Listen to this segment | the entire program

The 15th Amendment

Back in the day on March 30th, 1870 the 15th amendment was added to the constitution of the United States. Coming in the post-Civil War era, the last of the “reconstruction amendments” attempted to federalize enfranchisement for black males. Three versions of the 15th amendment were debated in Congress before final ratification. The agreed upon version was moderate as it simply prohibited states from denying the vote on the basis of race, color or having been enslaved previously. Radical Republicans in Congress had foreseen the coming of Jim Crow in advocating for a version that went further in terms of prohibiting states from imposing property, literacy or birth restrictions on the vote. Of course, since that version was not accepted, the South was able to …

“Education costs money, but then so does ignorance.” — Claus Moser.

Our weekly edition is a nationally syndicated one-hour digest of the best of our daily coverage.

Audio Stream | Podcast | Mp3 Download

This week on Uprising:

* Obama Defends Financial Rescue Plan
* Black Agenda Report: Comparing Iraq and Afghanistan
* Ten Years After the US/NATO Bombing of Yugoslavia
* Empire Notes on Afghanistan and the US Economy
* Native American/Native Alaska Women Suffer Epidemic Rapes

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Obama Defends Financial Rescue Plan

President Obama went on the defensive this past week in his second prime-time news conference defending his Treasury Secretary’s plan to save the financial sector with $1 trillion of tax payer money. The President took questions from …

We’ll dissect the President’s newly revealed strategy on the Afghanistan war. And, we’ll examine a sweeping new wilderness conservation bill passed by Congress that is being hailed by environmentalists as “New Dawn for American Heritage.” Plus, Obama’s new budget promises relief for college students – we’ll find out what’s in the details.

Listen to this segment | the entire program

In monitoring the state of American Infrastructure, the American Society of Civil Engineers have assigned an overall grade of D to our crumbling highways, levees, and waterworks. The latest report by the ASCE paints a dismal picture: since it’s last report card in 2005, US infrastructure has actually worsened, particularly in the areas of aviation, public transit, and roads. The group monitors 15 areas of infrastructure, from water works, to schools; the highest grade assigned was only a C+ – in the area of solid waste. They estimate that a $2.2 trillion investment is needed to dramatically improve American infrastructure. While this recommendation comes at a time when federal coffers are being emptied to bail out the financial industry, it also comes at a time when government job creation is …

Listen to this segment | the entire program

John Hope Franklin, the most preeminent and pioneering scholar of African-American history, died Wednesday at the age of 94. As a historian, Franklin’s long life bore witness to many of the most important moments in the history of race relations in the United States. The grandson of a slave, he was born and raised in Rentiesville, Oklahoma where his father’s law office was burned down during the horrific Tulsa Race Riots of 1921. Franklin’s experiences of race hatred informed his studies at the historically black Fisk University. In 1947 he authored “From Slavery to Freedom: A History of African-Americans,” which is still heralded today as the authoritative text on the subject. Not content in merely chronicling black history, Franklin continued to actively participate in helping make it as …

Listen to this segment | the entire program

The word ‘neo-conservative’ has become a part of the American lexicon, particularly during the Bush years. Twelve years ago William Kristol, the editor of the conservative magazine Weekly Standard, joined right-wing foreign policy pundit Robert Kagan in launching a non-profit think tank called Project for a New American Century. Among the group’s charter members were those who later rose to prominence serving in the Bush Administration: people like Vice President Dick Cheney, Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, and his top deputy, Paul Wolfowitz. The Project for a New American Century, defunct since late 2006, was credited with forming a blueprint for US military interventions in the post-Cold War era, thereby increasing American dominance on the global sphere. Now, coinciding with the launch of Obama’s presidency, the idealogues are making …

Listen to this segment | the entire program

Glen Ford is a writer and radio commentator and the Executive Editor of The Black Agenda Report. This week’s commentary is about Obama and Afghanistan.

Visit www.blackagendareport.com for more information.

Listen to this segment | the entire program

The Battle of Horseshoe Bend

Back in the day on March 27th, 1814 the Battle of Horseshoe Bend took place in central Alabama. In the most decisive conflict in the Creek War, future President Andrew Jackson commanded a Tennessee militia backed by native allies against an encampment of Red Stick warriors. Fought along the horseshoe-like bend of the Tallapoosa River, nearly eight-hundred of Chief Menawa’s one-thousand strong Red Stick forces were killed by Jackson’s artillery bombardment and bayonet charge while the others drowned to death. By the summer of 1814, the Creeks were completely defeated and signed the Treaty of Fort Jackson which ceded almost twenty-three million acres of land. This tremendous loss constituted more than half of the Creeks ancestral homeland and the modern state of …

“When imperialism feels weak, it resorts to brute force.” — Hugo Chavez