History classes in school can only teach so much in a small amount of time. It's up to you to learn additional stuff, if you want to. According to MSN.com writer Aria Moore from the page Back in Time Today, here are 19 historical truths you may or may not have learned in school
1. The Tulsa Race Massacre (1921)
-Back in the past, it was not uncommon for cities to have segregated sections. White sections and black sections. Tulsa, Oklahoma was no different. A mob of white people had entered the predominantly black neighborhood of Greenwood in 1921. This region of town was known as the black Wall Street because of the many successful businesses there. This neighborhood was almost wiped off of the map, left a smoldering ruin. Hundreds of people were killed, thousands left homeless. This was considered to be a violent outburst of racial hatred and it was left out of history books for reasons that are unknown. The trauma stayed behind for years
2. The US invasion of the Philippines (1899-1902)
-Coming in hot on the heels of the Spanish-American War, the US entered another conflict. This involved the US laying claim to the Philippines, which didn't sit well with Filipino independence fighters. This war resulted in the death of hundreds of thousands of Filipino residents. Many people were left in the dark about the brutal tactics to win this war. It was a troubling sign of US expansion. It signals how things can look way one but actually happen another
3. Japanese American internment camps (1942-1945)
-Following the sneak attack bombing on Hawaiian naval base Pearl Harbor, over 120,000 people of Japanese origin or ancestry was sentenced to a "war relocation center", better known as internment camps. Places like Rohwer, Jerome, Minidoka, Heart Mountain, Tule Lake and most famously, Manzanar, were the places where these people of Japanese descent were sent. They were considered "enemy aliens" simply because they looked like the people who bombed Pearl Harbor. This unjust act was fueled by paranoia and also racism. Families were torn apart, forced to endure harsh conditions in these camps. They lived in a constant state of fear and discrimination in these camps. This dark time in history left a lasting scar. But, there was hope. Many of the internees showed they were truly patriotic and they were resilient
-And, a very interesting fact is that one of the most famous military units emerged out of the camps. The 442nd Regimental Combat Team, aka the 442, emerged from these camps. This military unit was comprised solely of Japanese men in the camps who wanted to prove they were loyal to the US. Their motto was "go for broke", a phrase they learned from Hawaiian Japanese they were with, who would gamble until there was nothing left. The 442 were the toughest fighters and they became known as the Purple Heart Battalion because of the high number of killed / wounded in action
4. The Wilmington Coup (1898)
-In Wilmington, North Carolina in 1898, a successful coup was mounted. White supremacists overthrew a biracially elected and also legal government. This led to the deaths of dozens of people. This coup was violent in nature and it shows clearly the lengths some will go to ensure a certain type of racial hierarchy. This short-lived biracial government had nothing more than hope for all races to work in harmony. The damage this event left has left an ugly stain and scar on the US democracy system and race relations. This scar took years to heal
5. The US government performing "redlining"
-"Redlining" is the process of marking clearly defined areas where certain minorities are not allowed to be. In the 20th century, federal housing was controlled by redlining. These practices are considered discriminatory, as it targeted black families, preventing them from owning a home. Maps would mark areas as "high risk", which kept investment low. This process of exclusion only highlighted racial discrimination, leaving a nasty scar behind that would take years to heal. Unfortunately, redlining seems to still exist today. It's visible in the many urban landscapes, showing up in the forms of education, health and overall economic concerns. One must understand the process of redlining to help address this concern
6. Operation Paperclip (post-WWII)
-When WWII ended, the US started Operation Paperclip. This operation consisted of recruiting over 1,600 Nazi scientists, including Werner von Braun. They helped contribute to scientific works and discoveries and even advanced technology. The recruitment of these individuals was controversial, at best, because of their past affiliations with the Nazi Germany government. This operation was designed to show that there were complexities in ethics and that they must be faced in pursuit of progress
7. The 1914 Ludlow Massacre
-The National Guard of Ludlow, Colorado attacked coal miners and their families who were striking for better conditions in 1914. This fight between the coal miners, their families and the National Guard resulted in dozens of deaths, including kids. The miners were requesting better working conditions and it was met not with better conditions, but with death, violence and destruction. This clearly shows the struggles of labor people had to contend with in the early 20th century. This resulted in better labor reform and showed that workers would fight for rights
8. The CIA playing an essential role in foreign events
-In the 20th century, the CIA has performed several missions overseas. Including Iran in 1953, Guatemala in 1954, Chile in 1973. These covert, black ops operations were performed with the intention of placing settlements who were favorable to interests in the US and destabilizing the local regions. This interference was created by Cold War politics. Meaning that strategic gains were prioritized over a country's leadership. These missions left a lasting mark on the nations entered, creating long-standing instability and obvious resentment towards foreign policy from the US
9. Boarding schools for Native Americans
-It's always been known that Native Americans would face discrimination. From the 1800s to the 20th century, the children of Native American people were forcibly taken from their homes and families and forced into boarding schools. This process was designed to erase their cultural traces from them, forcing these children to adopt Western values and practices and even language. This loss of heritage, identity and family bonds opened a deep wound in generations of families. This policy affected many, and understanding it today is key for healing
-Ironically, there was something similar to this done in Australia. Children of Aboriginal people were taken from their homes by Australian government and church officials. This was done with the hope of assimilating these children into white society. The children were denied access to the Aboriginal culture, language and heritage. These children taken from their homes would be referred to as "The Stolen Generations"
10. The Trail of Tears
-This aptly named trail was forcibly relocating Native Americans in the name of US expansion. This trail resulted in deaths from disease and starvation. This trail was a sign of US expansion, the government lacking any regard for the rights of indigenous people and sovereign nations in order to gain more land for white settlers
11. US getting involved in slavery after 1808
-There was a ban put into place in 1808 banning transatlantic slave trading. Unfortunately, slavery thrived in the US until 1865. The economy in the South lived on forced labor, supported by both political and economical reasons. This period shows the contradictions in the growing nation, fighting for freedom while also showing people as prisoners. The resilience of these enslaved people showed clearly and played a major role in their liberation
12. Deacons for Defense and Justice
-The Civil Rights era of the mid-20th century was a turning point for the rights of all. The 1950s and 1960s were a turbulent time. Civil Rights violations occurred with a frightening frequency. A group calling themselves the Deacons for Defense and Justice emerged. Initially formed to protect activists from violence from the Ku Klux Klan, this group consisted of armed African American people, they ensured safer marches, safer rallies, providing evidence that resistance could be done peacefully. Their story is one of a fight for civil rights, but done peacefully
13. COINTELPRO (1956-1971)
-The FBI launched a mission called COINTELPRO. This targeted civil rights and activist groups. These groups included the Black Panther Party, Martin Luther King Jr. The whole initiative behind this mission was to disrupt and even discredit these movements. It showed the lengths governments would go to to maintain control of the populations, even infringing on civil liberties. Because of the shadowy nature of this mission, it created greater scrutiny in the intelligence agencies and formed a growing distrust of governmental power
14. Repatriation of Mexico (1930s)
-The Great Depression hit people hard. No one had money or jobs. And it was not just the US that was affected. Many Mexicans and US-born Mexicans, over 1 million people, were deported or forced to leave the US. This mass flooding of people back to Mexico was fueled by scapegoating and discrimination. This was a dark episode in history, showing the recurring pattern of targeting certain ethnic minority groups during times of crisis. It's important to understand events such as these, so as to understand the social issues that happen in today's world
15. Anti-Chinese Violence and Exclusion Acts
-In the early 20th century, there was a law called the The Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882. This law banned the whole Chinese ethnic group from immigrating to the US. This led to massive violence against already established Chinese communities. While in the US, Chinese immigrants faced constant discrimination, yet they made huge contributions to US society. This exclusion act highlights the act of immigration policies deeply rooted in racial bias. Understanding this part of history helps one understand the continuing issues of racial / ethnic discrimination
16. The 1933 Business Plot
-A plot was created in 1933 by a group of wealthy businessmen to overthrow then President Franklin D. Roosevelt. A Marine General named Smedley Butler revealed the plot, which had come to be known as the Business Plot. Despite no one being prosecuted, this revealed tensions between the economic classes and governmental power. This is a strange, but curious part of history. It shows just what can happen when democracy is fragile and it's left with unchecked ambition
17. American Eugenics Movement
-Prior to Nazi Germany performing the act of "removing" any threat to the Master Race, as they called it, removing anyone they deemed "unfit for human life", the US had a sort of eugenics program running. The US would have forced sterilizations of those who were considered "unfit." This movement was rooted in scientific beliefs, seeking to control human reproduction. Policies unfairly targeted certain groups, reflecting barely hidden prejudices. This movement, inspired by Nazi ideologies, shows just how dangerous scientific abuse can be. Knowing this bit of history helps for understanding the debates on ethical research and genetics
18. The role slavery played in the American Revolution
-When Britain offered a friendly hand to enslaved people during the Revolutionary War, offering them freedom, this posed a massive threat to slaveholders. This offer made a major influence on the war, intensifying the fear of emancipation. Individuals who were enslaved were torn between the opposing sides. When one understands the difficult decisions to make in a time like that, it shows the contradictions one faces with the fight for independence
19. The actual effects of the GI Bill
-The GI Bill was a miracle for soldiers returning from WWII. This bill could allow a soldier to go to school if they wanted to. To buy a home. To do almost anything to make their life better after returning from combat. Unfortunately, the systematic racism meant the GI Bill was excluded from black veterans. These veterans were denied access to housing, educational opportunities. This inequality shows that it is important to guarantee that there is no reason why one group is allowed access to things while another is not, despite being in the same role. Understanding this is important for understanding the same opportunities for all veterans, no matter the skin color or race or ethnicity
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