Today in History (1862) - The U.S. government forbids all Union army officers from returning fugitive slaves, thus effectively annulling the Fugitive Slave Law of 1850 and setting the stage for the Emancipation Proclamation. On the same day in 1865, the Confederate Congress voted to enlist 300,000 black troops, granting them freedom with the consent of their owners. Lee surrendered a few weeks later. |
Today in History (1981) - Ronald Reagan fires 11,359 striking air-traffic controllers who ignored his order for them to return to work. He also declares a lifetime ban on the rehiring of the strikers by the FAA.