1652

Rhode Island became the first American colony to pass a law abolishing African slavery; however, the law was apparently never enforced.

1863

The Siege of Vicksburg began during the Civil War, ending July 4 with a Union victory.

1896

The U.S. Supreme Court, in Plessy v. Ferguson, endorsed “separate but equal” racial segregation, a concept renounced 58 years later by Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka.

1980

The Mount St. Helens volcano in Washington state exploded, leaving 57 people dead or missing.