Aug. 1, 1917: Labor Organizer Frank Little Lynched
IWW labor organizer Frank Little was lynched from a railroad trestle.
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This Day in People's History
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Aug. 1, 1834: Britain Passes Slavery Abolition Act
August First Day became a symbol of hope for enslaved people and abolitionists in the United States when Britain passed the Slavery Abolition Act in 1834, abolishing slavery throughout its colonies around the world.
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July 31, 1763: Chief Pontiac Wins Battle of Bloody Run at Fort Detroit
Fighting alongside Odawa Chief Pontiac, the unified Native warriors defeated 250 British soldiers during their siege at Fort Detroit during Pontiac’s War.
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July 30, 1975: Massacre in El Salvador
Dozens of high school and university students in a peaceful protest were killed and injured by the U.S. backed Salvadoran police and National Guard.
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July 30, 1920: Lynching of Sergeant Edgar Caldwell
Sergeant Edgar Caldwell, a Black man, was hanged before a crowd of spectators in the yard of the Calhoun County jail for riding in a white streetcar.
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July 30, 1881: Major Smedley Darlington Butler Born
Anti-war activist Major Smedley Darlington Butler was born.
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July 30, 1866: New Orleans Massacre
The New Orleans Massacre occurred when white residents attacked Black marchers near the reconvened Louisiana Constitutional Convention.
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July 29, 1910: Slocum Massacre in Texas
Citizens in the small, predominately African American town of Slocum, Texas, were massacred.
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July 29, 1835: Abolitionist Literature Removed from Post Office and Burned
Late night raid on the Charleston post office by a mob of white supremacists and the burning of abolitionist mail.
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July 28, 1932: Bonus Army Attacked
The U.S. government attacked an encampment of Black and white WWI veterans with tanks, bayonets, and tear gas.
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July 28, 1917: Silent March Down Fifth Avenue
W. E. B. Du Bois and the NAACP organized a silent march in New York City to protest the massacres and lynchings of African Americans.
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July 28, 1914: World War I Begins
The First World War killed roughly 20 million people. Fighting transitioned from mainly human- and animal-powered to fossil fuel-powered technologies and accessing and protecting fossil fuel supplies became part of sustaining a powerful military. The Earth and the environment have suffered ever since.
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July 27, 1919: Red Summer in Chicago
Sparked by a white police officer’s refusal to make an arrest in the murder of a Black teenager, violence in Chicago lasted almost a week. At least 38 people were killed and thousands of Black homes were looted and damaged during Red Summer.
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July 27, 1816: The “Negro Fort” Massacre
The U.S. Army firebombed a fort on the Apalachicola River in Florida.
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July 26, 1950: No Gun Ri Massacre
During the No Gun Ri Massacre, the U.S. Army ordered that all Korean civilians traveling and moving around the country must be stopped.
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July 25, 1946: Moore’s Ford Bridge Lynching
Two young African American couples — one of the men a WWII veteran — were lynched near the Moore’s Ford Bridge.
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July 25, 1898: U.S. Invades Puerto Rico
U.S. troops invaded Puerto Rico at Guánica.
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July 24, 1973: Twelve-Year-Old Santos Rodriguez Killed By Police
Twelve-year-old Santos Rodriguez and his 13-year-old brother David were pulled from their home in Dallas, Texas, handcuffed, and put inside a police car. Santos was killed when one of the officers played Russian roulette to try to force the boys to confess to a crime.
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July 23, 1890: F. M. B. “Marsh” Cook Killed
F. M. B. “Marsh” Cook, a white man, was killed for standing up against the white supremacist 1890 Mississippi Constitutional Convention.
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July 22, 1966: Lawful Demonstrators Threatened by Klan and Police in Grenada, Mississippi
U.S. District Judge issued an injunction ordering police in Grenada, Mississippi to stop interfering with lawful protest. This ruling followed weeks of arrests and beating of demonstrators who had been attempting to desegregate businesses in the town.
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