On this day in 1861, delegates from South Carolina, Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, and Texas met in Montgomery, Alabama to adopt the Permanent Constitution of the Confederate States of America. The constitution closely resembled the Constitution of the United States, even repeating much of its language. However, it was actually more similar to the Articles of Confederation -- the initial constitution of the nation following the Revolutionary War -- in its delegation of extensive powers to the states. The constitution also differed from the U.S. Constitution in its protection of slavery, which was “recognized and protected” in slave states and territories. However, in adherence to U.S. policy since the start of the 19th century, the foreign slave trade was prohibited. The constitution provided for six-year terms for the president and vice president, and the president was not eligible for successive terms. Although a presidential item veto was granted, the power...

On this day in 1803, French Foreign Minister Charles Maurice de Talleyrand makes an unprecedented offer to sell the entire Louisiana Territory to the United States. As the foreign minister to French Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte, Talleyrand was one of the most powerful men in the world. Three years earlier, Talleyrand had persuaded Napoleon that he could form a new French Empire in North America. The French had laid claim to the expansive swath of land west of the Mississippi River known as Louisiana Territory. In 1800, Napoleon furtively signed a treaty with Spain that officially gave France complete control of the territory. He then began to ready France’s army to occupy New Orleans. When President Thomas Jefferson learned of Napoleon’s plans in 1802, he was rightly concerned. Jefferson had long hoped the U.S. would expand westward beyond the Mississippi, but the fledgling American republic lacked the military might to challenge France for the territory. Jefferson hoped that his m...

When most people think of Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790), they think of a bespectacled, older-looking Founding Father of the United States who also happened to dream up some pretty neat inventions.  I find him to be the most fascinating of the Founding Fathers, alongside Thomas Jefferson. Not only were these guys masters in the art of politics, they each went on to design everything from buildings to stoves. In essence, it could be argued they statesmen as much as they were inventors.  In this post, I'd like to share five interesting facts about Franklin that I recently dug up. If you already knew these or would like to share any others not mentioned here, please feel free to do so in the comments section.  1. Franklin designed a musical instrument used by musical geniuses Mozart and Beethoven. Franklin designed what he dubbed a “glass armonica,” an instrument meant to replicate the distinct sound that a wet finger makes when rubbed along the rim of a glass. ...

ISIS has claimed responsibility for a series of attacks in Paris yesterday that left at least 128 people dead and roughly 200 wounded. As President Obama stated last night, the United States stands firmly with France just as the European country supported the U.S. after 9/11. The scale of the horror is just unfathomable. Several terrorists, eight of which are confirmed dead, unleashed a series of coordinated attacks in six sites throughout the city that included the Bataclan Concert Hall and the Stade de France. Per reports, the militants wore explosive belts and carried machine guns. It's hard to believe that people in the world could carry out such evil, despicable acts in the name of their religion. How can one claim that their God "tells" them to unleash so much carnage and bloodshed on humanity? ISIS doesn't know what's coming to them. France's retribution will be merciless, I'm sure, and the U.S.-led coalition waging war against ISIS (which inc...