history
Past politicians, legislation and political movements have changed the course of history in ways both big and small. Welcome to our blast to the past.
Presidents' Day
Presidents' Day is a federal holiday celebrated on the third Monday in February; Presidents' Day 2022 will occur on Monday, February 21. Originally established in 1885 in recognition of President George Washington, the holiday became popularly known as Presidents' Day after it was moved as part of 1971’s Uniform Monday Holiday Act, an attempt to create more three-day weekends for the nation’s workers. While several states still have individual holidays honoring the birthdays of Washington, Abraham Lincoln and other figures, Presidents' Day is now popularly viewed as a day to celebrate all U.S. presidents, past and present.
By Raneem tarraf4 years ago in The Swamp
Nikole Hannah-Jones, The 1619 Project, and the uncertain future of American History
To many African-Americans, the kind of racist flex being unleashed against the Pulitzer Prize-winning, New York Times journalist, and creator of The 1619 Project, Nikole Hannah-Jones, is by no means our first rodeo.
By Ice Blerd Ben4 years ago in The Swamp
The dystopia of a perfect society
While none of my closest relatives were directly influenced by the Holocaust (my paternal grandparents' families were already in the U.S. by 1932, raising them as small children) I nevertheless feel a deep connection towards those who suffered. Not only am I Jewish (technically 1/2 Jewish through my father's side, but I was able to have a Bat Mitzvah) I am also disabled in a way that mirrors the experiences mentally ill person. Being the latter truly makes me disturbed by the way they treated those who didn't fit in the "perfect specimen" box the Nazis strictly enforced.
By Jennifer Rose4 years ago in The Swamp
Commemorating the Holocaust During the Covid-19 Pandemic
In his famous poem “If This Is A Man,” Italian Holocaust survivor and writer Primo Levi urges readers to “never forget” the crimes committed during the Holocaust and pass the memory of the genocide down to their children. “Meditate that this came about,” writes Levi. “I commend these words to you. Carve them in your hearts, at home, in the street. Going to bed, rising. Repeat them to your children. Or may your house fall apart, may illness impede you, may your children turn their faces from you.”
By George Ziogas4 years ago in The Swamp
Some Not-So-Fun Facts For Slavery Apologists
According to slavery apologists (whom I imagine as a willfully ignorant mob of tiki-torch whites whose questionable grasp of American history is most likely the result of numerous meth lab explosions, inbreeding, and being fed a steady diet of Fox News), Anthony Johnson, a Black man, was responsible for what would eventually become chattel slavery in America.
By Ice Blerd Ben4 years ago in The Swamp
The Anglo-Portuguese Treaty of Windsor
England, on the other hand, helped Portugal in various battles to keep its country away from the Kingdom of Castile in Spain. Perhaps the most famous was the Battle of Aljubarrota, which was followed by the signing of the Treaty of Windsor and the marriage between the kings. Portugal. John I and Philip of Lancaster, British nobles. Anglo-Portuguese relations, in particular, grew during World War I, when Portugal formally joined the war with the Allies in 1916, and Portuguese forces fought alongside Britain in Europe and East Africa. In World War II, Portugal and Britain were on the same side as Portugal allowed the Azores to be used as a base for the Allies. According to the treaty, Portugal fought side by side with its allies in World War I.
By sital Neupane4 years ago in The Swamp
The Day Russia Freed The Serfs
Until serfdom was abolished, to be a peasant in Russia was to be a serf: to work the land for the profit of a master, with no chance of freedom. Unlike a slave, a serf is technically tied to the land, only to be traded or sold when a landowner changes, but in practice, there was little difference between the two.
By R P Gibson4 years ago in The Swamp
The Creative Renewal of the Steel Industry
Recently I published a piece here on Songs About Iron and Steel, originally published at The Guardian. It was part of a weekly game called Readers Recommend. The blog posts a topic every Thursday and readers recommend songs that are about that topic. A volunteer "guru" listens to the nominations and compiles a playlist, writing a column to thread the songs together.
By Marco den Ouden4 years ago in The Swamp
