 1904. UVAs academic strength is broad, with 121 majors across the eight undergraduate, students compete in 26 collegiate sports and UVA leads the Atlantic Coast Conference in mens NCAA team national championships with 17. UVA is second in womens NCAA titles with 7, UVA was awarded the Capital One Cup in 2015 after fielding the top overall mens athletics programs in the nation. Students come to attend the university in Charlottesville from all 50 states and 147 countries, the historic 1, 682-acre campus is internationally protected by UNESCO and considered one of the most beautiful collegiate grounds in the country. UVA additionally maintains 2,913 acres southeast of the city, the university also manages the College at Wise in Southwest Virginia, and until 1972 operated George Mason University and the University of Mary Washington in Northern Virginia. In 1817, three Presidents and Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court John Marshall joined 24 other dignitaries at a meeting held in the Mountain Top Tavern at Rockfish Gap, after some deliberation, they selected nearby Charlottesville as the site of the new University of Virginia. Farmland just outside Charlottesville was purchased from James Monroe by the Board of Visitors as Central College, the school laid its first buildings cornerstone late in that same year, and the Commonwealth of Virginia chartered the new university on January 25,1819. John Hartwell Cocke collaborated with James Madison, Monroe, and Joseph Carrington Cabell to fulfill Jeffersons dream to establish the university, Cocke and Jefferson were appointed to the building committee to supervise the construction. The universitys first classes met on March 7,1825, another innovation of the new university was that higher education would be separated from religious doctrine. Jefferson opined to philosopher Thomas Cooper that a professorship of theology should have no place in our institution, Jefferson was intimately involved in the university to the end, hosting Sunday dinners at his Monticello home for faculty and students until his death. Thus, he eschewed mention of his accomplishments, such as the Louisiana Purchase. This was a source of frustration for Jefferson, who assembled the students during the schools first year, on October 3,1825, to such behavior
University of Virginia
–
Thomas Jefferson is the founder of the University of Virginia
University of Virginia
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University of Virginia
University of Virginia
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James Madison was the 2nd rector of the University of Virginia until 1836
University of Virginia
–
Edwin Alderman was UVA's first president between 1904 and 1931, and instituted many reforms toward modernization
14.
Congress of the United States
–
The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States consisting of two chambers, the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the Capitol in Washington, D. C, both senators and representatives are chosen through direct election, though vacancies in the Senate may be filled by a gubernatorial appointment. Members are usually affiliated to the Republican Party or to the Democratic Party, Congress has 535 voting members,435 Representatives and 100 Senators. The House of Representatives has six non-voting members in addition to its 435 voting members and these members can, however, sit on congressional committees and introduce legislation. Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, the members of the House of Representatives serve two-year terms representing the people of a single constituency, known as a district. Congressional districts are apportioned to states by using the United States Census results. Each state, regardless of population or size, has two senators, currently, there are 100 senators representing the 50 states. Each senator is elected at-large in their state for a term, with terms staggered. The House and Senate are equal partners in the legislative process—legislation cannot be enacted without the consent of both chambers, however, the Constitution grants each chamber some unique powers. The Senate ratifies treaties and approves presidential appointments while the House initiates revenue-raising bills, the House initiates impeachment cases, while the Senate decides impeachment cases. A two-thirds vote of the Senate is required before a person can be forcibly removed from office. The term Congress can also refer to a meeting of the legislature. A Congress covers two years, the current one, the 115th Congress, began on January 3,2017, the Congress starts and ends on the third day of January of every odd-numbered year. Members of the Senate are referred to as senators, members of the House of Representatives are referred to as representatives, congressmen, or congresswomen. One analyst argues that it is not a solely reactive institution but has played a role in shaping government policy and is extraordinarily sensitive to public pressure. Several academics described Congress, Congress reflects us in all our strengths, Congress is the governments most representative body. Congress is essentially charged with reconciling our many points of view on the public policy issues of the day. —Smith, Roberts, and Wielen Congress is constantly changing and is constantly in flux, most incumbents seek re-election, and their historical likelihood of winning subsequent elections exceeds 90 percent
Congress of the United States
Congress of the United States
–
United States Congress
Congress of the United States
–
In 1868, this committee of representatives prosecuted president
Andrew Johnson in his impeachment trial, but the Senate did not convict him.
Congress of the United States
–
George Washington presiding over the signing of the
United States Constitution.
15.
United States Democratic Party
–
The Democratic Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The Democrats dominant worldview was once socially conservative and fiscally classical liberalism, while, especially in the rural South, since Franklin D. Roosevelt and his New Deal coalition in the 1930s, the Democratic Party has also promoted a social-liberal platform, supporting social justice. Today, the House Democratic caucus is composed mostly of progressives and centrists, the partys philosophy of modern liberalism advocates social and economic equality, along with the welfare state. It seeks to provide government intervention and regulation in the economy, the party has united with smaller left-wing regional parties throughout the country, such as the Farmer–Labor Party in Minnesota and the Nonpartisan League in North Dakota. Well into the 20th century, the party had conservative pro-business, the New Deal Coalition of 1932–1964 attracted strong support from voters of recent European extraction—many of whom were Catholics based in the cities. After Franklin D. Roosevelts New Deal of the 1930s, the pro-business wing withered outside the South, after the racial turmoil of the 1960s, most southern whites and many northern Catholics moved into the Republican Party at the presidential level. The once-powerful labor union element became smaller and less supportive after the 1970s, white Evangelicals and Southerners became heavily Republican at the state and local level in the 1990s. However, African Americans became a major Democratic element after 1964, after 2000, Hispanic and Latino Americans, Asian Americans, the LGBT community, single women and professional women moved towards the party as well. The Northeast and the West Coast became Democratic strongholds by 1990 after the Republicans stopped appealing to socially liberal voters there, overall, the Democratic Party has retained a membership lead over its major rival the Republican Party. The most recent was the 44th president Barack Obama, who held the office from 2009 to 2017, in the 115th Congress, following the 2016 elections, Democrats are the opposition party, holding a minority of seats in both the House of Representatives and the Senate. The party also holds a minority of governorships, and state legislatures, though they do control the mayoralty of cities such as New York City, Los Angeles, Chicago, Houston, and Washington, D. C. The Democratic Party traces its origins to the inspiration of the Democratic-Republican Party, founded by Thomas Jefferson, James Madison and that party also inspired the Whigs and modern Republicans. Organizationally, the modern Democratic Party truly arose in the 1830s, since the nomination of William Jennings Bryan in 1896, the party has generally positioned itself to the left of the Republican Party on economic issues. They have been liberal on civil rights issues since 1948. On foreign policy both parties changed position several times and that party, the Democratic-Republican Party, came to power in the election of 1800. After the War of 1812 the Federalists virtually disappeared and the national political party left was the Democratic-Republicans. The Democratic-Republican party still had its own factions, however. As Norton explains the transformation in 1828, Jacksonians believed the peoples will had finally prevailed, through a lavishly financed coalition of state parties, political leaders, and newspaper editors, a popular movement had elected the president
United States Democratic Party
–
Andrew Jackson was the first Democratic
President of the United States
United States Democratic Party
–
Democratic Party
United States Democratic Party
–
The three leaders of the Democratic party during the first half of the 20th century: President
Woodrow Wilson (nominated in 1912 and '16) Sec. of State
William J. Bryan (nominated in 1896, 1900 and 1908),
Josephus Daniels,
Breckinridge Long,
William Phillips, and
Franklin D. Roosevelt (nominated for VP in 1920 and for president in 1932, 36,'40 and 44)
United States Democratic Party
–
John F. Kennedy,
35th President of the United States (1961–1963)
16.
American Civil War
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The American Civil War was an internal conflict fought in the United States from 1861 to 1865. The Union faced secessionists in eleven Southern states grouped together as the Confederate States of America, the Union won the war, which remains the bloodiest in U. S. history. Among the 34 U. S. states in February 1861, War broke out in April 1861 when Confederates attacked the U. S. fortress of Fort Sumter. The Confederacy grew to eleven states, it claimed two more states, the Indian Territory, and the southern portions of the western territories of Arizona. The Confederacy was never recognized by the United States government nor by any foreign country. The states that remained loyal, including border states where slavery was legal, were known as the Union or the North, the war ended with the surrender of all the Confederate armies and the dissolution of the Confederate government in the spring of 1865. The war had its origin in the issue of slavery. The Confederacy collapsed and 4 million slaves were freed, but before his inauguration, seven slave states with cotton-based economies formed the Confederacy. The first six to declare secession had the highest proportions of slaves in their populations, the first seven with state legislatures to resolve for secession included split majorities for unionists Douglas and Bell in Georgia with 51% and Louisiana with 55%. Alabama had voted 46% for those unionists, Mississippi with 40%, Florida with 38%, Texas with 25%, of these, only Texas held a referendum on secession. Eight remaining slave states continued to reject calls for secession, outgoing Democratic President James Buchanan and the incoming Republicans rejected secession as illegal. Lincolns March 4,1861 inaugural address declared that his administration would not initiate a civil war, speaking directly to the Southern States, he reaffirmed, I have no purpose, directly or indirectly to interfere with the institution of slavery in the United States where it exists. I believe I have no right to do so, and I have no inclination to do so. After Confederate forces seized numerous federal forts within territory claimed by the Confederacy, efforts at compromise failed, the Confederates assumed that European countries were so dependent on King Cotton that they would intervene, but none did, and none recognized the new Confederate States of America. Hostilities began on April 12,1861, when Confederate forces fired upon Fort Sumter, while in the Western Theater the Union made significant permanent gains, in the Eastern Theater, the battle was inconclusive in 1861–62. The autumn 1862 Confederate campaigns into Maryland and Kentucky failed, dissuading British intervention, Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation, which made ending slavery a war goal. To the west, by summer 1862 the Union destroyed the Confederate river navy, then much of their western armies, the 1863 Union siege of Vicksburg split the Confederacy in two at the Mississippi River. In 1863, Robert E. Lees Confederate incursion north ended at the Battle of Gettysburg, Western successes led to Ulysses S. Grants command of all Union armies in 1864
American Civil War
–
New Orleans the largest cotton exporting port for New England and Great Britain textile mills, shipping Mississippi River Valley goods from North, South and Border states.
American Civil War
–
Clockwise from top:
Battle of Gettysburg,
Union Captain John Tidball's artillery,
Confederate prisoners,
ironclad USS Atlanta, ruins of
Richmond, Virginia,
Battle of Franklin
American Civil War
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Sen. Stephen Douglas, author of the
Kansas–Nebraska Act of 1854
American Civil War
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Sen. John J. Crittenden, of the 1860
Crittenden Compromise
17.
Stafford County, Virginia
–
Stafford County is a county located in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2010 census, the population was 128,961, located across the Rappahannock River from the City of Fredericksburg, Stafford County is part of the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV Metropolitan Statistical Area. In 2006, and again in 2009, Stafford was ranked as the 11th highest income county in America by Forbes magazine, for thousands of years, various cultures of indigenous peoples succeeded each other in their territories along the Potomac River and its tributaries. The former small tribe, still centered in Stafford County, was recognized by the state of Virginia in 2010, the Native Americans first recorded encounter with Europeans in this area was in 1608, with John Smith of the Jamestown Settlement. It occurred in the part of this county, from where they took her to a secondary English settlement. Alexander Whitaker converted Pocahontas to Christianity during her captivity and he renamed the princess Rebecca at her baptism. Rebecca married English colonist John Rolfe on April 5,1614 in Jamestown, the English colonial government of Virginia imposed its own order on the land and peoples. In 1664 it established Stafford County from territory previously part of Westmoreland County and it was named after Staffordshire, England. It is part of the now considered Northern Virginia. George Washington spent much of his childhood in the part of the county on his familys home, Ferry Farm. Colonial Forge High School was built on a tract of land owned in colonial times by his father Augustine Washington, George Mason, another Founding Father of the nation, also spent his formative years in Stafford. Aquia Church, built in 1757, is unusual among local structures for having been designed on the plan of a Greek cross rather than the more standard Roman Cross design, in addition, Aquia Church has a rare three-tiered pulpit, it has been designated a National Historic Landmark. The Episcopal church continues to be active today, Stafford County industry and resources were important to the colony and early nation. During the Revolutionary War, the Stafford ironworks furnished arms for the rebel soldiers. Aquia Creek sandstone, quarried from Government Island, was used to build the White House, during the American Civil War, the county was part of the battlegrounds, occupied by more than 100,000 troops for several years. The Battle of Aquia Creek took place in the Aquia Harbour area, both the Union Army and Confederate Army struggled to control the strategic Potomac Creek Bridge at various times during the war. Falmouth, a town bordering Fredericksburg, was the home of late-19th century artist Gari Melchers, whose house, Belmont, Stafford County today is considered part of the Washington, D. C. metropolitan area. Many residents commute to work in Washington and its environs north on Interstate Highway 95, U. S. Route 1, and Virginia Railway Express
Stafford County, Virginia
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The Stafford County Courthouse in October 2013.
Stafford County, Virginia
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Chatham Manor
Stafford County, Virginia
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Stafford Regional Airport
Stafford County, Virginia
18.
William Alexander (American general)
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William Alexander, known as Lord Stirling, was an American Brigadier-General during the American Revolutionary War. Alexander was considered male-heir to the title of Earl of Stirling through Scottish lineage and his claim was granted by a Scottish Court, however, the House of Lords ultimately over-ruled Scottish law and denied the title, granting Alexander instead the compromise title of Lord. Lord Stirling commanded the 1st Maryland Regiment that fought at the Battle of Long Island and he lost the battle and was captured but his actions allowed General George Washingtons troops to escape. Stirling was returned by prisoner exchange, promoted for his actions and he was trusted by Washington and in 1780 he exposed the Conway Cabal. Alexander was educated, ambitious, and proficient in mathematics and astronomy and he joined his mother, Mary Alexander, in a successful business and, in 1747, married Sarah Livingston, the daughter of Philip Livingston and sister of Governor William Livingston. The couple had two daughters and one son William, one of his daughters, Mary Alexander, would marry a wealthy merchant named Robert Watts of New York. Another daughter Catherine was the wife of Congressman William Duer, the title Earl of Stirling became dormant or expired upon the death of Henry Alexander, the 5th Earl of Stirling. Williams father, James Alexander, who had fled from Scotland in 1716 after participating in the Jacobite rising, upon his death William lay claim to the title and filed suit. His relationship to the 5th Earl was not through heirs of the body, but through heir male collateral and the inheritance by Proximity of blood had been questioned. It was settled in his favor, by a vote of a jury of twelve in a Scottish court in 1759. It is not clear if the case went to court because of an answer from the Lord Lyon King of Arms concerning the peerage. Legal opinion was that this was a Scottish heir problem so the right was solved. This might have been unopposed, as indisputable peerage, except there was a catch, the two sponsors, Archibald Campbell, 3rd Duke of Argyll, and John Stuart, 3rd Earl of Bute, encouraged William through representatives to seek the title. The goal was vast land holdings in America that the holder of the title was to enjoy, the sponsors were to receive money and land if Alexander was successful. With this in mind William decided to petition the House of Lords, a friend and professional agent in Scotland, Andrew Stuart, wrote and advised William not to petition the House of Lords. He felt that the right of indisputable peerage demanded that William just claim the titles as others had done and his opinion was that others lay similar claims to titles so he would not be opposed. It is possible William did not want to commit a crime, or be found out, one problem is that to prove his claim in court two old men were used to testify that William did in fact descend from the 1st Earl through his uncle named John Alexander. This might have been persuasive in a Scottish court but might be considered dubious in England, Stirling inherited a large fortune from his father
William Alexander (American general)
–
Lord Stirling
19.
Earl of Stirling
–
Earl of Stirling was a title in the Peerage of Scotland. It was created on 14 June 1633 for William Alexander, 1st Viscount of Stirling, the other peerage titles were also in the Peerage of Scotland. The case and the forgery was one inspiration for the very popular three-volume novel Ten Thousand a Year. Warren also wrote directly of the case in his Miscellanies, titling the article The Romance of Forgery, there Warren stated that the Earl of Stirling had the right to create Nova Scotia baronets
Earl of Stirling
–
William Alexander, 1st Earl of Stirling.
20.
Richmond, Virginia
–
Richmond is the capital of the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. It is the center of the Richmond Metropolitan Statistical Area and the Greater Richmond Region and it was incorporated in 1742, and has been an independent city since 1871. As of the 2010 census, the population was 204,214, in 2015, the population was estimated to be 220,289, the Richmond Metropolitan Area has a population of 1,260,029, the third-most populous metro in the state. Richmond is located at the line of the James River,44 miles west of Williamsburg,66 miles east of Charlottesville. Surrounded by Henrico and Chesterfield counties, the city is located at the intersections of Interstate 95 and Interstate 64, Major suburbs include Midlothian to the southwest, Glen Allen to the north and west, Short Pump to the west and Mechanicsville to the northeast. The site of Richmond had been an important village of the Powhatan Confederacy, and was settled by English colonists from Jamestown in 1609. The present city of Richmond was founded in 1737 and it became the capital of the Colony and Dominion of Virginia in 1780. During the American Civil War, Richmond served as the capital of the Confederate States of America, the city entered the 20th century with one of the worlds first successful electric streetcar systems. The Jackson Ward neighborhood is a hub of African-American commerce. Richmonds economy is driven by law, finance, and government, with federal, state. Dominion Resources and MeadWestvaco, Fortune 500 companies, are headquartered in the city, in 1737, planter William Byrd II commissioned Major William Mayo to lay out the original town grid. The settlement was laid out in April 1737, and was incorporated as a town in 1742, Richmond recovered quickly from the war, and by 1782 was once again a thriving city. A permanent home for the new government, the Virginia State Capitol building, was designed by Thomas Jefferson with the assistance of Charles-Louis Clérisseau, after the American Revolutionary War, Richmond emerged as an important industrial center. The legacy of the canal boatmen is represented by the figure in the center of the city flag, on April 17,1861, five days after the Confederate attack on Fort Sumter, the legislature voted to secede from the United States and joined the Confederacy. Official action came in May, after the Confederacy promised to move its capital to Richmond. It became the target of Union armies, especially in the campaigns of 1862. The Seven Days Battles followed in late June and early July 1862, during which Union General McClellan threatened to take Richmond, three years later, as March 1865 ended, the Confederate capitol became indefensible. On March 25, Confederate General John B, gordons desperate attack on Fort Stedman east of Petersburg failed
Richmond, Virginia
–
Top: Skyline above the falls of the
James River Middle:
St. John's Episcopal Church,
Jackson Ward,
Monument Avenue. Bottom:
Virginia State Capitol,
Main Street Station
Richmond, Virginia
–
Patrick Henry delivered his "Liberty or Death" speech at
St. John's Church in Richmond, helping to ignite the American Revolution.
Richmond, Virginia
–
Retreating Confederates burned one-fourth of Richmond in April 1865
Richmond, Virginia
–
By the early 20th century, Richmond had an extensive network of electric streetcars, as shown here crossing the Mayo Bridge across the James River, ca. 1917.
21.
James River (Virginia)
–
The James River is a river in the U. S. state of Virginia. It is 348 miles long, extending to 444 miles if one includes the Jackson River, the James River drains a catchment comprising 10,432 square miles. The watershed includes about 4% open water and an area with a population of 2.5 million people and it is the 12th longest river in the United States that remains entirely within a single state. Tidal waters extend west to Richmond, the capital of Virginia, larger tributaries draining to the tidal portion include the Appomattox River, Chickahominy River, Warwick River, Pagan River, and the Nansemond River. At its mouth near Newport News Point, the Elizabeth River, many boats pass through this river to import and export Virginia products. The navigable portion of the river was the highway of the Colony of Virginia during its first 15 years, facilitating supply ships delivering supplies. However, for the first five years, despite many hopes of gold and riches, in 1612, businessman John Rolfe successfully cultivated a non-native strain of tobacco which proved popular in England. Soon, the became the primary means of exporting the large hogsheads of this cash crop from an ever-growing number of plantations with wharfs along its banks. This development made the efforts of the Virginia Company of London successful financially, spurring even more development, investments. The upper reaches of the river above the head of navigation at the line were explored by fur trading parties sent by Abraham Wood during the late 17th century. Although ocean-going ships were unable to navigate beyond present-day Richmond, portage of products, produce from the Piedmont and Great Valley regions traveled down the river to seaports at Richmond and Manchester through such port towns as Lynchburg, Scottsville, Columbia and Buchanan. The James River was considered as a route for transport of produce from the Ohio Valley, the James River and Kanawha Canal was built for this purpose, to provide a navigable portion of the Kanawha River, a tributary of the Ohio River. For the most mountainous section between the two points, the James River and Kanawha Turnpike was built to provide a link via wagons. However, before the canal could be completed, in the mid-19th century, railroads emerged as a more practical technology. The Chesapeake and Ohio Railway was completed between Richmond and the Ohio River at the new city of Huntington, West Virginia by 1873, dooming the canals economic prospects. In the 1880s, the Richmond and Alleghany Railroad was laid along the portion of the canals towpath. In modern times, this line is used primarily in transporting West Virginia coal to export coal piers at Newport News. The James River contains numerous parks and other recreational attractions, canoeing, fishing, kayaking, hiking, and swimming are some of the activities that people enjoy along the river during the summer
James River (Virginia)
–
James River at the crossing of the
Blue Ridge Parkway
James River (Virginia)
–
The James, hidden by trees, at Percival's Island Riverwalk in
Lynchburg,
Virginia
James River (Virginia)
–
James River at Huntington Park Beach in Newport News
James River (Virginia)
–
ACL Railroad crossing at the falls in Richmond.
22.
Peace conference of 1861
–
The Peace Conference of 1861 was a meeting of 131 leading United States politicians in February 1861, at the Willards Hotel in Washington, D. C. on the eve of the American Civil War. The success of President Abraham Lincoln and the Republican Party in the elections of 1860 led to a flurry of political activity. In much of the South, elections were held to select delegates to special conventions empowered to consider secession from the Union. In Congress, efforts were made in both the House of Representatives and the Senate to reach compromise over the issues relating to slavery that were dividing the nation, the conference was the final effort by the individual states to resolve the crisis. In December 1860 the final session of the Thirty-sixth Congress met, in the House, the Committee of Thirty-Three, led by Ohio Republican Thomas Corwin, was formed in order to reach a compromise to preserve the Union. In the Senate, former Kentucky Whig John J. Crittenden, elected as a Unionist candidate, hopes were high, especially in the Border States, that the lame duck Congress could reach a successful resolution before the new Republican administration took office. Crittendens proposals were debated by a specially selected Committee of Thirteen, Lincoln made known his objections, and the Compromise was rejected by the committee on December 22 by a vote of 7–6. Crittenden later brought the issue to the floor of the Senate as a proposal to have his compromise made subject to a national referendum, a version of their work was rejected by the House on January 7. This latter proposal would result in a de facto extension of the Missouri Compromise line for all existing territories below the line, a fourth avenue towards compromise came from the state of Virginia. Later Tyler was a delegate to the Virginia convention called to consider whether or not to follow the deep South states out of the Union. Thomas Corwin agreed to hold off any final vote on his House plan pending the final actions of the Peace Conference, no delegates were sent by the Deep South states, or by Arkansas, Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota, California, and Oregon. Fourteen free states and seven states were represented. Many of the came in the belief that they could be successful. Because many of the 131 delegates qualified as senior statesmen, the meeting was frequently referred to derisively as the Old Gentlemans Convention, on February 6 a separate committee charged with drafting a proposal for the entire convention to consider was formed. The committee consisted of one representative from state and was headed by James Guthrie. The entire convention met for three weeks, and its product was a proposed seven point constitutional amendment that differed little from the Crittenden Compromise. The key issue, slavery in the territories, was addressed simply by extending the Missouri Compromise line to the Pacific coast with no provision for newly acquired territory and this section barely passed by a 9–8 vote of the states. Key sections of this amendment could only be amended with the concurrence of all of the states
Peace conference of 1861
–
Washington D.C.'s Willard's Hotel (1853) was the site of the unsuccessful 1861 Peace Conference
23.
Wikisource
–
Wikisource is an online digital library of free content textual sources on a wiki, operated by the Wikimedia Foundation. Wikisource is the name of the project as a whole and the name for each instance of that project, the projects aims are to host all forms of free text, in many languages, and translations. Originally conceived as an archive to store useful or important historical texts, the project officially began in November 24,2003 under the name Project Sourceberg. The name Wikisource was adopted later that year and it received its own domain name seven months later, the project has come under criticism for lack of reliability but it is also cited by organisations such as the National Archives and Records Administration. The project holds works that are either in the domain or freely licensed, professionally published works or historical source documents, not vanity products. Verification was initially made offline, or by trusting the reliability of digital libraries. Now works are supported by online scans via the ProofreadPage extension, some individual Wikisources, each representing a specific language, now only allow works backed up with scans. While the bulk of its collection are texts, Wikisource as a whole hosts other media, some Wikisources allow user-generated annotations, subject to the specific policies of the Wikisource in question. Wikisources early history included several changes of name and location, the original concept for Wikisource was as storage for useful or important historical texts. These texts were intended to support Wikipedia articles, by providing evidence and original source texts. The collection was focused on important historical and cultural material. The project was originally called Project Sourceberg during its planning stages, in 2001, there was a dispute on Wikipedia regarding the addition of primary source material, leading to edit wars over their inclusion or deletion. Project Sourceberg was suggested as a solution to this, perhaps Project Sourceberg can mainly work as an interface for easily linking from Wikipedia to a Project Gutenberg file, and as an interface for people to easily submit new work to PG. Wed want to complement Project Gutenberg--how, exactly, and Jimmy Wales adding like Larry, Im interested that we think it over to see what we can add to Project Gutenberg. It seems unlikely that primary sources should in general be editable by anyone -- I mean, Shakespeare is Shakespeare, unlike our commentary on his work, the project began its activity at ps. wikipedia. org. The contributors understood the PS subdomain to mean either primary sources or Project Sourceberg, however, this resulted in Project Sourceberg occupying the subdomain of the Pashto Wikipedia. A vote on the name changed it to Wikisource on December 6,2003. Despite the change in name, the project did not move to its permanent URL until July 23,2004, since Wikisource was initially called Project Sourceberg, its first logo was a picture of an iceberg
Wikisource
–
The original Wikisource logo
Wikisource
–
Screenshot of wikisource.org home page
Wikisource
–
::: Original text
Wikisource
–
::: Action of the modernizing tool
24.
Find a Grave
–
Find a Grave is a website that allows the public to search and add to an online database of cemetery records. It is owned by Ancestry. com, the worlds largest for-profit genealogy company, the site was created in 1995 by Salt Lake City resident Jim Tipton to support his hobby of visiting the burial sites of celebrities. He later added an online forum, Find a Grave was launched as a commercial entity in 1998, first as a trade name and then incorporated in 2000. The site later expanded to include graves of non-celebrities, in order to allow visitors to pay respect to their deceased relatives or friends. In 2013, Tipton sold Find a Grave to Ancestry. com, burial information is a wonderful source for people researching their family history. In a September 30,2013, press release, Ancestry, as of March 2017, Find a Grave contained over 159 million burial records and 75 million photos. The website contains listings of cemeteries and graves from around the world, american cemeteries are organized by state and county, and many cemetery records contain Google Maps and photographs of the cemeteries and gravesites. Individual grave records may contain dates and places of birth and death, biographical information, cemetery and plot information, photographs, Interment listings are added by individuals, genealogical societies, and other institutions such as the International Wargraves Photography Project. Contributors must register as members to submit listings, called memorials, the submitter becomes the manager of the listing but may transfer management. Only the current manager of a listing may edit it, although any member may use the features to send correction requests to the listings manager. Managers may add links to other listings of deceased spouses, parents, members may post requests for photos of a specific grave, these requests will be automatically sent to other members who have registered their location as being near that grave. Find a Grave also maintains lists of memorials of famous persons by their claim to fame, such as Medal of Honor recipients, religious figures, Find a Grave exercises editorial control over these listings. Canadian Headstones Interment. net National Cemetery Administrations Nationwide Gravesite Locator Random Acts of Genealogical Kindness Tombstone tourist Colker, web site answers grave concerns about stars. Web site attracts millions of grave-seekers, Find VIPs who R. I. P. through online cemetery. Genealogy, Find a Grave tremendous on many different levels, terre Haute, Indiana, Community Newspaper Holdings Inc. Archived from the original on May 14,2011, tip, Find a Grave has info youre dying to know. Tracking Down Relatives, Visiting Graves Virtually, media related to Images from Find A Grave at Wikimedia Commons Official website
Find a Grave
Find a Grave
–
Find A Grave.com's current headquarters in
Provo, Utah
25.
President of the Confederate States of America
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The President of the Confederate States of America was the elected head of state and government of the Confederate States. The president also headed the branch of government and was commander-in-chief of the Army and Navy. Article II of the Confederate States Constitution vested the power of the Confederacy in the president. He was further empowered to grant reprieves and pardons, and convene, on February 18,1861, Jefferson Davis became president of the provisional government. On February 22,1862, he became president of the permanent government, the constitutional powers of the President of the Confederate States of America were similar to those of the President of the United States of America. The permanent Confederate States Constitution made him commander-in-chief of the Army and Navy and he was also empowered to grant reprieves and pardons for offenses against the Confederate States. He could fill vacancies during a recess of the Senate, but he could not reappoint, during a recess, on February 9,1861, the provisional congress at Montgomery unanimously elected Jefferson Davis president and Alexander H. Stephens vice president. Stephens, who was a delegate to Congress from Georgia, was inaugurated on February 11, Davis was inaugurated on February 18 upon his arrival from Mississippi, where he had gone upon his resignation from the U. S. Senate. Davis and Stephens were elected on November 6,1861, for six-years terms, the Capital had been moved in June 1861, to Richmond, and the inauguration took place at the statue of Washington, on the public square, on February 22,1862. In 1861, the President of the Confederate States earned a CS$25,000 annual salary, along with an account. The Presidents Office was located on the floor of the Custom House on Main Street, a structure which also housed the Cabinet Room. The City of Richmond purchased the Brockenbrough house for presentation to the Confederate government for use as an executive mansion, Davis declined to accept the gift, but the mansion was leased for his use. Referred to as the White House of the Confederacy or the Grey House, later it became a repository for documents, relics, and pictures, and in 1896 it was redesignated the Confederate Museum. Late on the evening of April 2,1865, President Davis, his aides, the Cabinet stayed at Danville,140 miles southwest of Richmond, until April 10, when, hearing of Lees surrender, it continued farther south. At Greensboro, North Carolina, on April 12 the Cabinet met with Generals Johnston and Beauregard, as the railroad south of Greensboro had been destroyed, the flight from that location was on horseback and in ambulances, wagons, and carriages. The last Cabinet meetings took place at Charlotte, on April 24, and 26, and on May 4, when Davis left Washington, Georgia, elements of the United States Cavalry captured Davis and his companions at an encampment near Irwinville, May 10,1865. Jefferson Davis was imprisoned at Fort Monroe, Virginia, until his release on bail on May 13,1867, during his confinement the United States Government prepared to bring him to trial for treason and for complicity in the assassination of United States President Abraham Lincoln. In November 1868 Davis was brought to trial under a new indictment, but the judges disagreed, President Johnson issued a general amnesty in December 1868, and the Supreme Court entered a nolle prosequi, thus freeing Davis
President of the Confederate States of America
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Jefferson Davis
President of the Confederate States of America
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Great Seal
President of the Confederate States of America
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Election Ballot, Virginia, 6 November 1861.
President of the Confederate States of America
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Inauguration of Jefferson Davis in February 1861
26.
Alexander H. Stephens
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Alexander H. Stephens was an American politician from the state of Georgia, and the Confederate vice president throughout the American Civil War. His Cornerstone Speech of March 1861 defended slavery in the most uncompromising terms, in the course of the war, he became increasingly critical of Confederate President Jefferson Daviss policies, especially conscription and the suspension of habeas corpus. In February 1865, he was one of the commissioners who met with Lincoln at the abortive Hampton Roads Conference to discuss peace terms. After his arrest, and subsequent pardon, Stephens went on to serve in Congress. Stephens was born on February 11,1812 and his parents were Andrew Baskins Stephens and Margaret Grier. The Stephenses lived on a farm near present-day Crawfordville, Taliaferro County, at the time of Alexander Stephenss birth, the farm was part of Wilkes County. Taliaferro County was created in 1825 from land in Greene, Hancock, Oglethorpe, Warren and his father, a native of Pennsylvania, came to Georgia at 12 years of age, in 1795. His mother, a Georgia native and sister of Griers Almanac founder Robert Grier, died in 1812 at the age of 26, the introduction continues, In her sons character was a marked blending of parental traits. He was thrifty, generous, progressive, one of the best lawyers in the land, a reader and collector of books, an observer of the weather. In 1814, Andrew B. Stephens married Matilda Lindsay, daughter of Revolutionary War Colonel John Lindsay, in 1826, when Alexander Stephens was 14 years old, his father, Andrew, and stepmother, Matilda, died only days apart in May of that year. Their deaths caused him and several siblings to be scattered among relatives and he grew up poor and in difficult circumstances. Not long after the deaths of his father and his stepmother, Alexander Stephens was sent to live with his mothers brother, General Aaron W. Grier, near Raytown. General Grier had inherited his own library, said to be the largest library in all that part of the country. Alexander Stephens, who read voraciously even as a youth, mentions the library in his Recollections, frail but precocious, the young Stephens acquired his continued education through the generosity of several benefactors. One of them was the Presbyterian minister Alexander Hamilton Webster, who presided over a school in Washington, out of respect for his mentor, Stephens adopted Websters middle name, Hamilton, as his own. Stephens attended the Franklin College in Athens, where he was roommates with Crawford W. Long and he raised funds for Phi Kappa Hall, located on the university campus. Stephens graduated at the top of his class in 1832, after several unhappy years teaching school, he took up legal studies, passed the bar in 1834, and began a successful career as a lawyer in Crawfordville. During his 32 years of practice, he gained a reputation as a defender of the wrongfully accused
Alexander H. Stephens
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Alexander H. Stephens
Alexander H. Stephens
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The original
Confederate Cabinet. L–R:
Judah P. Benjamin,
Stephen Mallory,
Christopher Memminger, Alexander Stephens,
LeRoy Pope Walker,
Jefferson Davis,
John H. Reagan and
Robert Toombs.
Alexander H. Stephens
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Stephens in his later years
Alexander H. Stephens
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Stephens depicted on a 1862 Confederate States of America
$20 banknote.
Media related to James Alexander Seddon at Wikimedia Commons
