Revolutionary War

Today in History 11/30 (Articles of Peace)

Illustration of representatives of the United States and Great Britain signing the 1783 Treaty of Paris (© Kean Collection/Getty Images)(1782) US and Britain agree to preliminary peace terms
Representatives from the United States and Great Britain sign an initial peace agreement to end the Revolutionary War. These peace articles establish US independence and borders, and will later be formalized as the 1783 Treaty of Paris.
The Peace of Paris of 1783 was the set of treaties which ended the American Revolutionary War. On 3 September 1783, representatives of King George III of Great Britain signed a treaty in Paris with representatives of the United States of America—commonly known as the Treaty of Paris (1783)—and two treaties at Versailles with representatives of King Louis XVI of France and King Charles III of Spain—commonly known as the Treaties of Versailles (1783). The previous day, a preliminary treaty had been signed with representatives of the States General of the Dutch Republic, but the final treaty which ended the Fourth Anglo-Dutch War was not signed until 20 May 1784; for convenience, however, it is included in the summaries below.
The British lost their Thirteen Colonies and the defeat marked the end of the First British Empire. The United States gained more than it expected, thanks to the award of western territory. The other Allies had mixed-to-poor results. France got its revenge over Britain after its defeat in the Seven Years’ War, but its material gains were minor (Tobago, Senegal and small territories in India) and its financial losses huge. It was already in financial trouble and its borrowing to pay for the war used up all its credit and created the financial disasters that marked the 1780s. Historians link those disasters to the coming of the French Revolution. The Dutch did not gain anything of significant value at the end of the war. The Spanish had a mixed result; they regained Menorca and Florida, but Gibraltar remained in British hands; in the long run, the Florida territory was of little or no value.

Non Native Political Evolution of North America
Map of North America after the peace
wiki/Peace_of_Paris_(1783)
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(1782) US and Britain agree to preliminary peace terms.
Also on this day,

1872 | Scotland vs. England as first official international soccer match played in Scotland
About 4,000 spectators watch as the Scottish and English national teams play in the town of Patrick, near Glasgow, Scotland. The match, played on St. Andrew’s Day, ends in a 0-0 draw, though Scotland nearly scores when it hits the ‘crossbar’—a piece of tape attached to the goalposts.
1982 | Michael Jackson’s album ‘Thriller’ is released worldwide
The former Jackson 5 singer releases what will be the best-selling album of all time, ‘Thriller.’ Of the album’s nine tracks, seven will reach the top 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 list. ‘Thriller’ will be among the first albums to use music videos as a marketing tool.
1993 | US President Bill Clinton signs Brady Bill into law
The Brady Bill imposes a five-day waiting period for handgun purchases and federal background checks on buyers. The act is named for James Brady, who was shot and critically injured in a 1981 assassination attempt on President Ronald Reagan by an assailant who was later ruled insane.

Today in History 11/30/17

James Brady looks on as President Bill Clinton signs the Brady Bill in the East Room of the White House in Washington (© Doug Mills/AP)(1993) US President Bill Clinton signs Brady Bill into law
The Brady Bill imposes a five-day waiting period for handgun purchases and federal background checks on buyers. The act is named for James Brady, who was shot and critically injured in a 1981 assassination attempt on President Ronald Reagan by an assailant who was later ruled insane.

The Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act (Pub.L. 103–159, 107 Stat. 1536, enacted November 30, 1993), often referred to as the Brady Act or the Brady Bill, is an Act of the United States Congress that mandated federal background checks on firearm purchasers in the United States, and imposed a five-day waiting period on purchases, until the NICS system was implemented in 1998.

The original legislation was introduced into the House of Representatives by Representative Charles E. Schumer in March 1991, but was never brought to a vote. The bill was reintroduced by Rep. Schumer on February 22, 1993 and the final version was passed on November 11, 1993. It was signed into law by President Bill Clinton on November 30, 1993 and the law went into effect on February 28, 1994. The Act was named after James Brady, who was shot by John Hinckley Jr. during an attempted assassination of President Ronald Reagan on March 30, 1981.


wiki/Brady_Handgun_Violence_Prevention_Act
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Today in History 11/25 (Iran-Contra Affair)

President Ronald Reagan addressing the nation from The White House Oval Office in 1986 (© Diana Walker/Liaison Agency/Getty Images)(1986) Reagan confirms secret arms sale proceeds funded Contras
The US president reveals that up to $30 million from an Iran weapons deal went to rebel forces in Nicaragua, despite Congress’ ban on military aid to the group. President Reagan says he holds two men responsible — John Poindexter and Oliver North — and appoints a commission to investigate further.
The Iran–Contra affair, also referred to as Irangate, Contragate or the Iran–Contra scandal, was a political scandal in the United States that occurred during the second term of the Reagan Administration. Senior administration officials secretly facilitated the sale of arms to Iran, which was the subject of an arms embargo. They hoped to fund the Contras in Nicaragua while at the same time negotiating the release of several U.S. hostages. Under the Boland Amendment, further funding of the Contras by the government had been prohibited by Congress.
Start date: Aug 20, 1985
End date: Mar 04, 1987

President Ronald Reagan with Caspar Weinberger, George Shultz, Ed Meese, and Don Regan discussing the President's remarks on the Iran-Contra affair, Oval Office
President Ronald Reagan with Caspar Weinberger, George Shultz, Ed Meese, and Don Regan discussing the President’s remarks on the Iran-Contra affair, Oval Office
wiki/Iran–Contra_affair
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(1986) Reagan confirms secret arms sale proceeds funded Contras.
Also on this day,

1783 | Last Redcoats leave NY as the British troops depart New York
Three months after the Revolutionary War ended, the last contingent of British troops sail away from New York to the jeers and cheers of local residents. General George Washington leads a triumphant march as he retakes the city that the British had occupied since 1776.
1947 | Studio executives agree to blacklist the ‘Hollywood 10’
Hollywood executives fire 10 writers and directors a day after they were held in contempt for refusing to testify before Congress about their alleged involvement with the Communist Party. The ‘Hollywood 10 are just the first of many in the film industry who will be blacklisted through the rest of the 1940s and ’50s.
1963 | John F. Kennedy is buried at Arlington National Cemetery
President Kennedy is laid to rest three days after his assassination in Dallas. Thousands line the streets of Washington, DC, to watch Kennedy’s casket pass by on a horse-drawn caisson. During the solemn procession, Kennedy’s 3-year-old son John Jr. steps forward and salutes his father a final time.

Today in History 11/25/17

John F. Kennedy, Jr., salutes his father's casket during the funeral procession of President John F. Kennedy in Washington, DC, in 1963 (© Universal History Archive/Getty Images)(1963) John F. Kennedy is buried at Arlington National Cemetery
President Kennedy is laid to rest three days after his assassination in Dallas. Thousands line the streets of Washington, DC, to watch Kennedy's casket pass by on a horse-drawn caisson. During the solemn procession, Kennedy's 3-year-old son John Jr. steps forward and salutes his father a final time.

The state funeral of John F. Kennedy, 35th President of the United States, took place in Washington, D.C., during the three days that followed his assassination on Friday, November 22, 1963, in Dallas, Texas.

The body of President Kennedy was brought back to Washington soon after his death and was placed in the East Room of the White House for 24 hours. On the Sunday after the assassination, his flag-draped coffin was carried on a horse-drawn caisson to the U.S. Capitol to lie in state. Throughout the day and night, hundreds of thousands lined up to view the guarded casket.

Representatives from over 90 countries attended the state funeral on Monday, November 25. After the Requiem Mass at St. Matthew's Cathedral, the late president was buried at Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia.


JFK's family leaves Capitol after his funeral, 1963
Robert Kennedy and Patricia Kennedy Lawford following Jacqueline Kennedy as she leaves the United States Capitol with John F. Kennedy, Jr. and Caroline Kennedy, after viewing John F. Kennedy lying in state.

wiki/State_funeral_of_John_F._Kennedy
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