20th Century Archives

April 24, 1971: Anti-War Protests in D.C. and San Francisco

500,000 people demonstrated against the Vietnam War in Washington, D.C.

April 4, 1967: Martin Luther King Jr. Delivers “Beyond Vietnam” Speech

Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his speech in opposition to the Vietnam War, calling for a “revolution of values.”

Feb. 11, 1916: Emma Goldman Arrested

Russian Jewish anarchist Emma Goldman was arrested for distributing materials about birth control in violation of the Comstock Act.

March 21, 1937: Ponce Massacre

Police shot peaceful protesters, killing 19 and wounding over 200 others in Ponce, Puerto Rico.

Lessons from the Heartland: A Turbulent Half-Century of Public Education in an Iconic American City

Book — Non-fiction. By Barbara Miner. 2013. 305 pages.
The history of public education in Milwaukee in the context of the broader story of racism in the rust belt.

COINTELPRO: Teaching the FBI’s War on the Black Freedom Movement

Teaching Activity. By Ursula Wolfe-Rocca. Rethinking Schools. 29 pages.
Through examining FBI documents, students learn the scope of the FBI’s COINTELPRO campaign to spy on, infiltrate, discredit, and disrupt all corners of the Black Freedom Movement.

Teaching Activity by Ursula Wolfe-Rocca

July1 New Orleans Street car | Zinn Education Project

July 1, 1929: Streetcar Workers Strike in New Orleans

More than 1,000 streetcar workers went on strike in New Orleans.

In Their Own Voice: Activists Tell the History of the Civil Rights Movement

Digital collection. The Library of Congress has launched an online collection of oral history interviews with Civil Rights Movement veterans.

Howard Zinn's Southern Diary | Zinn Education Project

Howard Zinn’s Southern Diary Published

The University of Georgia Press published Howard Zinn's Southern Diary: Sit-Ins, Civil Rights, and Black Women's Student Activism by Robert Cohen in September of 2018.

Teaching SNCC: The Organization at the Heart of the Civil Rights Revolution

Teaching Activity. By Adam Sanchez. Rethinking Schools. 24 pages.
A series of role plays that explore the history and evolution of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, including freedom rides and voter registration.

Teaching Activity by Adam Sanchez

What We Don’t Learn About the Black Panther Party — but Should

Teaching Activity. By Adam Sanchez and Jesse Hagopian. Rethinking Schools. 33 pages.
A mixer lesson introduces students to the pivotal history of the Black Panthers.

Sept. 11, 1990: Murder of Myrna Mack

Anthropologist Myrna Mack Chang was murdered in Guatemala by the U.S.-backed military due to her outspoken criticism of the Guatemala government’s treatment of the indigenous Maya.

Clyde Kennard Letter to the Editor, The American, 1959

Article. By Clyde Kennard. 1959.
Letter to the editor the Hattiesburg American about race and integration.

Someday is Now (Book) | Zinn Education Project

Someday Is Now: Clara Luper and the 1958 Oklahoma City Sit-Ins

Picture book. By Olugbemisola Rhuday-Perkovich. Illustrated by Jade Johnson. 2018. 32 pages.
The true story of a teacher who led her students to take direct non-violent action to protest segregation.

Bisbee Arizona 1919 (photo) | Zinn Education Project

July 3, 1919: The Battle of Brewery Gulch

A battle between Black soldiers and the local white law enforcement who targeted them in Bisbee, Arizona during Red Summer.

Daniel Hoskins with guns | Zinn Education Project

July 10, 1919: Beating of Samuel L. Jones and the Longview Riot

The Longview Riot is one example of white mob violence during the period known as “Red Summer.” Photo: Daniel Hoskins at gun repository required by U.S. Marshall to undermine African Americans’ ability to engage in self-defense.

Several Killed in Race Riot, El Paso Herald | Zinn Education Project

May 10, 1919: Charleston White Mob Riot

White sailors ignited violent rioting in Charleston, South Carolina during the Red Summer of 1919. African Americans fought back, in self-defense.

Photo of Will Brown from the "World-Herald," 1919.

Sept. 28, 1919: The Omaha Courthouse Lynching and Riot

A white mob of between 5,000 to 15,000 lynched African American Will Brown. The Army arrested mob ringleaders. Even though photographs identified them, all of the suspects were eventually released.

Aug. 30, 1919: The Knoxville Riot

A group of white people rioted after forming a mob to lynch Maurice Mays, a Black man in custody on for the alleged (with no evidence) murder of a white woman in Knoxville, Tennessee.

Feb. 11, 1990: Mandela Released from Prison

Nelson Mandela was released from prison in South Africa after 27 years.

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.

Photo of striking rubber workers clashing with police in Akron Ohio, 1936

Feb. 16, 1936: Akron Rubber Strike

Rubber workers began a sit-down strike at Goodyear Tire and Rubber Co. in Akron, Ohio.

April 13, 1919: Jenkins County Riot

A riot ensued after Louis Ruffin, an Army veteran, pulled out his gun to defend his family during an altercation between his father and two police officers.

Clyde McKay, Alvin Glatowski, Fred Emery (Photo) | Zinn Education Project

March 14, 1970: SS Columbia Eagle Mutiny

Two U.S. merchant seamen mutinied against the captain and crew aboard the SS Columbia Eagle, as it crossed the Pacific during the Vietnam War.

Poems from a Marshallese Daughter (Book Cover) | Zinn Education Project

Iep Jāltok: Poems from a Marshallese Daughter

Poetry. By Kathy Jetñil-Kijiner. 2017. 90 pages.
Poetry reveals the traumas of colonialism, racism, forced migration, the legacy of American nuclear testing, and the impending threats of climate change.

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