The 1838 Jesuit slave sale was agreed to on June 19 when the Maryland province of the Society of Jesus entered into a contract to sell 272 slaves to two Louisiana planters for $115,000. This was the culmination of a long-running debate among the Jesuits over whether to keep, sell, or manumit their slaves. In 1836, the Jesuit superior general authorized the sale on three conditions: the slaves must be permitted to practice their Catholic faith, the families must not be separated, and the proceeds must only be used to support Jesuits in training. It soon became clear that the conditions had not been met; the new owners separated families and did not allow most of the slaves to carry on their faith. The Jesuits were only partially paid, many years late. For humanitarian reasons, only 206 slaves were delivered. Many Jesuits were outraged by the sale, and the superior general removed the provincial superior for disobeying orders and promoting scandal, exiling him to Nice for several years.

Read more: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1838_Jesuit_slave_sale

_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:

1867:

Second French intervention in Mexico: Emperor Maximilian I of Mexico was executed by firing squad in Querétaro City. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maximilian_I_of_Mexico

1965:

Nguyễn Cao Kỳ, the head of the South Vietnam Air Force, was appointed prime minister at the head of a military regime, ending two years of short-lived military juntas. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nguy%E1%BB%85n_Cao_K%E1%BB%B3

1970:

The international Patent Cooperation Treaty was signed, providing a unified procedure for filing patent applications to protect inventions in each of its contracting states. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patent_Cooperation_Treaty

2012:

Facing allegations of sexual assault in Sweden, Julian Assange, the founder of WikiLeaks, requested asylum at the Ecuadorian embassy in London. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Julian_Assange

_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:

false dichotomy: 1. (botany) A branching in which the main axis appears to divide dichotomously at the apex but is in reality suppressed, the growth being continued by lateral branches (as in the dichasium). 2. (rhetoric) A situation in which two alternative points of view are presented as the only options, when others are available. https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/false_dichotomy

___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:

Our reason is always disappointed by the inconstancy of appearances.   --Pensées https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Pens%C3%A9es