From the Archives – 230 Years Ago — World Events In 1795
As we celebrate the 230th anniversary of the founding of Saint Mary as the first Catholic parish in the Commonwealth of Virginia in 1795, let’s look back at other events occurring that year, including:
During 1795 – England experienced a series of food riots, known as the “revolt of the housewives.” The disturbances arose out of exceptional food scarcity.
January 14 – The University of North Carolina became the only public university to award degrees in the 18th century.
February 7 – The 11th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was ratified by the states. It restricts the ability of individuals to bring suit against states in federal court.
February 16 – The British East India Company invaded Ceylon. By February 15, 1796, Ceylon was a British colony.
February 21 – A formal separation of Church and state was established in France. Churches were reopened and priests were released from jail and permitted to practice their ministry if they promised to respect the laws of the Republic.
April 7 – France adopted the meter as the basic measure of length.
May 19 – Businessman and philanthropist Johns Hopkins was born in Anne Arundel County, MD, to a Quaker family. He founded The Johns Hopkins University and Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore. He died in Baltimore in 1873.
June 6 – Fire destroyed one-third of Copenhagen, Denmark, injuring 18,000 people and leaving 6,000 homeless.
June 24 – The U.S. Senate ratified the Jay Treaty between the United States and Great Britain, resolving disputes that remained after the end of the American Revolutionary War.
July 9 – The $2,024,899 U.S. national debt was paid off by James Swan (1754-1830). He was a financier and member of
the Sons of Liberty who participated in the Boston Tea Party and was twice wounded in the Battle of Bunker Hill.
July 14 – “La Marseillaise,” by Claude-Joseph Rouget de Lisle, was declared as the national anthem of France.
August 3 – Gen. Anthony Wayne signed a peace treaty with Native Americans at Fort Greenville, Ohio, ending hostilities in the Northwest Territories.
October 27 – Pinckney’s Treaty, also called the Treaty of San Lorenzo, was signed by the United States and Spain, establishing the southern boundary of the United States and giving Americans the right to navigate the Mississippi River.
December 19 – Kentucky became the first state to appropriate money for road building.
— Diane Maple, Bulletin Editor
In 2020, to commemorate the 225th anniversary of our parish, we started “From the Archives” as a weekly feature online and in our bulletin to spotlight the history of Saint Mary’s. Due to its popularity, we are continuing the series. An archive of the features is located here.