- Jul 4 Battle at Ueno, Japan: last Tokugawa armies defeated
- Jul 4 Maori leader Te Kooti and 300 of his followers captured the schooner Rifleman in the Chatham Islands and sail for New Zealand; landing at Whareongaonga six days later
- Jul 9 1st African American cabinet member in South Carolina, Francis L Cardozo as Secretary of State
- Jul 9 Louisiana and South Carolina are the last states to ratify the 14th Amendment to the United States Constitution, guaranteeing civil rights
- Jul 13 Oscar J Dunn, former slave, installed as Lieutenant Governor of Louisiana
- Jul 14 Alvin J. Fellows of New Haven, Connecticut patents the tape measure
- Jul 20 1st use of tax stamps on cigarettes
- Jul 25 US Congress forms Wyoming Territory (Dakota, Utah & Idaho)
Event of Interest
Jul 28 US Secretary of State William H. Seward announces 14th Amendment ratified by states, grants citizenship to ex-slaves
