This Day In Founding Fathers History – 31 May

This Day In Founding Fathers History – 31 May

On this day in 1821, the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary (the Baltimore Basilica) was dedicated by Archbishop Ambrose Maréchal. The design and architecture of the basilica was planned by John Carroll, the first bishop in America and cousin of Charles Carroll, and Benjamin Henry Latrobe, architect of the Capitol. The basilica sits on a hill above Baltimore Harbor. The cornerstone was laid by John Carroll on 7 July 1806 and the first cathedral in America was constructed over the next 15 years. It was the center of the country’s first archdiocese, and two-thirds of the dioceses in the U.S. can trace their heritage back to the Baltimore Basilica. It has been given the rank of a Minor Basilica by Pope Pius XI and later named a National Historic Landmark and a National Shrine. ₁

In 1790 on this day, the Copyright Act of 1790 was signed into law. This was the first copyright law in the U.S. The law gave authors, artists and scientists incentive to write and create original works without having someone infringe on their works legally. The law allowed for works to be protected for a 14-year period and then they were eligible for one 14-year renewal period. Later revisions to the Copyright Act extended the protection period. Today, copyright protection is given to works for the duration of the author’s lifetime plus an additional 70 years. ₂

_{1 “Brief History of the Basilica,” The Baltimore Basilica, www.baltimorebasilica.org/index.php?page=brief-history-of-the-basilica
2 “History of Copyright Laws,” webspace.utexas.edu/rra56/history.htm}

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