RCMP officers during the Estevan Riot. 1931, Public Domain.
This date is known as Black Tuesday in Estevan, Canada. On this day several hundred striking miners clashed with local and Royal Mounted police in the streets of the Saskatchewan town. The fighting left 3 dead and many injured.
Annie Buller addressing a crowd before the Estevan Riot. 1931, Public Domain.
Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, Art and Artifacts Division, The New York Public Library. "The Bright and Morning Star" New York Public Library Digital Collections. Accessed September 23, 2023. https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/062f3930-475a-0132-8d18-58d385a7bbd0
Some refer to the Civil War (1861-1865) as the 2nd American Revolution, and indeed, in many ways, it is the beginning of the national political parties and structures we know today.
What I appreciate most about this podcast is how it presents the Civil War as INSEPARABLE from Reconstruction (1863/65-1877/1890/etc.). The war cannot be accurately understood by looking only at the war years, or only the politics around slavery, or only anything. The North won the war and was able to keep most of the fighting to the South or territories near the border, and yet the North was no less radically changed by the outcome, in ways that most Americans would not honestly face until the political end of Jim Crow in 1965.
David Blight has written many books about The Civil War, Reconstruction, and Southern American history. The podcast is essentially just recordings of the lectures in his HST 119 class at Yale. If midgrade audio quality and one person’s voice delivering the program is not to your taste, you may duck out early, but it’s definitely still worth a skim. I don’t think you’ll find a more curious, holistic, and insightful look at American history (any era) anywhere.
It also introduced me to 2 incredible books by historian Charles B. Dew (links in sources).
Professor David Blight
Reccommended Episodes:
Lecture 8- Dred Scott, Bleeding Kansas, and the Impending Crisis of the Union, 1855-58
Lecture 17- Homefronts and Battlefronts: "Hard War" and the Social Impact of the Civil War
Lecture 20- Wartime Reconstruction: Imagining the Aftermath and a Second American Republic
Lecture 21- Andrew Johnson and the Radicals: A Contest over the Meaning of Reconstruction
Lecture 25- The "End" of Reconstruction: Disputed Election of 1876, and the "Compromise of 1877"
Sources:
The Making of a Racist- Charles B. Dew
Apostles of Disunion- Charles B. Dew
Persepolis, 2007
The Iran-Iraq war is not always linked to the Iranian Revolution that brought the Ayatollahs to power, but it is indeed a direct result. The US, along with allies inside and outside the Middle East funded Iraq and diplomatically isolated Iran for the 8 years of the conflict. Iraq invaded Iran on 9/22, but has always insisted the war began earlier as a result of Iranian bombing.
I have learned about this conflict through studying other topics, but have yet to read a book directly about it.
Samantha Power’s book “Genocide: A Problem from Hell” was probably my first exposure.
A Problem From Hell- 2002
Chapter 8, the photo is of a Kurdish Widow holding photos of family members “disappeared” by Iraqi forces.
I also found the comic/film “Persepolis” to be illuminating regarding the war, as well as Iran itself.
Sources:
Legacy of the Iran-Iraq War- Sinan S Mahmoud/ Aljazeera
The Iran-Iraq War- Pierre Razoux
A Problem From Hell: America and the Age of Genocide- Samantha Powers
In my university orientation, one of our advisors told us, “Study Languages.”
She elaborated that anything you’re interested in will be made more clear and useful by studying a foreign language. And beyond your specific studies, learning a language (regardless of your age, fluency, etc.) improves your brain and provides insight into countless phenomenon. As a historian, I second this advice emphatically. Languages are invaluable in helping one understand how both societies and individuals grow, decay, and adapt. There are millions of historical leads buried in their grammar and vocabulary.
Linguist John McWhorter hosts a superb half-hour podcast examining various facets of language called Lexicon Valley. While the topic is always language, the conversation invariably swerves into past, present, future- abstract to concrete- politics to culture- and back.
Professor McWhorter has often argued against the grain. As a Black academic, he famously argued against educational initiatives in the 90s that claimed that Black students would be better served learning African-American Vernacular English (AKA Ebonics) instead of traditional English. Proponents cited data showing that Black students performed worse than other demographics in English classes and determined it was because they were learning someone else’s language. McWhorter’s position was and is that this approach denies Black students an equal education and that the data revealing Black “underperformance” is more accurately attributed to socioeconomic status and antiquated testing methods.
These topics crop up on Lexicon Valley occasionally, but only because, as I said, when you study languages, every topic crops up. McWhorter is a highly listenable host respectfully navigating the beautiful, volatile topic of language.
Luego! <(Spanish)
John McWhorter debating (academically) antiracism with Nikhil Singh- Reason TV. https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=mzPKk19t3Kw
Lexicon Valley- Recommended Episodes:
8/21/23- Miami English
9/13/22- Is Negro a Slur or just Antiquated?
11/2/21- Can you play “Jew” in Scrabble?
9/7/21- What do they Speak in Afghanistan?
8/24/21- The Morphing of Critical Race Theory
El Acta de La Independencia de Centroamerica was the document that declared the independence of the (then) 5 countries of Central America- Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Costa Rica. Belize and Panama were established later.
It was signed and enacted on September 15, 1821.
Actually, at the time it was called the Independencia de Guatemala, as all of the Central American countries were considered provinces of the the Spanish territory of Guatemala. In the same year the new Central American states chose to join the Mexican Empire, but the alliance fell apart within a few years, leading to an independent Federation of the Centre of America in 1823.
The events surrounding these political movements are complicated and sprawl throughout multiple decades. I’m no expert, rather someone continuing to better understand the histories of Mexico, the Southwest US, Central America, South America, The Caribbean, and the other regions of what is sometimes called Latin America, or América Latina.
1821 Mexican Empire © Giggette. Wikimedia Commons. CC-BY-SA-3.0
Colonialism is a more complicated phenomenon than it may first appear. Not only has it manifested in multiple ways, but since the 20th century, it has been increasingly challenged, dismantled, and redefined by colonized peoples and states. This has resulted in theories, practices, and movements, such as decolonialism, anti-colonialism, and post-colonialism, that can be difficult to distinguish from each other, as some users apply them more interchangeably than others.
Imperialism- The practice and/or policy of a state or people extending its authority into other territories for political or economic gain.
Colonialism- Appropriation, occupation, and/or control of one territory by another, usually defined by resource or wealth extraction.
Settler Colonialism- Distinguished from traditional colonialism wherein resources and wealth are extracted from the colonized territory to the colonizing territory (often called the metropole).
Settler colonialism is defined by the settlers creating a new colonizing territory on the territory of the colonized, (ex. USA, Australia, South Africa).
Decolonialism/Decolonization- The process of a colonized territory or people gaining independence, often implemented problematically by colonizers themselves.
Neocolonialism- Control and/or exploitation of one territory by another through indirect means, particularly of formerly conquered or dependent territories.
Anti-colonialism- Resistance to and action against colonizing powers by the colonized. Can be formal organizations or more decentralized movements. Often referred to as decolonialism.
Post-colonialism- Can refer to a specific historical period of any given place or region after one defined by imperialism or colonialism, or to a more globalized intellectual and political project of rethinking world affairs in the aftermath of “Western colonialism” from the 1950s through to the present (Western meaning Western European).
World Map of the 3 Worlds Model. © 1998–2006. nationsonline.org
Love her or hate her, Oprah Winfrey redefined American television, book clubs, wealth, and, arguably, Blackness.
Oprah Winfrey on the first national broadcast of the "Oprah Winfrey Show" on Sep. 8, 1986. The premiere was on the topic of "marrying the right person." Rockford Register Star.
In 1984, Oprah co-hosted on a local show on ABC’s network, called AM Chicago. Winfrey soon became a rising star and the Oprah Winfrey Show premiered nationally in 1986.
Oprah is many things to many different people and her show tackled a range of topics. I’ve linked to a video I found from her show’s first season where she visited Forsyth County, Georgia, where Black people had been barred for over 75 years.
I was not a fan of Oprah before, but I was deeply impressed by her poise and her ability to challenge the people she was interviewing while also allowing them to speak their mind.
Vera Anderson/ Getty Images
Artist: WA Rogers. Political cartoon from the July 21, 1894 cover of Harper's Weekly. It is labeled "The Vanguard of Anarchy" and depicts Eugene Debs, leader of the American Railway Union, being carried on a throne among a procession which carries a standard that states anarchy.
Peter J. McGuire, a founding member of the Brotherhood of Carpenters, is credited with proposing an American labor holiday in September. He suggested to the New York Central Labor Union in 1882 that the first Monday in September be observed in recognition of workers. That year on September 5th the Knights of Labor sponsored a parade in New York City, regarded as America’s first Labor Day.
But the story is much more complex. European socialists and trade unionists collaborated in Paris in 1889 to create the first Worker’s Day as an international holiday and memorial of the Haymarket Riot in Chicago- the world’s first May Day (the worker’s day, not the ancient spring/summer festivals of various cultures).
They were influenced by a decision made five years earlier by the Federation of Organized Trades and Labor Unions of the United States and Canada, later known as the American Federation of Labor. They passed a resolution to fight for the 8-hour work day on October 7, 1884:
“Resolved by the Federation of Organized Trades and Labor Unions the United States and Canada, that eight hours shall constitute legal day's labor from May First, 1886, and that we recommend to labor organizations throughout their jurisdiction that they so direct their laws as to conform to this resolution by the time named.”
Pullman Strike in 1894. Chicago South Side. Original caption: "National guardsmen firing at the mob at Loomis and 49th Street, July 7th. Drawn by G. W. Peters from a sketch by G. A. Coffin." Harper's Weekly 1894-07-21, p. 689. Public Domain.
A number of American states observed Labor Day officially over the next few years. After the Pullman Strike in 1894, where the National Guard shot and killed several strikers, the Cleveland Administration passed a bill making Labor Day a federal holiday as one way to try and quell unrest. It was also hoped by many that this would distinguish the American labor movement from its rebellious European counterpart.
Sources:
Today in 1969 Muammar Al-Gaddafi led an underground network of fellow army officers in ousting the Libyan monarchy and instituting a socialist government.
Below are links to “The Constitutional Proclamation of Libya” and a transcript of Gaddafi’s testimony about the Libyan Revolution of 69.
There are many books and articles that examine Gaddafi and his government- many highly critical- judge for yourself.
PS. Check this blog on Fridays for more “today in history” tweets.