1799 In The United States
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Events from the year 1799 in the United States.


Incumbents


Federal Government A federation (also known as a federal state) is a political entity characterized by a union of partially self-governing provinces, states, or other regions under a central federal government (federalism). In a federation, the self-governin ...

*
President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) *President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...
:
John Adams John Adams (October 30, 1735 – July 4, 1826) was an American statesman, attorney, diplomat, writer, and Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father who served as the second president of the United States from 1797 to 1801. Befor ...
( F-
Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett language, Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut assachusett writing systems, məhswatʃəwiːsət'' English: , ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is the most populous U.S. state, state in the New England ...
) *
Vice President A vice president, also director in British English, is an officer in government or business who is below the president (chief executive officer) in rank. It can also refer to executive vice presidents, signifying that the vice president is on t ...
:
Thomas Jefferson Thomas Jefferson (April 13, 1743 – July 4, 1826) was an American statesman, diplomat, lawyer, architect, philosopher, and Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father who served as the third president of the United States from 18 ...
( DR-
Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...
) * Chief Justice:
Oliver Ellsworth Oliver Ellsworth (April 29, 1745 – November 26, 1807) was a Founding Father of the United States, attorney, jurist, politician, and diplomat. Ellsworth was a framer of the United States Constitution, United States senator from Connecticut ...
(
Connecticut Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its cap ...
) * Speaker of the House of Representatives:
Jonathan Dayton Jonathan Dayton (October 16, 1760October 9, 1824) was an American Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father and politician from the U.S. state of New Jersey. He was the youngest person to sign the Constitution of the United States ...
( F-
New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...
) (until March 4),
Theodore Sedgwick Theodore Sedgwick (May 9, 1746January 24, 1813) was an American attorney, politician, and jurist who served in elected state government and as a delegate to the Continental Congress, a U.S. representative, and a senator from Massachusetts. H ...
( F-
Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett language, Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut assachusett writing systems, məhswatʃəwiːsət'' English: , ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is the most populous U.S. state, state in the New England ...
) (starting December 2) *
Congress A congress is a formal meeting of the representatives of different countries, constituent states, organizations, trade unions, political parties, or other groups. The term originated in Late Middle English to denote an encounter (meeting of a ...
: 5th (until March 4), 6th (starting March 4)


Events

* January 30 – Congress passes the
Logan Act The Logan Act (, , enacted ) is a United States federal law that criminalizes negotiation by unauthorized American citizens with foreign governments having a dispute with the United States. The intent behind the Act is to prevent unauthorized nego ...
, forbidding unauthorized citizens from negotiating with foreign governments, in response to George Logan's unofficial attempt to negotiate peace between the U.S. and
France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
. * February –
Fries's Rebellion Fries's Rebellion (), also called House Tax Rebellion, the Home Tax Rebellion and, in Pennsylvania German, the Heesses-Wasser Uffschtand, was an armed tax revolt among Pennsylvania Dutch farmers between 1799 and 1800. It was the third of three t ...
, an armed
tax revolt Tax resistance is the refusal to pay tax because of opposition to the government that is imposing the tax, or to government policy, or as opposition to taxation in itself. Tax resistance is a form of direct action and, if in violation of the tax ...
among
Pennsylvania Dutch The Pennsylvania Dutch ( Pennsylvania Dutch: ), also known as Pennsylvania Germans, are a cultural group formed by German immigrants who settled in Pennsylvania during the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries. They emigrated primarily from German-spe ...
farmers, begins as John Fries organizes meetings to discuss a collective response to the taxes imposed to raise funds for the
Quasi-War The Quasi-War (french: Quasi-guerre) was an undeclared naval war fought from 1798 to 1800 between the United States and the French First Republic, primarily in the Caribbean and off the East Coast of the United States. The ability of Congres ...
. * February 7 –
Marc Isambard Brunel Sir Marc Isambard Brunel (, ; 25 April 1769 – 12 December 1849) was a French-British engineer who is most famous for the work he did in Britain. He constructed the Thames Tunnel and was the father of Isambard Kingdom Brunel. Born in Franc ...
leaves the United States. * February 9 –
Quasi-War The Quasi-War (french: Quasi-guerre) was an undeclared naval war fought from 1798 to 1800 between the United States and the French First Republic, primarily in the Caribbean and off the East Coast of the United States. The ability of Congres ...
: In the action of 9 February 1799, the USS ''Constellation'' captures the French frigate ''Insurgente''. * March 1 –
Federalist The term ''federalist'' describes several political beliefs around the world. It may also refer to the concept of parties, whose members or supporters called themselves ''Federalists''. History Europe federation In Europe, proponents of de ...
James Ross becomes
President Pro Tempore of the United States Senate The president pro tempore of the United States Senate (often shortened to president pro tem) is the second-highest-ranking official of the United States Senate, after the Vice President of the United States, vice president. According to Articl ...
. * March 29 –
New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...
passes a law aimed at gradually abolishing
slavery Slavery and enslavement are both the state and the condition of being a slave—someone forbidden to quit one's service for an enslaver, and who is treated by the enslaver as property. Slavery typically involves slaves being made to perf ...
in the state. * April 10 –
Ellicott's Stone Ellicott's Stone, also known as the Ellicott Stone, is a boundary marker in northern Mobile County, Alabama. It was placed on April 10, 1799 by a joint U.S.-Spanish survey party headed by Andrew Ellicott.(1) It was designated as a National Histo ...
is placed by a U.S.-Spanish survey party headed by Andrew Ellicott. * July 8 – The
Russian-American Company The Russian-American Company Under the High Patronage of His Imperial Majesty (russian: Под высочайшим Его Императорского Величества покровительством Российская-Американс ...
is founded. * December 3 – The
Kentucky Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia to ...
state legislature passes the second of its resolutions as part of the
Kentucky and Virginia Resolutions The Virginia and Kentucky Resolutions were political statements drafted in 1798 and 1799 in which the Kentucky and Virginia legislatures took the position that the federal Alien and Sedition Acts were unconstitutional. The resolutions argued t ...
. Although the first of Kentucky's resolutions (in 1798) were authored by
Thomas Jefferson Thomas Jefferson (April 13, 1743 – July 4, 1826) was an American statesman, diplomat, lawyer, architect, philosopher, and Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father who served as the third president of the United States from 18 ...
, the author of the 1799 Resolutions is not known with certainty. * December 14 – Former
President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) *President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...
George Washington George Washington (February 22, 1732, 1799) was an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Father who served as the first president of the United States from 1789 to 1797. Appointed by the Continental Congress as commander of th ...
dies at his home in
Mount Vernon, Virginia Mount Vernon is a census-designated place (CDP) and unincorporated community in Fairfax County, Virginia, United States. The population was 12,416 at the 2010 census. Primarily due to its historical significance and natural recreation and beauty, ...
.


Undated

* Carolina Gold Rush: 12-year-old Conrad John Reed finds what he describes as a "heavy yellow rock" along Little Meadow Creek in
Cabarrus County, North Carolina Cabarrus County ( )
, from the North Carolina Collection's website at the
gold rush A gold rush or gold fever is a discovery of gold—sometimes accompanied by other precious metals and rare-earth minerals—that brings an onrush of miners seeking their fortune. Major gold rushes took place in the 19th century in Australia, New Z ...
in the U.S. *
Eli Whitney Eli Whitney Jr. (December 8, 1765January 8, 1825) was an American inventor, widely known for inventing the cotton gin, one of the key inventions of the Industrial Revolution that shaped the economy of the Antebellum South. Although Whitney hi ...
, holding a January 1798 U.S. government contract for the manufacture of
musket A musket is a muzzle-loaded long gun that appeared as a smoothbore weapon in the early 16th century, at first as a heavier variant of the arquebus, capable of penetrating plate armour. By the mid-16th century, this type of musket gradually d ...
s, is introduced by Oliver Wolcott Jr. to the French concept of
interchangeable parts Interchangeable parts are parts ( components) that are identical for practical purposes. They are made to specifications that ensure that they are so nearly identical that they will fit into any assembly of the same type. One such part can freely r ...
, an origin of the
American system of manufacturing The American system of manufacturing was a set of manufacturing methods that evolved in the 19th century. The two notable features were the extensive use of interchangeable parts and mechanization for production, which resulted in more efficient us ...
. * Reconstruction of
The Cabildo The Cabildo was the seat of Spanish colonial city hall of New Orleans, Louisiana, and is now the Louisiana State Museum Cabildo. It is located along Jackson Square, adjacent to St. Louis Cathedral. History The original Cabildo was destroyed ...
in
New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans
Merriam-Webster.
; french: La Nouvelle-Orléans , es, Nuev ...
is completed.


Ongoing

*
Quasi-War The Quasi-War (french: Quasi-guerre) was an undeclared naval war fought from 1798 to 1800 between the United States and the French First Republic, primarily in the Caribbean and off the East Coast of the United States. The ability of Congres ...
(1798–1800)


Births

* January 6 –
Jedediah Smith Jedediah Strong Smith (January 6, 1799 – May 27, 1831) was an American clerk, transcontinental pioneer, frontiersman, hunter, trapper, author, cartographer, mountain man and explorer of the Rocky Mountains, the Western United States, and ...
, explorer, hunter, trapper and fur trader (died 1831) * March 8 –
Simon Cameron Simon Cameron (March 8, 1799June 26, 1889) was an American businessman and politician who represented Pennsylvania in the United States Senate and served as United States Secretary of War under President Abraham Lincoln at the start of the Americ ...
, journalist, editor and 26th
United States Secretary of War The secretary of war was a member of the President of the United States, U.S. president's United States Cabinet, Cabinet, beginning with George Washington's Presidency of George Washington, administration. A similar position, called either "Se ...
from 1861 to 1862 (died
1889 Events January–March * January 1 ** The total solar eclipse of January 1, 1889 is seen over parts of California and Nevada. ** Paiute spiritual leader Wovoka experiences a vision, leading to the start of the Ghost Dance movement in the ...
) * April 3 –
John Pendleton King John Pendleton King (April 3, 1799March 19, 1888) was an attorney, planter and politician, serving as United States Senator from Georgia. He resigned in 1837 before the end of his term to devote himself to his plantation and business, serving for ...
, U.S. Senator from Georgia from 1833 to 1837 (died 1888) * April 12 –
Samuel McRoberts Samuel McRoberts (April 12, 1799March 27, 1843) was a United States senator from Illinois. Born near Maeystown, he was educated by private tutors and graduated from the law department of Transylvania University in Lexington, Kentucky. He was ...
, U.S. Senator from Illinois from 1841 to 1843 (died 1843) * July 6 –
Louisa Caroline Huggins Tuthill Louisa Caroline Tuthill (, Huggins; pen names, various; July 6, 1799 – June 1, 1879) was one of the most successful 19th-century American authors. In addition to the first history of architecture published in the United States, ''History of Ar ...
, writer for children (died 1879) * July 19 –
William McSherry William McSherry (July 19, 1799December 18, 1839) was an American Catholic priest and Jesuit who became the president of Georgetown College and a Jesuit provincial superior. The son of Irish immigrants, McSherry was educated at Georgetown C ...
, Jesuit priest (died
1839 Events January–March * January 2 – The first photograph of the Moon is taken, by French photographer Louis Daguerre. * January 6 – Night of the Big Wind: Ireland is struck by the most damaging cyclone in 300 years. * January 9 – T ...
) * September 10 – George Willison Adams, abolitionist (died 1879) * October 1 –
John Brown Russwurm John Brown Russwurm (October 1, 1799 – June 9, 1851) was an abolitionist, newspaper publisher, and colonizer of Liberia, where he moved from the United States. He was born in Jamaica to an English father and enslaved mother. As a child he t ...
,
Americo-Liberian Americo-Liberian people or Congo people or Congau people in Liberian English,Cooper, Helene, ''The House at Sugar Beach: In Search of a Lost African Childhood'' (United States: Simon and Schuster, 2008), p. 6 are a Liberian ethnic group of Afric ...
journalist and governor of the African
Republic of Maryland The Republic of Maryland (also known variously as the Independent State of Maryland, Maryland-in-Africa, and Maryland in Liberia) was a country in West Africa that existed from 1834 to 1857, when it was merged into what is now Liberia. The area ...
(died 1851) * November 1 –
Thomas Baldwin Marsh Thomas Baldwin Marsh (November 1, 1800 – January 1866) was an early leader in the Latter-day Saint movement and an original member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, who served as the quorum's first president in the Church of the Latter Da ...
, religious leader (died
1866 Events January–March * January 1 ** Fisk University, a historically black university, is established in Nashville, Tennessee. ** The last issue of the abolitionist magazine '' The Liberator'' is published. * January 6 – Ottoman tr ...
) * November 15 –
James A. Bayard Jr. James Asheton Bayard Jr. (November 15, 1799 – June 13, 1880) was an American lawyer and politician from Delaware. He was a member of the Democratic Party and served as U.S. Senator from Delaware. Early life Bayard was born in Wilmington, ...
, U.S. Senator from Delaware from 1851 to 1864 (died
1880 Events January–March * January 22 – Toowong State School is founded in Queensland, Australia. * January – The international White slave trade affair scandal in Brussels is exposed and attracts international infamy. * February ...
) * November 29 –
Amos Bronson Alcott Amos Bronson Alcott (; November 29, 1799 – March 4, 1888) was an American teacher, writer, philosopher, and reformer. As an educator, Alcott pioneered new ways of interacting with young students, focusing on a conversational style, and av ...
, philosopher, educator and writer (died 1888) * December 3 –
Peggy Eaton Margaret O'Neill (or O'Neale) Timberlake Eaton (December 3, 1799 – November 8, 1879), was the wife of John Henry Eaton, a United States senator from Tennessee and United States Secretary of War, and a confidant of Andrew Jackson. Their mar ...
, born Margaret O'Neill, wife of U.S. Secretary of State
John Eaton John Eaton may refer to: * John Eaton (divine) (born 1575), English divine *John Eaton (pirate) (fl. 1683–1686), English buccaneer *Sir John Craig Eaton (1876–1922), Canadian businessman *John Craig Eaton II (born 1937), Canadian businessman an ...
and central character of the
Petticoat affair The Petticoat affair (also known as the Eaton affair) was a political scandal involving members of President Andrew Jackson's Cabinet and their wives, from 1829 to 1831. Led by Floride Calhoun, wife of Vice President John C. Calhoun, these wome ...
(died 1879) * December 27 – Walter T. Colquitt, U.S. Senator from Georgia from 1843 to 1848 (died
1855 Events January–March * January 1 – Ottawa, Ontario, is incorporated as a city. * January 5 – Ramón Castilla begins his third term as President of Peru. * January 23 ** The first bridge over the Mississippi River opens ...
)


Deaths

* June 6 –
Patrick Henry Patrick Henry (May 29, 1736June 6, 1799) was an American attorney, planter, politician and orator known for declaring to the Second Virginia Convention (1775): " Give me liberty, or give me death!" A Founding Father, he served as the first an ...
, first & sixth
Governor of Virginia The governor of the Commonwealth of Virginia serves as the head of government of Virginia for a four-year term. The incumbent, Glenn Youngkin, was sworn in on January 15, 2022. Oath of office On inauguration day, the Governor-elect takes th ...
from 1776 to 1779 and from 1784 to 1786 (born 1736) * June 7 –
Increase Sumner Increase Sumner (November 27, 1746 – June 7, 1799) was an American lawyer, jurist, and politician from Massachusetts. He was the fifth governor of Massachusetts, serving from 1797 to 1799. Trained as a lawyer, he served in the provisional go ...
, lawyer, justice and fifth
Governor of Massachusetts The governor of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts is the chief executive officer of the government of Massachusetts. The governor is the head of the state cabinet and the commander-in-chief of the commonwealth's military forces. Massachusetts ...
from 1797 (born 1746) * October 13 –
William Paca William is a male given name of Germanic origin.Hanks, Hardcastle and Hodges, ''Oxford Dictionary of First Names'', Oxford University Press, 2nd edition, , p. 276. It became very popular in the English language after the Norman conquest of Engl ...
, judge and third
Governor of Maryland The Governor of the State of Maryland is the head of government of Maryland, and is the commander-in-chief of the state's National Guard units. The Governor is the highest-ranking official in the state and has a broad range of appointive powers ...
from 1782 to 1785, signatory to the Declaration of Independence (born 1740) * December 14 –
George Washington George Washington (February 22, 1732, 1799) was an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Father who served as the first president of the United States from 1789 to 1797. Appointed by the Continental Congress as commander of th ...
, first
President of the United States The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States of America. The president directs the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United Stat ...
from 1789 to 1797 (born 1732) * December – William Cliffton, poet (born 1772)


See also

*
Timeline of United States history (1790–1819) This section of the Timeline of United States history concerns events from 1790 to 1819. 1790s Presidency of George Washington *1790 – Rhode Island ratifies the United States Constitution, Constitution and becomes 13th state *1791 – The ...


References


Further reading

* John Lathrop. Effects of Lightning on Several Persons in the House of Samuel Carey Esq. of Chelsea, August 2, 1799. ''Memoirs of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences'', Vol. 3, No. 1 (1809), pp. 82–85. * Carlos E. Godfrey. Organization of the Provisional Army of the United States in the Anticipated War with France, 1798–1800. ''The Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography'', Vol. 38, No. 2 (1914), pp. 129–132 * Letters from William and Mary College, 1798–1801. ''The Virginia Magazine of History and Biography'', Vol. 29, No. 2 (April, 1921), pp. 129–179. * William H. Gaines Jr. The Forgotten Army: Recruiting for a National Emergency (1799–1800). ''The Virginia Magazine of History and Biography'', Vol. 56, No. 3 (July, 1948), pp. 267–279 * George W. Kyte. Guns for Charleston: A Case of Lend-Lease in 1798–1799. ''The Journal of Southern History'', Vol. 14, No. 3 (August, 1948), pp. 401–408. * Rex A. Skidmore. Penological Pioneering in the Walnut Street Jail, 1789–1799. ''Journal of Criminal Law and Criminology'' (1931–1951), Vol. 39, No. 2 (July – August, 1948), pp. 167–180 . * Patricia Holbert Menk. D. M. Erskine: Letters from America, 1798–1799. ''The William and Mary Quarterly'', Third Series, Vol. 6, No. 2 (April, 1949), pp. 251–284. * Charles Caleb Cotton and Julien Dwight Martin. The Letters of Charles Caleb Cotton, 1798–1802. ''The South Carolina Historical and Genealogical Magazine'', Vol. 51, No. 4 (October, 1950), pp. 216–228. Covers the year 1799. * Robert C. Smith. A Portuguese Naturalist in Philadelphia, 1799. ''The Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography'', Vol. 78, No. 1 (January, 1954), pp. 71–106 * James Morton Smith. The Federalist "Saints" versus "The Devil of Sedition": The Liberty Pole Cases of Dedham, Massachusetts, 1798–1799. ''The New England Quarterly'', Vol. 28, No. 2 (June, 1955), pp. 198–215. * Stephen G. Kurtz. The French Mission of 1799–1800: Concluding Chapter in the Statecraft of John Adams. ''Political Science Quarterly'', Vol. 80, No. 4 (December, 1965), pp. 543–557. * Peter J. Parker. Asbury Dickins, Bookseller, 1798–1801, or, the Brief Career of a Careless Youth. ''The Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography'', Vol. 94, No. 4 (October, 1970), pp. 464–483. * Steven H. Hochman. On the Liberty of the Press in Virginia: From Essay to Bludgeon, 1798–1803. ''The Virginia Magazine of History and Biography'', Vol. 84, No. 4 (October, 1976), pp. 431–445. * William J. Murphy Jr. John Adams: The Politics of the Additional Army, 1798–1800. ''The New England Quarterly'', Vol. 52, No. 2 (June, 1979), pp. 234–249. * Thomas M. Ray. "Not One Cent for Tribute": The Public Addresses and American Popular Reaction to the XYZ Affair, 1798–1799. ''Journal of the Early Republic'', Vol. 3, No. 4 (Winter, 1983), pp. 389–412. * Paul Douglas Newman. Fries's Rebellion and American Political Culture, 1798–1800. ''The Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography'', Vol. 119, No. 1/2 (January – April, 1995), pp. 37–73. * Robert H. Churchill. Popular Nullification, Fries' Rebellion, and the Waning of Radical Republicanism, 1798–1801. ''Pennsylvania History'', Vol. 67, No. 1, Fries' Rebellion (Winter 2000), pp. 105–140. * Andy Trees. Private Correspondence for the Public Good: Thomas Jefferson to Elbridge Gerry, January 26, 1799. ''The Virginia Magazine of History and Biography'', Vol. 108, No. 3 (2000), pp. 217–254. * Robert S. Woodbury. The Legend of Eli Whitney and Interchangeable Parts. ''Technology and Culture'', Vol. 1 (1960).


External links

* {{Year in North America, 1799 1790s in the United States
United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
Years of the 18th century in the United States