On this day in 1788, Federalist Paper No. 55 is published. Publius continues his analysis of the House of Representatives. Is the number of House members too small? Will it “be an unsafe depositary of the public interests”? The first House was to start with only 65 members. The states, Publius notes, have all relied upon different principles in determining the number of their representatives. Coming up with a “precise” solution is more difficult than it appears. If the ratio

On this day in 1898, tensions escalate between Spain and the United States. Matters would soon come to a head. By the end of the year, Puerto Rico would no longer be a Spanish possession. It would be under the control of the United States. Did you ever stop to think about how Puerto Rico became a part of the United States? It all started with Spain. And Christopher Columbus, who landed on the island during his second trip to the Americas. Spain remained a major power on t

On this day in 1788, Federalist Paper No. 54 is published. Publius is still dissecting the provisions regarding the House of Representatives. In this paper, he has the difficult task of defending one of the Constitution’s compromises regarding slavery. This essay was most likely written by James Madison, who personally felt very conflicted by slavery. On the one hand, as he wrote elsewhere, he thought that “the magnitude of this evil among us is so deeply felt, and so univers

On this day in 1935, the rigid airship USS Macon crashes in the Pacific. The incident came just two years after Macon ’s sister ship, USS Akron , was lost in an Atlantic storm—and just two years before the more famous Hindenburg tragedy. Macon was the pride of the Navy during her day. At 785 feet long, she was longer than two football fields. Her top speed was 80 mph, and she was held aloft by helium in 12 large cells. The remaining interior of the airship was covered in

On this day in 1945, USAAF Captain Louis E. Curdes shoots down an American C-47, forcing it to crash land in the ocean. Legend has it that he shot down a plane carrying the woman who would ultimately become his wife! The story is mostly true, but I’m afraid it’s also bathed in a tad bit of myth. Curdes did shoot down a nurse that day, and he had been on at least one date with her. However, Curdes ultimately married someone else. “My dad might have been dating a nurse on the p

On this day in 1788, Federalist Paper No. 53 is published. Publius continues his examination of the House of Representatives. The previous paper addressed the question of biennial elections of congressmen: Is the designated frequency of elections “safe”? Put another way, do they protect liberty? This paper continues with the same topic. Then it turns to a second, but related, question: Are biennial elections “necessary or useful”? Publius begins by noting a proverbial saying:

On this day in 1922, a hero is born. William E. Metzger, Jr. would go on to become a pilot in the U.S. Army Air Forces, as well as a recipient of the Medal of Honor. His sister would remember him as a kind, considerate soul. “When he was a junior in high school,” she told a reporter, “one of his best friends died, and I think that had some kind of impact on him. He was different than a lot of young men. He was just sensitive about things. He was just a very considerate pe

On this day in 1788, Federalist Paper No. 52 is published. Publius is ready to begin an examination of each part of government. In this paper, he starts with the House of Representatives. What are the proper qualifications and terms for Congressmen? And who should get to vote for them? “[T]he right of suffrage,” Publius begins, “is very justly regarded as a fundamental article of republican government.” For this reason, Publius believes that certain matters were properly defi

On this day in 1776, General George Washington notifies his troops of a new policy regarding chaplains’ pay. He’d set out to get better treatment for his chaplains—and he’d succeeded. Yes, you read that right. Washington wanted MORE public money to be used for religious purposes. He did not want to skimp on something as important as military chaplains. Hmm. So much for separation of church and state? Depicted is the “Fighting Chaplain,” James Caldwell. At the Battle of

On this day in 1788, Federalist Paper No. 51 is published. Publius has been following a train of thought regarding “separation of powers” since paper no. 47. This essay is the last in that series. As discussed in these essays, separation of powers is a vital characteristic of good government. (“Separation” means, for example, that the legislative and judicial powers should not be in the same hands.) However, our Constitution does not *completely* separate these governmental f

On this day in 1944, downed pilot Fred Hargesheimer is rescued by the submarine USS Gato . He’d been on the island of New Britain in Papua New Guinea for eight long months. Fred’s troubles began on June 5, 1943, as he patrolled the skies in a P-38. He was then serving with the 8th Photo Reconnaissance Squadron and was helping to photomap the area. Unfortunately, a Japanese fighter spotted him and fired. One of Fred’s engines was in flames. He did the only thing he could:

On this day in 1788, Federalist Paper No. 50 is published. Publius continues to address the best system of addressing constitutional infractions. He is specifically addressing a proper method of “PREVENTING AND CORRECTING INFRACTIONS OF THE CONSTITUTION.” He views this issue as separate from a closely related topic: “ALTERING the Constitution itself.” Our Constitution primarily relies on a system of checks and balances: Each governmental branch has tools with which to pull th

On this day in 1913, Rosa Parks is born. She is best known for getting arrested when she refused to give up her seat on a bus in Montgomery, Alabama. Fortunately, the unjust segregation laws that she was protesting would soon come to an end through peaceful acts of civil disobedience such as her own, combined with non-violent protests led by men such as Martin Luther King, Jr. As you know, at that point in history, passengers were segregated aboard buses in places such as

On this day in 1959, musicians Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and J.P. Richardson (“the Big Bopper”) are killed in a plane crash. The terrible tragedy has come to be known as “the Day the Music Died.” None of it would have occurred but for the “Tour from Hell.” Holly, Valens, and Richardson were then on that 24-day concert tour, officially known as the Winter Dance Party Tour. Along with Dion and the Belmonts and Frankie Sardo, they would travel across Wisconsin, Minnesota,

On this day in 1788, Federalist Paper No. 49 is published. I know that many readers of this page are working toward an Article V convention for proposing constitutional amendments. This essay is for you. Publius addressed the need for checks and balances in the last paper: The legislative branch can “check” the executive (e.g., its power to impeach), just as the President can “check” the legislature (e.g., his veto power). Some Americans, however, preferred a more complete se

On this day in 1968, a hero engages in an action that would earn him the Medal of Honor. Nevertheless, Johnny Lee Canley wouldn’t receive that Medal until decades later. Would you believe that he joined the Marines in 1953, when he was only 15 years old? He used his brother’s paperwork to get in. On January 31, 1968, Canley was a Gunnery Sergeant serving with Alpha Company, First Battalion, First Marine Regiment. About 150 Marines from his company would help take back Huế

On this day in 1781, Americans lose the Battle of Cowan’s Ford. They also suffer a devastating incident at nearby Torrence’s Tavern. It was a low point for the Patriot cause. Nevertheless, you’ll love the patriotic heroine who makes an appearance at the end of the story! At this point in the Revolution, British forces led by General Charles Cornwallis were working to establish a base in the South. Cornwallis was then opposed by General Nathanael Greene, commander of the sou

On this day in 1788, Federalist Paper No. 48 is published. James Madison (a.k.a. “Publius”) continues his discussion of separation of powers in government. Madison agreed that separation of powers was critical in a free country. If the whole power of two departments falls into the hands of one person, then power can be abused. A President, for example, should not possess the whole power of legislating and the whole power of enforcing the law, simultaneously. But ironically, M

On this day in 1788, Federalist Paper No. 47 is published. James Madison (a.k.a. “Publius”) tackles the concept of separation of powers in government. Believe it or not, our Constitution was then being attacked for failing to provide sufficient separation among the legislative, executive, and judicial functions. How interesting that the founding generation was ready to reject the Constitution because of a fear that it violated “separation of powers.” Yet, today, many modern A

On this day in 1788, Federalist Paper No. 46 is published. James Madison (a.k.a. “Publius”) discusses which level of government—state or national—will have greater support from the people and which can better defend itself from encroachments by the other. This essay offers a glimpse into how very far we have fallen. Madison seems literally unable to imagine a world in which the national government could encroach too greatly upon the state governments. Indeed, at one point he