April 23
April 23
James Buchanan is born
Future President James Buchanan is born in Cove Gap near Mercersburg, Pennsylvania, on April 23, 1791. Buchanan, remembered mostly for his administration’s corruption and his failure to solve the country’s…
A Year In History: 1791
This Year in History:
1791
Discover what happened in this year with HISTORY’s summaries of major events, anniversaries, famous births and notable deaths.
May 9
May 9
Patriot politician and composer Francis Hopkinson dies
On this day in 1791, Francis Hopkinson, signer of the Declaration of Independence and the first American secular composer, dies suddenly of a seizure in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Hopkinson was born…
August 19
August 19
Benjamin Banneker writes to Thomas Jefferson, urging justice for African Americans
On August 19, 1791, the accomplished American mathematician and astronomer Benjamin Banneker pens a letter to then‑Secretary of State Thomas Jefferson. Jefferson corresponds prolifically with luminaries from around the world,…
November 4
November 4
Native Americans deliver crushing defeat at the Battle of the Wabash
On November 4, 1791, a multitribal confederation, formed to resist colonial expansion into their historical homelands, routs a large contingent of U.S. troops along the Wabash River in western Ohio.…
December 15
December 15
The Bill of Rights becomes law
On this day in 1791, Virginia becomes the last state to ratify the Bill of Rights, making the first ten amendments to the Constitution law and completing the revolutionary reforms…
December 15
December 15
Bill of Rights is finally ratified
Following ratification by the state of Virginia, the first 10 amendments to the U.S. Constitution, known collectively as the Bill of Rights, become the law of the land. In September…
