Page 40 – Zinn Education Project

Jan. 30, 1868: Speech in Defense of 14th Amendment

U.S. Senator Cragin spoke against delaying the expansion of suffrage. He countered the statements by white Democrats, saying the real reason they were opposed to Black suffrage was because they could not control the votes.

Jan. 29, 1834: Federal Troops Suppress Labor Protest

President Andrew Jackson used federal troops to suppress worker organizing.

Newspaper headline reading "32 Killed in Crash of Charter Plane"

Jan. 28, 1948: Plane Wreck at Los Gatos

A plane crash near Coalinga, California, causing the death of 28 Mexican laborers and others, led to a popular song and belated recognition.

Jan. 28, 1918: Porvenir Massacre

Fifteen Mexican-Americans were killed by Texas Rangers during the Porvenir Massacre.

Jan. 28, 1917: The Bath Riots

A protest of the toxic chemical “baths” required for all workers coming across the U.S.-Mexico border, led by 17-year-old Carmelita Torres.

Jan. 27, 2014: Pete Seeger Died

Folk musician and activist Pete Seeger died (May 3, 1919 – Jan. 27, 2014).

Crosswhite (photo) | Zinn Education Project

Jan. 27, 1847: Crosswhites Escaped to Canada

Several hundred citizens of Marshall, Michigan, helped Adam and Sarah Crosswhite escape slavery and kidnapping and flee to Canada.

Jan. 26, 1944: Angela Davis Born

Born on this day, Angela Davis is a civil rights activist, writer, professor, and a founding member Critical Resistance, a national organization dedicated to the dismantling of the prison industrial complex.

54th Massachusetts (photo) | Zinn Education Project

Jan. 26, 1863: Black Troops Recruited for the Union Army

The U.S. War Department authorized the governor of Massachusetts to recruit Black troops to the Union Army in the Civil War.

Jan. 25, 1972: Shirley Chisholm Began Historic Campaign for President

Shirley Chisholm, the first Black woman elected to Congress, opened her historic campaign for President.

A. Philip Randolph (photo) | Zinn Education Project

Jan. 25, 1941: A. Philip Randolph and March on Washington

A. Philip Randolph, president of the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters union, made the official call for a march on Washington, with the demand to end segregation in defense industries.

Jan. 24, 1874: Arturo Alfonso Schomburg Born

Arturo Alfonso Schomburg, bibliophile, collector, writer, who spent his life championing Black history, was born on this day.