It Also Happened on the Fourth of July Quiz

Thomas Jefferson formally presented the Louisiana Purchase to the American people in a message to Congress on October 17, 1803. During this joint session of Congress, Jefferson described the terms of the 1803 Treaty of Paris and outlined why the acquisition was in the best interests of the USA.

Jefferson discussed the strategic importance of gaining control over the Mississippi River and the port of New Orleans, both for commerce and for national security. Jefferson also presented the economic benefits, including fertile farmland and new markets and trade opportunities that the acquisition of the vast territory of 828,000 square miles would offer.

Although the Constitution did not explicitly grant the federal government the power to acquire new territory (oops), Jefferson justified the purchase under the government's treaty-making powers (Article II, Section 2). He also reassured the public that the acquisition would be ratified by Congress.

Fortunately, the Senate swiftly ratified the Treaty of Paris with a vote of 24-7 on October 20, 1803, and the House of Representatives followed suit shortly thereafter. With that, France ceded the Louisiana Territory, and Congress doubled the size of the young republic.

The Erie Canal was the brainchild of New York Governor DeWitt Clinton. Construction began on July 4, 1817 in Rome, a city in the central part of the state.

It was a massive undertaking involving thousands of laborers, including many Irish immigrants. Innovative engineering techniques overcame the rocky terrain and marshlands. The project took eight years to complete.

The Erie Canal dramatically reduced transportation costs, stimulated trade and migration, and contributed to the economic growth of New York City, making it a major trade hub. It played a crucial role in the westward expansion of the USA and was one of the greatest engineering feats of its time.

It is remarkable that two of the United States' Founding Fathers, John Adams and Thomas Jefferson, who had also been successive presidents, should die on the golden (50th) anniversary of the adoption of the Declaration of Independence, a document penned primarily by Jefferson and advocated for strongly by Adams.

Yet that is what happened. Jefferson passed away at Monticello, his estate in Virginia, in the early afternoon of July 4, 1826. Adams died later that day at his home in Quincy, Massachusetts. Unaware of his colleague's demise, Adams' last words were, "Thomas Jefferson survives".

New York State abolished slavery gradually through a series of legislative acts, culminating in complete abolition on July 4, 1827.

First came the passage of the Gradual Emancipation Act of 1799, which decreed that children born to enslaved mothers after July 4, 1799, would be freed -- after serving an indenture until adulthood (25 years for men, 21 for women). Growing abolitionist sentiment and political pressure impelled the passage of the 1817 act that set July 4, 1827, as the date for ending chattel slavery in New York altogether. It was a significant step in the state's and the nation's journey towards freedom and equality for African Americans.

The Siege of Vicksburg was a pivotal battle in the U.S. Civil War, leading to a significant victory for the North. The siege took place from May 18 to July 4, 1863, as part of General Ulysses S. Grant's campaign to split the Confederacy in two. By gaining control of the Mississippi River, the Union would cut off the western Confederate states (Texas, Arkansas, and Louisiana) from the eastern states (Virginia, Georgia, and the Carolinas).

Grant's forces encircled the city of Vicksburg, Mississippi, thereby blockading their opponents. The Southern forces led by Lieutenant General John C. Pemberton held out for over 40 days under constant bombardment and dwindling supplies. Facing starvation and no prospects of relief, Pemberton surrendered on July 4, 1863.

This victory and the fracturing of the Confederacy, along with the Union victory at Gettysburg at almost the same time, marked a turning point in the Civil War.

The Tuskegee Normal and Industrial Institute was founded on July 4, 1881, in Tuskegee, Alabama, by Booker T. Washington. It was one of first major schools to provide necessary and excellent education for African Americans. The Alabama legislature provided an initial grant of $2000, thanks to the efforts of Lewis Adams, a former slave and a civic leader, and George W. Campbell, a former slave owner and a banker.

The first classes met in a one-room church and a shanty, as there were no dedicated buildings for the school. Washington and his students built many of the Institute's early structures themselves, as the program of instruction emphasized hands-on learning in practical skills.

George Washington Carver performed his famous experiments at Tuskegee. The school was renamed the Tuskegee Institute in 1937 and then Tuskegee University in 1985. The university today has programs in arts and sciences, agriculture, home economics, business, education, engineering, architecture, nursing, public health, and veterinary medicine.

Eduoard de Labouley, a French intellectual and abolitionist, proposed building a statue to commemorate the centennial of the United States and her longstanding friendship with France. The sculptor Auguste Bartholdi began sketching ideas for "Liberty Enlightening the World" in 1870. Construction began under Bartholdi's direction in 1876, and renown engineer Gustave Eiffel joined the undertaking in 1879.

On July 4, 1884, the completed statue, officially named Liberty Enlightening the World, was formally presented to Levi P Morton, U.S. ambassador to France.
Afterward, it was disassembled and shipped to the United States in crates which arrived in the New York Harbor in June 1885. The Statue of Liberty, as it became known to Americans, was eventually reconstructed and unveiled on October 28, 1886.

The Spanish-American war officially ended on December 10, 1898 when the United States and Spain signed the Treaty of Paris, under which Spain ceded the Philippines. To the Filipinos, however, this was just more colonialism, for indeed the U.S. reneged on promises to give the islands their independence. The Philippine-American War began on February 4, 1899, when Filipino forces under Emilio Aguinaldo resisted the American occupation.

During the Philippine-American War, American forces committed atrocities against Filipino soldiers and civilians, including the use of torture (especially the "water cure") and the burning of villages. The U.S. built "reconcentration zones" (concentration camps) to isolate and control the civilian population and suppress support for guerilla fighters. Overcrowding, inadequate sanitation, and shortages of food and medical supplies caused the suffering and death of men, women, and children. After the capture of Aguinaldo in 1901, the subsequent surrender of resistance fighters, U.S. occupying forces had effective control of the islands by 1902. The Philippines would remain a territory of the U.S. for decades.

Jack Johnson (the "Galveston Giant") defeated Jim Jeffries (the "Great White Hope") in Reno, Nevada on July 4, 1910, in one of the most eagerly anticipated boxing matches thus far in the sport. To the dismay of white supremacists, Johnson became the first African-American world heavyweight boxing champion during the height of the Jim Crow era in the USA. The victory was decisive; Johnson knocked down Jeffries twice before he threw in the towel.

Riots broke out in several cities across the country, including Los Angeles, St. Louis, Houston, and New York City. Most of these began as attacks by Whites on Blacks who were openly celebrating Johnson's victory, but newspapers of the day tended to blame the African Americans. There were multiple deaths, numerous injuries, and extensive property damage.

The riots and the racially charged coverage underscored the role of sports as a battleground for racial equality and the broader social implications of African American success in white-dominated arenas.

Lou Gehrig, nicknamed the "Iron Horse", was an exceptional baseball player. He played in 2,130 consecutive games, and he held the MLB record for career grand slams (23) until it was surpassed by Alex Rodriguez. The seven-time All-Star won two Most Valuable Player awards (1927 and 1936) and helped lead the New York Yankees to multiple World Series victories.

Sadly, the Iron Horse was made of flesh after all and developed amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), now commonly known as Lou Gehrig's disease. With about two years left to live, Gehrig made a farewell speech at Yankee Stadium on July 4, 1939.

He said, "For the past two weeks you have been reading about a bad break. Yet today I consider myself the luckiest man on the face of the Earth." Despite facing a terminal illness, he talked little of personal challenges and instead expressed gratitude to his fans, teammates, and family. Reflecting courage and dignity in the face of adversity, Gehrig's valedictory remains one of the most memorable moments in sports history.

The occupation of the Philppines was not one of the brightest chapters in U.S. history. The atrocities committed during the Phillippine-American war had lasting effect on the minds and souls of the Filipinos. Moreover, colonial policies favored American businesses and investors, at the expense of local Filipino industries and individuals.

Filipino leaders and nationalists, including Manuel L. Quezon and Sergio Osmeņa, campaigned for independence and negotiated terms with the United States. In 1934, Congress passed the Tydings-McDuffie Act, also called the Philippine Independence Act, which mandated a 10-year transition period toward Philippine independence -- but World War II intervened. After the war, decolonization of empires was the world's zeitgeist, and the United States, as a champion of democracy, faced mounting pressure to free its remaining colonies. Finally, in ceremonies held in Manila, the Philippines gained formal independence on July 4, 1946.

As the United States began shifting her focus to global reconstruction efforts and Cold War geopolitics, the granting of independence to the Philippines, demonstrated American commitment to anti-colonial principles. It also allowed the U.S. to form diplomatic ties with a new nation in the growing struggle against the Soviet Union for world influence.

Alaska and Hawaii joined the Union in 1959, and so a new American Flag had to be made, with two stars added to the 48 that had stood since 1912.

An informal competition arose as many people submitted designs for consideration. The winner was a high school student named Robert G. Heft from Lancaster, Ohio, who had designed a flag as part of a school project. President Eisenhower issued Executive Order 10834 on August 21, 1959, which officially established Heft's design of the 50-star flag.

The new flag featured 50 stars arranged in nine rows of alternating five and six stars, representing each of the 50 states, while the 13 stripes remained unchanged, symbolizing the original 13 colonies. The flag premiered in Philadelphia, home to Independence Hall, where the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution were debated and adopted, on July 4, 1960. It is the flag still in use in the 21st century.

The Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) was designed to promote transparency and accountability in government by providing the public with the right to access federal government records -- with certain exemptions for sensitive information. Congress passed the act to strengthen democracy by ensuring an informed citizenry.

Despite initial reluctance, President LBJ signed the act at his ranch in Texas on July 4, 1966 to symbolically align FOIA with the principles of liberty and citizenship celebrated on America's Independence Day.

Pathfinder was a robotic spacecraft that landed a base station (later renamed the Carl Sagan Memorial Station) with a rover called Sojourner, as part of NASA's program to explore Mars.

Pathfinder launched from Cape Canaveral on Dec. 4, 1996 and landed on Mars in the outflow channel Ares Vallis on July 4, 1997. This marked the first successful Martian landing since the Viking 1 and Viking 2 missions in 1976. Pathfinder provided a wealth of scientific data, including detailed images and analysis of the Martian atmosphere, climate, and geology.

Indeed the mission exceeded expectations. Sojourner, expected to last a week, traveled across the Red Planet's surface for 83 Martian days (sols). The mission demonstrated several innovative technologies, such as the use of airbags for landing. The successes reinvigorated interest in Mars exploration and paved the way for subsequent missions, like the Mars Exploration Rovers (Spirit and Opportunity) and the Mars Science Laboratory (Curiosity).

Foreign terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001 had destroyed the World Trade Center (WTC) in New York City and also damaged the Pentagon Building in Washington, D.C., but work toward rebuilding began not long thereafter. A few years later, in a grand ceremony, the cornerstone[*] for the Freedom Tower (officially One World Trade Center) was laid on the original WTC site in Lower Manhattan. On the 20-ton granite block an inscription read: "To hone and remember those who lost their lives on September 11, 2001, and as a tribute to the enduring spirit of freedom -- July Fourth, 2004". During the ceremony, New York Governor George Pataki and New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg spoke of resilience in the face of tragedy.

[*]The cornerstone was a monument rather than the actual architectural cornerstone for the building. Disputes over cost, revenue, security, and design delayed construction until 2006. The towering contemporary-style main building of the rebuilt World Trade Center was completed in 2013, when it became the tallest building in North America and the Western Hemisphere.