January 6
January 6
Frontiersman Jedediah Smith is born
Jedediah Strong Smith, one of America’s greatest trapper‑explorers, is born in Bainbridge, New York. Smith explored a stunningly large area of the American West during his short life. He began…
A Year In History: 1798
This Year in History:
1798
Discover what happened in this year with HISTORY’s summaries of major events, anniversaries, famous births and notable deaths.
April 26
April 26
Mountain man James Beckwourth is born
James Beckwourth, one of only a handful of early mountain men to emerge from the system of slavery, is born in Fredericksburg, Virginia. The exact year of Beckwourth’s birth is…
June 18
June 18
President John Adams oversees passage of first of Alien and Sedition Acts
President John Adams oversees the passage of the Naturalization Act, the first of four pieces of controversial legislation known together as the Alien and Sedition Acts, on June 18, 1798.…
July 14
July 14
Sedition Act becomes federal law
On July 14, 1798, one of the most egregious breaches of the U.S. Constitution in history becomes federal law when Congress passes the Sedition Act, endangering liberty in the fragile…
