History lessons with suburbian bum.

[suburbian bum]

for every post i will be posting a interesting fact about the year corresponding to my post number, we will start at 1802 ad.

 

Martha Dandridge Custis Washington dies.

 

Martha was the eldest of three brothers and five sisters, the youngest of whom was born when Martha was 25 and had already had four children of her own. Martha married Colonel Daniel Parke Custis in 1750 and lived in his Pumunkey River mansion called White House. Custis managed the large New Kent County plantation of his father, Councillor John Custis, who lived at the brick house known as Custis Square in Williamsburg.

 

Martha and Daniel Custis had four children: Daniel, born in 1751; Frances, born in 1753; John (Jacky) born in 1755; and Martha (Patsy), born in 1756 or 1757. Unfortunately, Daniel only lived three years and Frances four. On July 26, 1757, when Martha Custis was only 26 years old, her husband died suddenly.

 

Martha married Colonel George Washington (1732-1799) on January 6, 1759. Washington had been commander of the First Virginia Regiment in the French and Indian War and had been elected a burgess representing Frederick County in 1758. He had acquired Mount Vernon by lease from the widow of his half-brother Lawrence in 1754. (He inherited the plantation upon her death in 1761.) Before his marriage, Washington had increased the size of Mount Vernon from the original one and one-half story dwelling to a two and one-half story home. George and Martha Washington and her children Jacky and Patsy moved to Mount Vernon in April 1759.

[suburbian bum]

1803, the Louisiana purchase.

 

The Louisiana Purchase marked one of the largest, if not the largest, land transactions in history. The persons who played key roles in this transaction were Thomas Jefferson , Napoleon I of France, Robert R. Livingston, James Monroe, and Lewis and Clark.

 

The actual Treaty can be viewed.

 

The vast Louisiana Territory was purchased for 60 Million Francs or about $15,000,000.00 of which $11,250,000.00 was to be paid directly. The balance to be covered by the U.S. in the assumption of French debts to U. S. citizens. This territory included 800,000 square miles of land.

 

 

The purchase of the Louisiana territory came about as a result of concern to secure free navigation of the Mississippi River. President Jefferson sent Robert R. Livingston and James Monroe to negotiate with the government of the powerful Napoleon I for the sale of New Orleans. Since the aggressive French leader roused fears once France had just acquired Louisiana from the Spanish, Jefferson knew immediate action must be taken. Surprisingly, Napoleon offered not only to sell New Orleans, but the entire Louisiana territory.The treaty that Livingston and Monroe sent home aroused constitutional worries in Jefferson's mind. A Constitutional amendment would be extremely slow and Napoleon wanted the transaction finalized by a specific date. Since the nation was so young, issues such as the one at hand had not arisen before.

 

 

Jefferson had to make a decision and that he did. He acted without hesitation and left the matter to the people to decide. With the exception of a small number of Federalists in New England, the people overwhelmingly accepted Jefferson's actions. The Louisiana Purchase was by far the greatest achievement of his presidency.

 

This began exploration in the United States. Lewis and Clark were sent by Thomas Jefferson to explore the territory of the Louisiana Purchase.

[dr. frink one]

where are you getting these...or are you just all knowing....

my bet is all knowing bum master.

[suburbian bum]

1807

 

1807 the US bans the importation of slaves. The British ban the slave trade. In Prussia Baron Karl vom Stein abolishes personal serfdom. Russia is defeated by the French in the Battle of Friedland.

[suburbian bum]

1808

 

1808 Goethe publishes the first part of "Faust". French scientist Joseph Gasy Lussac measures the relative volume of gases involved in chemical reactions and discovers the "law of combining volumes" stating that "when measured at the same temperature and pressure volumes of gaseous reactants and products of chemical reactions are always in simple ratios of whole numbers" Napoleon I conquerors Spain, replacing Ferdinand VII with Joseph Bonaparte. In Prussia Baron Karl vom Stein gives the ability to control municiple affairs over to local elected officials.