When the First Session of the United States Congress convened in Washington, D.C., on November 17, 1800, something far greater than a routine legislative gathering took place. It was a moment when an idea became a reality, when a theoretical capital—sketched on maps, debated in halls, argued over in newspapers, and surveyed in muddy fields—suddenly …
In 1820, the United States faced one of its earliest and most intense debates over slavery, leading to the signing of the Missouri Compromise. This landmark legislation was an attempt to maintain a fragile balance between free and slave states, preventing sectional tensions from spiraling out of control. At the heart of the conflict was …
