The Sixteenth Amendment to the US Constitution establishes a federal income tax. There had only been one tax of this type before, to pay for the Civil War, and it was canceled not long after the end...
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The Puritans in New England Ban Christmas: Famous Christmases in History #8
The Puritans in the New England colonies, particularly Massachusetts, did not approve of the celebration of Christmas. It was discouraged from the time the colonies were founded, until Massachusetts...
The Birth of Sir Isaac Newton: Famous Christmases in History #7
One particularly famous Christmases in history was the one when Sir Isaac Newton was born in 1642. Isaac is one of the most famous scientists in history, and his birth and subsequent discoveries and...
The WWI Christmas Day Truce: Famous Christmases in History #5
On Christmas Eve in 1914, troops on both sides of the war suddenly stopped fighting each other in a small town in Belgium. They sang Christmas carols to each other, then ventured from their fox holes...
The Fifteenth Amendment: The Constitutional Amendments
The Fifteenth Amendment to the US Constitution gave African American men, including those who had been former slaves, the right to vote. While the amendment seemed simple, the US Supreme Court has...
President Johnson Pardons the Confederate Troops: Famous Christmases in History #4
On Christmas Day in 1868, US President Andrew Johnson issued a general pardon to anyone who had fought for or supported the Confederacy in the Civil War, which had ended three years previously. This...
Common-Law Marriages: A Closer Look at Marriage Records #4
What do you do if you can’t find a marriage record, bond, or banns, no matter where you look? Fortunately, there are alternative ways to find a marriage date, or record that a marriage took place...
The Treaty of Ghent: Famous Christmases in History #3
The Treaty of Ghent is the treaty that ended the War of 1812. It was signed in the city of Ghent, Belgium, over Christmas of 1814. Americans and the British were both quite happy to put the war...
Marriage Banns: A Closer Look at Marriage Records #3
Marriage banns were the way marriages were legalized for centuries in most of the western world. There are records of the Roman Catholic church requiring them as early as eight hundred years ago in...
William the Conqueror in England: Famous Christmases in History #1
Was your ancestor present at an important or famous Christmas Day event in history? It is always fun to be able to connect your family to a famous event or person. One famous Christmas Day event was...