Commentaries by Brian T. Hodges

On July 12, 1909, the US Congress passed the Sixteenth Amendment, giving Congress the power to collect income taxes. The Amendment was ratified and went into force in 1913. Learn more about the history of the 16th Amendment.

On July 12, 1790, the French National Assembly promulgated the Civil Constitution of the Clergy. While previous legislation passed by the National Assembly already seized church lands and ended monastic vows, the Civil Constitution finally destroyed monastic orders in France.