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#U.S History
racefortheironthrone · 8 months
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Can I ask why the Pinkerton agents get such a bad rap online? All I know from them comes from the Sherlock Holmes novel The Valley of Fear, where they help take down a gang of extorsionist coal miners.
So the Valley of Fear concerns a real-life incident that helped to shape the Pinkertons' reputation: their destruction of the Molly Maguires in the coalfields of Pennsylvania. An early trade union of miners of mostly Irish extraction, the leadership of the Molly Maguires were accused of murder, arson, kidnapping, and a whole host of other crimes by undercover Pinkerton agents who had infiltrated their ranks on behalf of the Philadelphia and Reading Railroad, who the Molly Maguires were fighting over wages, hours, and working conditions. Dozens were sent to jail for long stretches of time, and ten men were ultimately hanged as a result of Pinkerton testimony.
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The fact that the evidence against the Maguires largely stemmed from undercover informants paid by management to disrupt and destroy their organization and other suspect sources of evidence like jaihouse snitches, and that the prosecutions against the Maguires were personally carried out by the CEO of the Philadelphia and Reading Railroad in the midst of labor conflict over who ran the coalfields, has led a lot of labor historians to conclude that the Molly Maguires were stitched up in the courts and that the Pinkertons committed wholesale perjury, acted as agents provocateur to provoke the crimes they then testified to, and caused the judicial murder of ten men.
That was just the start of their long and inglorious history of being the favorite goons of anti-union robber barons: the gun thugs who were outfought at Homestead were Pinkertons, as were the private armies who fought for capital during the Great Railroad Strike of 1877 who had to be once again bailed out by the National Guard. Likewise, their foray into bearing false witness continued with the manufactured confession that named UMW leader Big Bill Haywood as the man who arranged for the assassination of Governor Frank Steunenberg of Idaho.
So yeah, the Pinkertons have earned every last drop of their evil reputation. There is blood on their hands.
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The Chronicles Of History - Goodreads, Instagram, and History Group!
The Chronicles Of History – Goodreads, Instagram, and History Group!
The Chronicles of History now has its very own Instagram page! The page will be exclusively historical images with a major focus on highlighting all the beauty of the past! We don’t really have any followers yet so please check the page out and if you find it likeable, then go ahead and follow us please! Continue reading Untitled
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typhlonectes · 8 months
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putting my prediction on record now that the coming decade is going to see the rise of viral-marketed fancy at-home water filtration systems, driving and driven by a drastic reduction in the quality of U.S. tap water (given that we are in a 'replacement era' where our current infrastructure is reaching the end of its lifespan--but isn't being replaced). also guessing that by the 2030s access to drinkable tap water will be a mainstream class issue, with low-income & unstably housed people increasingly forced to rely on expensive bottled water when they can't afford the up-front cost of at-home filtration--and with this being portrayed in media as a "moral failing" and short-sighted "choice," rather than a basic failure of our political & economic systems. really hope i'm just being alarmist, but plenty of this already happens in other countries, and the U.S. is in a state of decline, so. here's praying this post ages into irrelevance. timestamped April 2023
#apollo don't fucking touch this one#serious post#not a shitpost#hope i forget about this post and have no reason to ever look back on it one day#fyi i'm aware that access to potable water is already a major issue in parts of the U.S. yes i know flint michigan exists#i'm saying that this issue is going to GROW unless local & federal governments work together to fix it.#so it's a matter of if we trust them to fix it. And well--do you?#what are the chances the government just denies there's a problem until the water actually turns brown#at which point it's already been common knowledge for years and people have just become resigned and that's our new normal#i'm mean come on. how many of us already believe that we're being exposed to dangerous pollutants we don't know about and can't avoid#like that's pretty much just part of being a modern consumer. accepting that companies will happily endanger your life for a few pennies#and the most you'll get is like a $50 gift card as part of a class action rebate 20 years down the line#probably the history books will look back on Flint as a warning and a harbinger that went ignored#luxury condos will advertise their built-in top-of-the-line filtration systems--live here and you can drink water straight from your tap!#watch the elite professional class putting $700 dyson water filtration systems on their wedding registry#while the rest of us figure out how to fit water delivery into our grocery budget while putting 90% of our paycheck towards rent#also eggs are $15
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capricorn-0mnikorn · 8 months
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You know what makes me sad?
It makes me sad, and not a little bit mad, that there are disabled people -- even those who are Disability Advocates -- who hate Disability Pride Month because they're convinced it was invented by normate people to make themselves feel better. I suspect that's because it follows directly after June's Queer Pride Month, and, if you are young enough to not remember the history for yourself ('cause we all know it's not being taught n schools), it can feel like a leftover crumb. But it is so, so, not.
If I were Queen of Calendars, I might move Disability Pride Month to April, to commemorate the 504 Sit-in of 1977, especially the occupation of the regional offices of Health, Education, and Welfare in San Fransisco, by over 500 people, mostly disabled (with their personal care assistants). The Occupation lasted 28 Days -- the longest protest occupation of a federal building in U.S. History. Since Queer Pride Month commemorates a protest, maybe Disability Pride Month should, too. The biggest knock against April is the weather is still iffy in much of the country for pride parades and outdoor gatherings.
(Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 was the legal predecessor of the ADA. And no, that's not a typo. Most of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 was passed in 1973, but the one section that outlined rights for the disabled was put to the side, and ignored for four whole years, because it was deemed to be too expensive and confusing to extend civil rights to disabled people. It was the Sit-In in 1977 that finally pushed President Carter to sign it, and make it law).
Here's a retrospective report on the Sit-In from CBS news, that aired in the '80s (Auto-generated captions):
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(the video is 6 minute, 12 seconds. But the news report ends at 5 minutes 42 seconds)
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yearningforunity · 8 days
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A symbol of resistance
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Charlemagne Péralte
Charlemagne Péralte was a Haitian resistance leader shot by U.S. forces during the 1915 occupation.
After Péralte's death, U.S. troops displayed his body posed in a way that resembled a crucifixion – tied upright with a Haitian flag draped over him. This photo was intended to intimidate the Haitian population.
However, it backfired. The image resonated with Haitians, making Péralte a martyr and a symbol of resistance. There's even a famous Haitian painting called "The Crucifixion of Charlemagne Péralte for Freedom."
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archaeologysucks · 4 days
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I just spent an entire day untangling a knot in a friend's family tree. It turns out that about 100 years ago, some careless researcher accidentally smooshed together two guys with the same name, in spite of the fact that they lived in different states. Even though this person appears on nearly 500 people's family trees on Ancestry.com, and dozens of people have submitted him as their qualifying ancestor for the Sons/Daughters of the American Revolution, no one has ever taken a second look and thought, "Hmm ... it's a bit weird that this feller was still living in Pennsylvania 15 years after he died in Ohio."
Anyway, I think I have it all sorted out now, and I wrote up and posted a document explaining my reasoning, attached to his profile on the tree I made. I hope it is helpful to someone, and that I'm not about to have 100 angry DAR/SAR members show up at my door with torches and pitchforks because I said that their Revolutionary War Soldier Boy ancestor wasn't actually, and they're not as super special as they thought they were.
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usnatarchives · 20 days
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The WAVES of Change: Women's Valiant Service in World War II 🌊
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When the tides of World War II swelled, an unprecedented wave of women stepped forward to serve their country, becoming an integral part of the U.S. Navy through the Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service (WAVES) program. This initiative not only marked a pivotal moment in military history but also set the stage for the transformation of women's roles in the armed forces and society at large. The WAVES program, initiated in 1942, was a beacon of change, showcasing the strength, skill, and patriotism of American women during a time of global turmoil.
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The inception of WAVES was a response to the urgent need for additional military personnel during World War II. With many American men deployed overseas, the United States faced a shortage of skilled workers to support naval operations on the home front. The WAVES program was spearheaded by figures such as Lieutenant Commander Mildred H. McAfee, the first woman commissioned as an officer in the U.S. Navy. Under her leadership, WAVES members were trained in various specialties, including communications, intelligence, supply, medicine, and logistics, proving that women could perform with as much competence and dedication as their male counterparts.
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The impact of the WAVES program extended far beyond the war effort. Throughout their service, WAVES members faced and overcame significant societal and institutional challenges. At the time, the idea of women serving in the military was met with skepticism and resistance; however, the exemplary service of the WAVES shattered stereotypes and demonstrated the invaluable contributions women could make in traditionally male-dominated fields. Their work during the war not only contributed significantly to the Allies' victory but also laid the groundwork for the integration of women into the regular armed forces.
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The legacy of the WAVES program is a testament to the courage and determination of the women who served. Their contributions went largely unrecognized for many years, but the program's impact on military and gender norms has been profound. The WAVES paved the way for future generations of women in the military, demonstrating that service and sacrifice know no gender. Today, women serve in all branches of the U.S. military, in roles ranging from combat positions to high-ranking officers, thanks in no small part to the trail blazed by the WAVES.
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The WAVES program was more than just a wartime necessity; it was a watershed moment in the history of women's rights and military service. The women of WAVES not only supported the United States during a critical period but also propelled forward the conversation about gender equality in the armed forces and beyond. Their legacy is a reminder of the strength and resilience of women who rise to the challenge, breaking barriers and making waves in pursuit of a better world.
Read more: https://prologue.blogs.archives.gov/2023/11/06/historic-staff-spotlight-eunice-whyte-navy-veteran-of-both-world-wars/
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thatsbelievable · 5 months
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deadpresidents · 4 months
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Just to point out that while George Santos was finally expelled from the U.S. House of Representatives after being charged with 23 felony crimes, committing astounding levels of fraud, and fabricating absolutely stupid amounts of his background, it still required the heavy-lifting of Democratic members to close the deal, and a majority of Republicans voted to allow him to remain.
House Speaker Mike Johnson -- who was unanimously elected as the Republican leader of the House by GOP members in October -- continued to demonstrate his moral leadership by voting to let Santos hold on to his seat in Congress.
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Guessing not the only one, but I just toke it for granted that Ulysses S. Grant was a hard drinker. Now learning it was often exaggerated by his rivals and the press during his lifetime, but especially grew in the rise of "Lost Cause" movement?
It certainly was exaggerated, but Grant was a (mostly functional) alcoholic who had a tendency to hit the bottle hard when he was depressed (something he suffered from pretty badly, and arguably his alcoholism was a form of self-medication) or bored or frustrated or isolated. However, he was capable of going cold turkey for long periods of time when he had a good support system around him (most notably his wife, and his aide-de-camp Rawlins, whose presence could keep him clean). Despite what was alleged in the press, Grant never drank during combat - indeed, it tended to be during periods of inactivity that his alcoholism manifested, likely due to that exacerbating his depression.
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samanthajameswriter · 2 years
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U.S History | The Underground Railroad & Harriet Tubman's Fight To Free The Enslaved
U.S History | The Underground Railroad & Harriet Tubman’s Fight To Free The Enslaved
“I was the conductor of the Underground Railroad for eight years, — I never ran my train off the track and I never lost a passenger… If you hear the dogs, keep going. If you see the torches in the woods, keep going. If there’s shouting after you… Don’t ever stop. Keep going. If you want a taste of freedom, keep going.” – Harriet Tubman (more…)
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typhlonectes · 1 year
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lonestarflight · 9 days
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Vought OS2U Kingfisher taxiing after making a water landing near Naval Air Station Jacksonville, Florida.
Date: March 1943
United States Navy National Museum of Naval Aviation: link, link
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todaysdocument · 7 months
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1st Lieutenant James Reese Europe and the 369th Infantry Regiment Band (the Harlem Hellfighters) play for patients in the American Red Cross Hospital No. 9, Paris, France, September 4, 1918.
Record Group 111: Records of the Office of the Chief Signal Officer
Series: Photographs of American Military Activities
Image description: 1st Lieutenant Europe conducts a brass band who are standing in rows outside a building. All of the men are wearing WWI Army uniforms. A sign in the background reads HOTEL TUNIS. This regiment, the “Harlem Hellfighters,” was made up of all Black soldiers. 
Transcription:
SUBJECT: 111SC 218880
NUMBER E
see 20417
2nd Lt. G. E. Stone, S.C.
PHOTOGRAPHER
REC'D 10-14-18
TAKEN 9-4-18
FIRST LT. JAMES E. EUROPE OF the 369th Regt. Inf. playing for the patients of Hospital No. 9. Sgt. Wood Andrews is the first musician on the right and plays the slide trombone. American Red Cross Hospital No. 9, Paris, France.
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tybarious-ii · 2 months
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President Franklin D. Roosevelt Seated in Jeep with Hat over his Heart, Reviewing Troops with General George Patton, Casablanca.
Date: January 18, 1943
NARA: 6728535
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