Sep
10
2009
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the entire program
James Meredith and Ole Miss
Back in the day on September10th, 1962, the Supreme Court upheld the right of James Meredith, an African-American, to enroll at the University of Mississippi. A student at the all-black Jackson State College, Meredith applied for admission in January 1961. He was promptly denied when the NAACP filed in court saying that the …
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Sep
09
2009
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the entire program
The Attica Uprising
Back in the day on September 9th, 1971, more than a thousand mostly black inmates staged a revolt within the walls of the Attica State Penitentiary in New York. Complaints of worsening conditions in the correctional facility ignited the uprising after an incident the night before involving two prisoners sent tensions over the edge. Inmate …
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Sep
08
2009
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the entire program
Leonard Matlovich
Back in the day on September 8th, 1975, Air Force Sergeant Leonard Matlovich became the first openly gay person to appear on the cover a major U.S. news magazine. The Vietnam veteran was profiled in TIME for challenging the military’s discriminatory ban on homosexuals. Matlovich, who had what was described as an impeccable military record, had …
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Sep
04
2009
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the entire program
The Election of Salvador Allende
Back in the day on September 4th, 1970, Senator Salvador Allende claimed victory in the presidential election of Chile. A perennial candidate, the socialist leader finally won a relative majority of votes against his political rivals. In the historic campaign, Allende formed a broad based coalition known as Unidad Popular – or Popular …
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Sep
03
2009
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the entire program
Frederick Douglas Escapes Slavery
Back in the day on September 3rd, Frederick Douglas made his escape from the bondage of slavery. The great African-American abolitionist, editor and orator boarded a train to his freedom. Dressed in disguise as a sailor with a borrowed Seaman’s Protection Certificate, Douglass nervously approached the train conductor who held his fate in his …
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Sep
02
2009
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the entire program
The Hague Congress of the First International
Back in the day on September 2nd 1872, the Hague Congress of the First International convened. The gathering of delegates was the fifth such congress of the International Workingmen’s Association and undoubtedly its most contentious. Ahead of the meeting at the Hague, the clash between radical philosophers Mikhail Bakunin and Karl …
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Sep
01
2009
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the entire program
The Keating-Owen Act
Back in the day on September 1st, 1916, the Keating-Owen Act was signed into law imposing restrictions on child labor in the United States. As the first federal foray seeking to address the problem, the legislation was limited and indirect in its scope. Keating-Owen sought to limit child labor by regulating interstate commerce. The act …
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Aug
31
2009
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the entire program
The California Sanitary Canning Company Strike
Back in the day on August 31st, 1939, four hundred mostly Mexican women working at the California Sanitary Canning Company walked off their jobs. George and Joseph Shapiro, who owned the large Los Angeles processing firm, refused to bargain with the workers despite their dramatic move coming at the profitable height of …
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Aug
28
2009
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the entire program
The March on Washington
Back in the day on August 28th, 1963, hundreds of thousands of people participated in the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. Black union leader A Phillip Randolph first proposed the idea for a mass convergence on the nation’s capital. With organizational help from various civil rights groups, the planned demonstration faced disagreements …
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Aug
27
2009
The Kellogg-Briand Pact
Back in the day on August 27th, 1928, the Kellogg-Briand Pact was signed in the city of Paris by fifteen nations pledging to halt wars of aggression. In the wake of the ravages of the First World War, the United States and France had originally approached the notion of the pact through a bilateral agreement. U.S. …
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