Zinn Education Project

Dec. 18, 1972: Christmas Bombing of Vietnam

Richard Nixon initiated a massive “carpet bombing” campaign in Northern Vietnam, mainly targeting Hanoi.

Dec. 18, 1944: U.S. Supreme Court Rules Against Fred Korematsu; Declares Denial of Civil Liberties Legal

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Korematsu v. United States that the denial of civil liberties based on race and national origin was legal.

Thirteenth Amendment | Zinn Education Project

Dec. 18, 1865: Ratification of 13th Amendment

Secretary of State William H. Seward declared the 13th Amendment to the United States Constitution to have been adopted.

Dec. 17, 1951: “We Charge Genocide” Petition Submitted to United Nations

Paul Robeson and William Patterson submitted a petition from the Civil Rights Congress (CRC) to the United Nations, signed by almost 100 U.S. intellectuals and activists.

Dec. 16, 1965: Students Suspended for Anti-War Armbands

A group of students wore black armbands to school to protest the war in Vietnam. The school board got wind of the protest and passed a preemptive ban.

Dec. 15, 1992: “Civil War” in El Salvador Ended

The “civil war” in El Salvador officially ended, but other struggles followed, including to protect the land and water from gold mining.

Dec. 15, 1791: Bill of Rights Ratified

The first ten amendments to the U.S. Constitution, known as the United States Bill of Rights, were ratified.

Dec. 14, 1985: Wilma Mankiller Becomes Chief of Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma

Wilma Mankiller took office as Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma.

Dec. 14, 1917: Kate O’Hare Sentenced to Five Years in Prison

U.S. peace activist and suffragist Kate O’Hare was sentenced to five years’ imprisonment for a speech denouncing WWI.

Dec. 13, 1903: Civil Rights and Human Rights Activist Ella Baker Born

Born on this day, Ella Baker was a civil rights and human rights activist beginning in the 1930s whose career spanned more than five decades.

Dec. 13, 1872: Reconstruction Era Convening to Demand End to Slavery in Cuba

A meeting was held in New York of abolitionists to address the injustice of continued slavery in Cuba.

Dec. 12, 1870: Joseph H. Rainey First African-American in U.S. House of Reps

Joseph H. Rainey, from South Carolina, was the first African-American to serve in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Memorial of massacre site at El Mozote, Morazan, El Salvador | The Zinn Education Project

Dec. 11, 1981: El Mozote Massacre in El Salvador

More than 800 civilians were massacred by the U.S.-backed Salvadoran Army in El Mozote.

Dec. 11, 1917: Black Soldiers Executed for Houston Riot

“The primary cause of the Houston riot was the habitual brutality of the white police officers of Houston in their treatment of colored people.” —The Crisis magazine.

Dec. 10, 1898: Treaty of Paris

The Treaty of Paris was signed, ending the Spanish-American War. None of the countries that had fought for decades for their freedom were represented at signing of the treaty.

Dec. 9, 1872: P. B. S. Pinchback Becomes Governor

P. B. S. Pinchback of Louisiana became the second Black governor in the United States.

Dec. 9, 1867: Georgia Constitutional Convention

The Georgia Constitutional Convention was held with 33 African Americans and 137 white attendees.

Dec. 9, 1864: Ebenezer Creek Massacre

People who had escaped from slavery and were following the Union Army, were blocked from crossing the Ebenezer Creek, leading to their death.

Jeanette Rankin. Portrait by Robert Shetterly of Americans Who Tell the Truth.

Dec. 8, 1941: Jeannette Rankin Voted Against WWII

Congresswoman Jeannette Rankin was the only member of Congress to vote against declaring war on Japan after the attack on Pearl Harbor.

Dec. 8, 1936: Gibbs v. Broome Leads to Pay Equity for Black Teachers

In an attempt to gain pay equity for Black teachers in Maryland, William B. Gibbs Jr. became the lead plaintiff in the NAACP’s case for pay equity in Montgomery County, a case known as Gibbs v. Broome.

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