September 4 Peace Love Art Activism

Native Americans

September 4, 1886: Apache chief Geronimo surrendered to U.S. government troops. For 30 years, the Native American warrior had battled to protect his tribe’s homeland; however, by 1886 the Apaches were exhausted and hopelessly outnumbered. General Nelson Miles accepted Geronimo’s surrender, making him the last Indian warrior to formally give in to U.S. forces and signaling the end of the Indian Wars in the Southwest. [Native Voices article] (see February 8, 1887)

September 4 Peace Love Art Activism

Cold War

Peekskill riot

September 4, 1949: more than 140 attendees at a benefit for a civil rights group were injured in the “Peekskill Riots” in Peekskill, N.Y. The victims were among the 20,000 people leaving a concert featuring African-American Paul Robeson, well-known for his strong pro-unionism, civil rights activism and left-wing affiliations. The departing concert-goers had to drive through a miles-long gauntlet of rock-throwing racists and others chanting “go on back to Russia, you niggers” and “white niggers” [Commentary article] (BH, see Nov 14 ; Red Scare, see Sept 22; Terrorism, see November 1, 1950)

Lucille Ball/HUAC

September 4, 1954: an investigator with the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) interviewed Lucille Ball, star of the enormously popular television show I Love Lucy, on this day. She had registered to vote as a Communist in the 1930s but was not otherwise active in the Communist Party. The I Love Lucy show was the most popular television program at the time, and HUAC was apparently reluctant to publicly challenge her. [LA Times article] (see Sept 8)

September 4 Peace Love Art Activism

Technological Milestone

September 4, 1951: in the first live coast-to-coast TV broadcast, President Harry S. Truman addressed the nation from the Japanese peace treaty conference in San Francisco. (see October 9)

September 4 Peace Love Art Activism

BLACK HISTORY

Claymont High School

September 4, 1952: eleven black students attended the first day of school at Claymont High School, Delaware, becoming the first African-American students in the 17 segregated states to integrate a previously all-white public school. [Community News article] (see Dec 30)

Orval Faubus

September 4, 1957: Arkansas Gov. Orval Faubus called out the National Guard to prevent nine black students from entering Central High School in Little Rock. The Soviet Union used the event to  propagandize tales of the horrors suffered by African Americans. [Faubus NYT obit] [Charles Mingus reaction] (BH, see Sept 9; Cold War, see Sept 17)

Arthur D Shores

September 4, 1963: in Birmingham, AL, terrorists bombed the home of Arthur D Shores, a lawyer who played a major role in desegregation  cases. The home was located in an area referred to as “Dynamite Hill” because there had been almost a bombing a year for the past decade.

Local residents came out of their homes and began demonstrating. Police were called to restrain the demonstration. John Coley, a 20-year-old, was shot in the back of the neck and through his chest. He died later. Police said Coley had burst from the front door of a home firing a gun. A local camera crew denied that the victim had a gun. [Shores NYT obit] (BH, see Sept 9)

Trayvon Martin Shooting

September 4, 2013: Shellie Zimmerman, the wife of George Zimmerman,  presented a petition for divorce in Seminole County in central Florida according to her lawyer Kelly Sims. (see Sept 9)

September 4 Peace Love Art Activism

September 4 Music et al

Michael

September 4 – 17, 1961: a Civil War slave song, “Michael” by The Highwaymen #1 Billboard Hot 100.

Beatles back in studio

September 4, 1962: following The Beatles’ first session for EMI on 6 June 1962, they returned for a second attempt at recording their debut single. This was Ringo Starr’s first recording session with the group. (see Sept 11)

Beatles #1

September 4 – 24, 1965, The Beatles: from their second movie, “Help!” #1 on the Billboard Hot 100. (see Sept 11)

LSD

September 4, 2019: Johns Hopkins Medicine announced the launch of the Center for Psychedelic and Consciousness Research, to study compounds like LSD and psilocybin for a range of mental health problems, including anorexia, addiction and depression. The center is the first of its kind in the country, established with $17 million in commitments from wealthy private donors and a foundation.

Imperial College London had launched what is thought to be the world’s first such center in April, with some $3.5 million from private sources. (next LSD, see Dec 16)

September 4 Peace Love Art Activism

Vietnam

September 4, 1968: the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) delivered the fourth in a series of reports on the anti-Vietnam War movement, entitled “Restless Youth.” The reports had been ordered by President Lyndon Johnson, who was convinced that the movement was supported by foreign governments. CIA Director Richard Helms told Johnson that spying within the U.S. would violate the CIA charter and be illegal, but Johnson ordered him to do it anyway. After their meeting, the secret CIA spying began on August 15, 1967. None of the CIA investigations reported any foreign government support for the anti-war movement. The first three reports were delivered to the president on November 15, 1967; December 22, 1967, and January 5, 1968.

The CIA spying continued and evolved into a larger program, known as CHAOS, which The New York Times exposed on December 22, 1974. Following the revelations — and enormous political uproar — about the CIA by the Times, President Gerald Ford tried to head off Congressional investigations by creating the Rockefeller Commission to investigate the CIA on January 4, 1975, but that effort failed when Congress established its own committees to investigate the CIA and the other intelligence agencies. The Senate created the Church Committee on January 27, 1974, and the House created the Pike Committee on February 19, 1975. (see Sept 9)

September 4 Peace Love Art Activism

Sexual Abuse of Children

September 4, 2003:  Bishop Wilton Gregory, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops rejected a plea from priests to allow married men to join the priesthood, questioning whether such a move would increase the number of priests. This was in answer to a request from about 160 Milwaukee priests. The group, more than a quarter of the archdiocese’s clerics, called in August for opening the priesthood to married men. [CBS News article] (see Sept 9)

September 4 Peace Love Art Activism

Hurricane Katrina

September 4, 2005: in New Orleans, Sgt. Kenneth Bowen and Sgt. Robert Gisevius and Officers Anthony Villavaso and Robert Faulcon jumped in a Budget rental truck with several other officers and raced to the Danziger Bridge in eastern New Orleans, responding to a distress call. (HK, see Sept 9; officers, see January 3, 2007)

September 4 Peace Love Art Activism

LGBTQ

Democratic Party

September 4, 2012: the Democratic Party became the first major U.S. political party in history to officially endorse the freedom to marry in their national party platform when the platform is ratified at the Democratic National Convention. The plank supporting the freedom to marry was the focus of Freedom to Marry’s Democrats: Say I Do campaign calling for the plank. (see Sept 19)

Department of Veterans Affairs

September 4, 2013:  the Obama administration escalated its effort to dismantle federal barriers to same-sex marriages and announced that the Department of Veterans Affairs would immediately begin providing spousal benefits to gay men and lesbians despite a federal statute that limits such benefits to veterans’ spouses who are “of the opposite sex.” [NYT article] (see Sept 7)

Same-sex marriage

September 4, 2014: a U.S. appeals court in Chicago ruled that gay marriage bans in Wisconsin and Indiana were unconstitutional. The decision by a three-judge panel at the U.S. 7th Circuit Court of Appeals bumped the number of states where gay marriage will be legal from 19 to 21. The decision was unanimous.

The Wisconsin and Indiana cases shifted to Chicago after their attorneys general had appealed separate lower court rulings in June tossing the bans. The 7th Circuit stayed those rulings pending its own decision.

During oral arguments in August, one judge appointed by a Republican likened same-sex marriage bans to laws once barring interracial marriage. Judge Richard Posner said they derived from “hate … and savage discrimination” of gays.

The states had argued the prohibitions helped foster a centuries-old tradition. [Washington Post article] (see Sept 22)

James Yates and William Smith, Jr.

September 4, 2015: James Yates, 41, and William Smith, Jr., 33, received a marriage license in Morehead, KY, the first such couple to get one a day after the county clerk, Kim Davis, was jailed by District Court Judge David Bunning for refusing court orders to issue the licenses.

Yates and Smith, Jr. entered the Rowan County Courthouse shortly after it opened, walking through throngs of protesters. Supporters of Ms. Davis yelled Bible passages and held up signs, including one briefly held up by Ms. Davis’s husband, Joe Davis, that read, “Welcome to Sodom and Gomorrah.” (NYT video) (see Sept 8)

Vatican/Kim Davis

September 4, 2018: the Vatican had originally denied that there had been  a meeting between Pope Francis and Kim Davis on September 23, 2015, then admitted there had been a meeting, but that the Pope didn’t know who Davis was. On his date, the Vatican admitted that the Pope did know who Davis was.

At the time Vatican officials had told news outlets that “the meeting with Kim Davis irked Pope Francis,” saying that he didn’t know the specifics of Davis’ situation before the meeting. (next LGBTQ, see Sept 18; next Davis, see Nov 6)

September 4 Peace Love Art Activism

Immigration History

AZ law upheld

September 4, 2015: U.S. District Court Judge Susan Bolton upheld the Arizona’s landmark immigration law after challengers failed to show that police would enforce the statute differently for Latinos than it would for people of other ethnicities.

The ruling could signal the end of the case and give a victory to backers of the 2010 law.  Bolton upheld the law’s controversial requirement that police, while enforcing other laws, can question the immigration status of those suspected of being in the country illegally. The Supreme Court also upheld the requirement, but the law’s challengers continued to try to get it overturned at a lower-level court. [Reuters article] (see Dec 9)

Children/Hotels

September 4, 2020:  U.S. District Judge Dolly Gee said that she would order the Trump administration to stop detaining immigrant children in hotels before expelling them from the United States, a policy enacted during the coronavirus pandemic.

Gee indicated she would rule that the use of hotels as detention spaces violates a two-decade-old settlement governing the treatment of immigrant children in custody.

The Trump administration had been holding migrant children at hotels in several cities in border states, including Phoenix.  [AZ Central article] (next IH, see Sept 10)

September 4 Peace Love Art Activism

FREE SPEECH & Colin Kaepernick

September 4, 2016: National Women’s Soccer League Megan Rapinoe knelt during the national anthem in support of Colin Kaepernick. Before the NWSL match between the Seattle Reign and Chicago Red Stars, Rapinoe took a knee during the national anthem, while the rest of her teammates remained standing. She expressed solidarity with Kaepernick, saying that, as a gay American, she knows “what it means to look at the flag and not have it protect all of your liberties,” and that “it’s important to have white people stand in support of people of color on this.” [USA Today article] (FS & CK, see Sept 9)

September 4 Peace Love Art Activism

Fourth Amendment/Terrorism

September 4, 2019: Judge Anthony J. Trenga of United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia ruled that a federal government database that compiled people deemed to be “known or suspected terrorists” violated the rights of American citizens who are on the watchlist, calling into question the constitutionality of a major tool the F.B.I. and the Department of Homeland Security use for screening potential terrorism suspects.

Being on the watchlist could restrict people from traveling or entering the country, subject them to greater scrutiny at airports and by the police, and deny them government benefits and contracts. Trenga said the standard for inclusion in the database was too vague.

“The court concludes that the risk of erroneous deprivation of plaintiffs’ travel-related and reputational liberty interests is high, and the currently existing procedural safeguards are not sufficient to address that risk,” Trenga wrote. [Read the ruling] (next 4thA, see Nov 13; next T, see January 6, 2021)

September 4 Peace Love Art Activism

September 3 Peace Love Art Activism

BLACK HISTORY

Frederick Douglass

September 3, 1838:  Frederick Douglass escaped from slavery in Baltimore. He later published his autobiography, Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, An American Slave, Written by Himself. Douglas became a leading abolitionist. [text] (see October 1838)

Georgia removes black legislators

September 3, 1868: the Georgia House of Representatives voted to remove black members of that body on the grounds that the state Constitution did not recognize the right of black citizens to hold public office. Of the 29 black representatives, four mulatto members were allowed to hold their seat, while the remaining 25 were removed. Ten days later, the Georgia Senate removed its three black members. Black legislators appealed to President Ulysses Grant to intervene to get them readmitted, which took a year. (see Sept 28)

Cotton pickers strike–mobs kill them

September 3, 1891: African-American cotton pickers organize and strike in Lee County, Texas, against miserably low wages and other injustices, including a growers’ arrangement with local law enforcement to round up blacks on vagrancy charges, then force them to work off their fines on select plantations. Over the course of September a white mob put down the strike, killing 15 strikers in the process. (see Sept 20)

Alabama prohibits interracial marriages

September 3, 1901: Alabama adopted a new state constitution that prohibited interracial marriage and mandated separate schools for black and white children. The state constitutional convention’s primary purpose was to legally disenfranchise black voters and the new constitution included several electoral policies to intentionally and effectively do that.

Because the Fourteenth Amendment prohibited race-based disenfranchisement, the discriminatory policies had to be appear race-neutral but be applied with bias. The constitution called for the appointment of three registrars from each county who were expected to act with an intent to minimize African American voter registration. The constitution’s new registration rules required that voters be able to read and write any section of the United States Constitution and be lawfully employed for the previous 12 months. Anyone who did not meet the employment specification could still register if he or his wife had real estate and possessions taxed at $300. The constitution also included a “grandfather clause,” allowing otherwise ineligible voters to vote with proof that one of their grandfathers had been an eligible voter.

Prior to the enactment of the new constitution, there were approximately 75,000 registered African American voters in Alabama. It was estimated that the new rules would reduce the African American electorate to less than 30,000. Alabama delegates approved the constitution 132-12, with only one Democrat voting against it. Alabama has amended the 1901 constitution since its adoption, but has never held a convention to create a wholly new one. Several of the discriminatory provisions of the 1901 constitution, including the mandate to maintain racially segregated public schools, remain in place today. (see Oct 16)

Emmett Till

September 3, 1955: Till’s body was taken to Chicago’s Roberts Temple Church of God for viewing and funeral services. Emmett’s mother decides to have an open casket funeral. Thousands of Chicagoans wait in line to see Emmett’s brutally beaten body. (see Emmett Till)

September 3 Peace Love Art Activism

Native Americans

Squaw Killer Harney

September 3, 1855: General William S Harney and 700 soldiers took revenge for the so-called “Grattan Massacre” and attacked a Sioux village in Nebraska that left 100 Native American men, women, and children dead. For the rest of his life Harney was plagued with the nickname of “Squaw Killer Harney.” One Sioux boy who witnessed the brutal massacre would never forget or forgive and would take his own revenge 21 years later at the Battle of the Little Bighorn. His name was Crazy Horse.

Civil War/Native Americans

1861 – 1865: native Americans served in both the Union and Confederate military participating in battles such as Pea Ridge, Second Manassas, Antietam, Spotsylvania, Cold Harbor, and in Federal assaults on Petersburg.

Ely Samuel Parker

The most notable Native American to serve was Ely Samuel Parker (1828 – August 31, 1895), (born Hasanoanda, later known as Donehogawa) who was a Seneca attorney, engineer, and tribal diplomat.  He helped draft the surrender documents, which are in his handwriting. At the time of surrender, General Lee mistook Parker for a black man, but apologized saying, “I am glad to see one real American here.” Parker was said to respond, “We are all Americans, sir.” [Native Heritage Project] (see July 12, 1861)

Veronica Brown

September 3, 2013: lawyers gathered with the Oklahoma Supreme Court to discuss who should raise Veronica Brown: a South Carolina couple who have attempted to adopt her since birth or the girl’s biological father, who claimed a federal law requireed that she be raised in a Native American home.

Dustin Brown, the biological father, and Matt and Melanie Capobianco, the adoptive parents, were present at the Oklahoma Supreme Court chambers for nearly 90 minutes but left without comment. (see Veronica for expanded story)

Voting Rights

September 3, 2014: a U.S. District Court judge Sharon Gleason ruled that Alaska state elections officials had broken a federal voting rights law by failing to provide sufficient election information in Alaska Native languages.

Attorneys with the Native American Rights Fund filed a federal lawsuit on July 23, 2013 on behalf of four Alaska Native village councils and two Native men alleging the state violated the U.S. Voting Rights Act by failing to provide translated voting materials for voters who do not speak and read English. [Anchorage Daily News story] (NA, see Sept 24; Voting rights, see September 10, 2015)

September 3 Peace Love Art Activism

US Labor History

Adamson Act

September 3, 1916: The Adamson Act established an 8-hour workday for employees of interstate railroads, with overtime for working longer hours. (see Nov 16)

Hamlet, N.C workers die in fire

September 3, 1991: twenty-five workers died, unable to escape a fire at the Imperial Poultry processing plant in Hamlet, N.C. Managers had locked fire doors to prevent the theft of chicken nuggets. The plant had operated for 11 years without a single safety inspection. [Smithsonian article] (see February 5, 1993)

September 3 Peace Love Art Activism

Vietnam

Military Assistance Advisory Group

September 3, 1950: a U.S. Military Assistance Advisory Group (MAAG) of 35 men arrived in Saigon to screen French requests for American military aid, assist in the training of South Vietnamese troops, and advise on strategy. [Richmond dot edu article]  (see Dec 22)

South Vietnam Leadership

September 3, 1967: Lieut. Gen. Nguyen Van Thieu, the candidate of the armed forces, won a four-year term as President of South Vietnam. [Washington Post obit]  (V, see Sept 10; SVL, see April 21, 1975)

Daniel Ellsberg/Pentagon Papers

September 3, 1971: the White House “plumbers” unit – named for their orders to plug leaks in the administration – burglarized a psychiatrist’s office to find files on Daniel Ellsberg, the former defense analyst who leaked the Pentagon Papers. (Watergate, see June 17, 1972; Vietnam, see Oct 29; see DE/PP for more)

September 3 Peace Love Art Activism

Environmental Issues

September 3, 1964:  from the UPI article: President Johnson today signed into law the wilderness conservation bill — a gift from the present generation to the future of 9 million acres of woodland recreation areas. In a White House bill-signing ceremony, Johnson termed the event “a very happy and history occasion for all who love the out of doors, and that includes me.” Under the wilderness bill, 61 million acres of woodland eventually could be preserved in the same state as when Indians roamed the land. Most of the 9 million acres immediately covered is in the Western states. [LBJ remarks] (see June 22, 1969)

September 3 Peace Love Art Activism

September 3 Music et al

see Donovan/Sunshine Superman

September 3 – 9, 1966: “Sunshine Superman” by Donovan #1 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Herb Albert

September 3 – 9, 1966: Herb Albert’s What Now My Love returns to the Billboard #1 album position.

Ringo returns

September 3, 1968: Ringo Starr rejoined the group. He later stated: I got a telegram saying, ‘You’re the best rock’n’roll drummer in the world. Come on home, we love you.’ And so I came back. We all needed that little shake-up. When I got back to the studio I found George had had it decked out with flowers – there were flowers everywhere. I felt good about myself again, we’d got through that little crisis and it was great. And then the ‘White’ album really took off – we all left the studio and went to a little room so there was no separation and lots of group activity going down.

Although the others celebrated Ringo’s return from Sardinia, there was little for him to do in this recording session, which took place in Abbey Road’s studio two from 7pm until 3.30am the following morning. George Harrison worked alone, recording a backwards guitar solo for While My Guitar Gently Weeps. (see Sept 28)

LSD impregnated paper

In the early 1970s, LSD impregnated paper (“blotter”) first hit the streets. Very quickly the paper began being printed with colorful art.  Blotter paper begins to emerge as the most common form of LSD sold on the street. Previously it had been tablets and powder, but blotter and gel-tabs proved more consistent in purity and potency.

LSD

September 3, 1971 : Albert Hoffman, discoverer of LSD, and LSD’s most vocal proponent, Timothy Leary, met in Lausanne, Switzerland, while Leary was there in exile from the United States. Leary faced a possible ten years in prison for charges related to possession of a small amount of cannabis.(see November 19, 1975)

September 3 Peace Love Art Activism

Cultural Milestone

September 3, 1967: last episode of the TV show The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet airs on ABC. The show is still the longest running live-action (non-animated like The Simpsons) American sitcom in television history (14 Seasons, 435 Episodes). (see Sept 10)

September 3 Peace Love Art Activism

IRAQ

September 3, 1996: the U.S. launched Operation Desert Strike against Iraq in reaction to the attack on Arbil. [Global Security dot org article] (see December 16, 1998)

September 3 Peace Love Art Activism

LGBTQ

Gay marriage ban upheld

September 3, 2014: bucking a nationwide trend, U.S. District Judge Martin Feldman in Louisiana upheld a state ban on same-sex marriage writing that “any right to same-sex marriage is not yet so entrenched as to be fundamental” and that gay marriage was “inconceivable until very recently.” “The Court is persuaded that a meaning of what is marriage that has endured in history for thousands of years, and prevails in a majority of states today, is not universally irrational on the constitutional grid,” Feldman wrote.

Feldman noted that his was the only federal court to uphold a gay marriage ban since the Supreme Court struck down the Defense of Marriage Act in 2013. [NYT article] (see December 13, 2022 re DoMA)

St Patrick’s Day Parade in NYC

September 3, 2014: the organizers of the New York City St. Patrick’s Day parade announced that they were lifting a ban on gay groups participating in the march, ending a policy that had prompted protests, court battles and bitter debate for decades.

The decision to allow a gay group to march under its own banner came as Mayor Bill de Blasio threatened to once again boycott the parade and the organizers faced pressure from employees of NBC Universal, which broadcasts the festivities.

One of the event’s biggest sponsors, Guinness, pulled out of 2013’s parade and more companies had threatened to follow. The Irish government also threatened not to send a delegation unless the policy changed, according to an official familiar with the negotiations.

Christine C. Quinn, the former speaker of the City Council, who was gay and had long fought to have the policy changed, said that the ban had been a personal affront. “To have the parade point a finger and say to me and others, ‘You’re not as good as these other Irish people,’ has been very, very painful,” Ms. Quinn said. “That is now coming to an end.” [NYT article] (see Sept 4)

Kim Davis arrested

September 3, 2015,:  Rowan County (Kentucky) Clerk Kim Davis who refused to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples on religious grounds was found in contempt by federal District Court Judge David Bunning for defying his order to do so and taken into custody. Davis was led away by U.S. marshals.

“The court doesn’t do this lightly,” Bunning said in ordering Davis be taken into custody. “The court cannot condone the willful disobedience of its lawfully issued order….If you give people the opportunity to choose which orders they follow, that’s what potentially causes problems.”

Judge Bunning said Ms. Davis would be released once she agreed to comply with his order and issue the marriage licenses.

Later that day, Davis rejected a proposal that would have allowed her deputies to grant same-sex marriage licenses. Through her lawyer, Davis said she would not agree to allow the licenses to be issued under her authority as county clerk. [NYT article] (see Sept 4)

September 3 Peace Love Art Activism

Colin Kaepernick

September 3, 2018: Colin Kaepernick signed a new, multiyear deal with Nike that made him a face of the 30th anniversary of the sports apparel company’s “Just Do It” campaign. The campaign featured his image with the words, “”Believe in something. Even if it means sacrificing everything” over the image.

Nike would produce new Kaepernick apparel, including a shoe and a T-shirt.

Nike would also donate money to Kaepernick’s “Know Your Rights” campaign. (see Oct 17)

September 3 Peace Love Art Activism

September 2 Peace Love Art Activism

Native Americans

September 2, 1862: the Battle of Birch Coulee. Dakota fighters attacked a detachment of 150 American soldiers. Thirteen soldiers were killed and 47 were wounded. Two Dakota were killed. [MNOPEDIA article] (see September 23, 1862)

September 2 Peace Love Art Activism

US Labor History

Immigration History

September 2, 1885: 150 white miners in Rock Springs, Wyoming, attacked their Chinese coworkers, killing 28, wounding 15 others, and driving several hundred more out of town.

The miners working in the Union Pacific coal mine had been struggling to unionize and strike for better working conditions for years. But at every juncture the powerful railroad company had bested them. Searching for a scapegoat, the angry miners blamed the Chinese. The Union Pacific had initially brought Chinese coal miners to Roc Springs as strikebreakers. Outraged by a company decision to allow Chinese miners to work the richest coal seams, a mob of white miners impulsively decided to strike back by attacking Rock Spring’s small Chinatown. Most of the Chinese abandoned their homes and businesses and fled, but those who failed to escape in time were brutally beaten and murdered. [Politico article] (see Sept 9)

New union

September 2, 1893: the International Brotherhood of Boilermakers, Iron Ship Builders, Blacksmiths, Forgers and Helpers was founded in Chicago. (see February 8, 1894)

Expanded Social Security

September 2,1954: President Eisenhower signed legislation expanding Social Security by providing much wider coverage and including 10 million additional Americans, most of them self-employed farmers, with additional benefits. (see February 8, 1955)

ERISA

September 2, 1974: The Employee Retirement Income Security Act  set minimum standards for most private-sector pension and health plans. It provided key safeguards for employees.

By 1975 union membership had declined to 19.5% of employed workers. The first time it fell below 20% since 1942.  [US DoL article] (percent see January 21, 2011; Labor, see Feb 19)

September 2 Peace Love Art Activism

Vietnam

Democratic Republic of Vietnam

September 2, 1945: Ho Chi Minh and the Viet Minh  proclaimed the Democratic Republic of Vietnam. He paraphrased the U.S. Declaration of Independence: “All men are born equal: the Creator has given us inviolable rights, life, liberty, and happiness!” and was cheered by an enormous crowd gathered in Hanoi.

Shortly after his proclamation Allied troops landed to disarm Japanese forces: the British into southern Indochina below the 16th parallel and Chinese into the north, (The now liberated) France’s Charles de Gaulle, ordered French soldiers to re-establish colonial rule. The British allowed the French to dislodge the Viet Minh from Saigon, triggering war below the 16th parallel. (next Vietnam, see Sept 13; next ID, see April 17, 1946)

Ho Chi Min

September 2, 1969: Ho Chi Min, leader of North Vietnam, died. [NYT article] (see Sept 5)

September 2 Peace Love Art Activism

World War II

September 2, 1945: Japan unconditionally surrendered to the US. (Cold War, see Sept 8; Vietnam, see Sept 13)

September 2 Peace Love Art Activism

BLACK HISTORY

Emmett Till

September 2, 1955:  in Chicago, Mamie Till arrived at the Illinois Central Terminal to receive Emmett’s casket. She is surrounded by family and photographers who snap her photo collapsing in grief at the sight of the casket. The body is taken to the A. A. Rayner & Sons Funeral Home. (see Emmett Till)

Edward Judge Aaron

September 2, 1957: the Klu Klux Klan abducted and mutilated Edward Judge Aaron in Birmingham, Ala. Aaron was walking home when six hooded Klansmen abducted him, castrated him, and poured turpentine into his open wound. The Klansmen taunted Aaron, telling him they would do the same thing to anyone black who sought integration. Joe Prichett, one of the Klansmen involved, was convicted and sentenced him to 20 years in prison. [2014 US Prison Culture article] (see Sept 4)

School Desegregation

September 2, 1963: Alabama Governor George Wallace surrounded the Tuskegee high school with Alabama National Guard troops in an effort to prevent its integration pursuant to a federal court order in Lee vs. Macon County. In response, President John F. Kennedy federalized the Guard and sent it back to its barracks. [ABA Journal article] (BH, see Sept 4; School Desegregation, see Sept 9)

September 2 Peace Love Art Activism

Cultural & Technological Milestones

CBS Evening News

September 2, 1963: “The CBS Evening News” expanded from 15 to 30 minutes. (see February 4, 1964)

ATM

September 2, 1969:  America’s first automatic teller machine (ATM) makes its public debut, dispensing cash to customers at Chemical Bank in Rockville Center, New York. [Smithsonian article]  (see October 29, 1969)

September 2 Peace Love Art Activism

INDEPENDENCE DAY

September 2, 1983:  Northern Cyprus declared itself independent from the Republic of Cyprus. Not recognized by all nations. (see Sept 19)

September 2 Peace Love Art Activism

Hurricane Katrina

September 2, 2005: President George W. Bush told Michael Brown, head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, “Brownie, you’re doing a heck of a job” during a tour of Hurricane Katrina damage in Alabama. (see Sept 4)

September 2 Peace Love Art Activism

Marijuana

September 2, 2013: in a controversial move said to raise funds for a possible war in Syria, President Obama announced plans to auction off all of the marijuana that had been seized in drug raids since he took office in 2008. The auctions were to be held only in states that had legalized the drug and only to users with a medical marijuana card. (see Nov 5)

September 2 Peace Love Art Activism

Nuclear/Chemical News

September 2, 2015: Senator Barbara Mikulski of Maryland came out in support of President Obama’s Iran nuclear accord, the 34th Democrat in favor. Her announcement gave Mr. Obama the votes to assure the deal will survive a Congressional challenge.

“Some have suggested we reject this deal and impose unilateral sanctions to force Iran back to the table. But maintaining or stepping up sanctions will only work if the sanction coalition holds together,” wrote Ms. Mikulski, the longest serving female senator in history.

“It’s unclear if the European Union, Russia, China, India and others would continue sanctions if Congress rejects this deal. At best, sanctions would be porous, or limited to unilateral sanctions by the U.S.”  [CNN article] (next N/C N, see January 6, 2016; next Iran, see September 26, 2017)

September 2 Peace Love Art Activism

Environmental Issues

September 2, 2015: part of the Mississippi River was closed as crews investigated an oil spill caused by the collision of two tow boats, the U.S. Coast Guard said. The collision near Columbus, Kentucky, damaged at least one barge carrying clarified slurry oil. The cargo tank was ruptured, causing thousands of gallons of oil to spill into the river, the Coast Guard said. No injuries were reported.

The barge was carrying approximately 1 million gallons, but the breach was only in one area, affecting just one of its six tanks. That tank holds 250,000 gallons, a little more than 120,000 gallons spilled into the river. The Coast Guard said it was working with the barge owner, Inland Marine Services, and an oil spill response organization. Inland Marine Services referred calls to its public relations person, Patrick Crowley, who did not return repeated calls seeking comment. [Chicago Tribune article] (see Sept 21)

September 2 Peace Love Art Activism

Immigration History

September 2, 2019: the Trump administration announced that it would reconsider its August 7 decision to force immigrants facing life-threatening health crises to return to their home countries, an abrupt move that generated public outrage and was roundly condemned by the medical establishment. (see Sept 9)

September 2 Peace Love Art Activism