This Day in History

Signed by President John Quincy Adams on May 19, 1828, the Tariff of Abominations imposed high import duties to protect Northern industries. While supporters praised its economic benefits, Southern states fiercely opposed the law, arguing it favored the North and harmed agriculture, deepening sectional tensions that foreshadowed the Civil War.

On May 18, 1917, General John J. Pershing and the first units of the American Expeditionary Force were ordered to France, marking America’s direct entry into World War I. The deployment strengthened Allied morale, expanded U.S. influence abroad, and helped shape the outcome of the war and America’s future global role.

On May 15, 1618, Johannes Kepler discovered his third planetary law, the harmonic law, revealing a precise mathematical relationship between planets and their distance from the Sun. This breakthrough transformed astronomy, strengthened the heliocentric model, and laid the foundation for Isaac Newton’s theory of gravity and modern space science.

In 1804, Meriwether Lewis and William Clark launched their historic expedition from St. Louis under President Thomas Jefferson’s orders. Tasked with exploring the Louisiana Territory and finding a route to the Pacific, the Corps of Discovery mapped unknown lands, documented wildlife, and forged relationships with Native American tribes across the frontier.

On May 13, 1846, Congress approved President James K. Polk’s request to declare war on Mexico after escalating border disputes along the Rio Grande. The conflict, driven by Manifest Destiny and territorial ambitions, reshaped North America, expanded U.S. territory westward, and intensified national debates over slavery and American expansion.