May 19, 1930: Lorraine Hansberry Born
Lorraine Hansberry was an author and activist who wrote “A Raisin in the Sun.”
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Period: 1920
Prosperity, Depression, & World War II: 1920 – 1944
May 20, 1943: The Battle of Attu
The Battle of Attu was fought between U.S. and Japanese forces, with Attu villagers taken as prisoners of war.
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May 25, 1934: Minneapolis Teamsters Strike
The Minneapolis Teamsters Strike of 1934 was settled with union recognition and reinstatement for all fired workers.
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May 26, 1937: Battle of the Overpass
Union members were beaten by Ford Motor Co. reps for distributing leaflets in the Battle of the Overpass.
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May 29, 1941: Disney Animators’ Strike
Disney animators went on strike and demanded unionization.
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July 1, 1929: Streetcar Workers Strike in New Orleans
More than 1,000 streetcar workers went on strike in New Orleans.
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July 5, 1935: National Labor Relations Act Passed
The National Labor Relations Act was signed into law.
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Oct. 17, 1920: Marie Equi Jailed
Marie Equi entered San Quentin prison to serve a one-year term for her anti-war protests.
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Oct. 18, 1929: The Persons Case
The Persons Case, a legal milestone in Canada, established the right of women to sit in the Senate of Canada.
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Deportations on Trial: Mexican Americans During the Great Depression
Teaching Activity. By Ursula Wolfe-Rocca.
In this role play students analyze who is to blame for the illegal, mass deportations of Mexican Americans and immigrants during the Great Depression.
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In this role play students analyze who is to blame for the illegal, mass deportations of Mexican Americans and immigrants during the Great Depression.
July 30, 1920: Lynching of Sergeant Edgar Caldwell
Sergeant Edgar Caldwell, a Black man, was hanged before a crowd of spectators in the yard of the Calhoun County jail for riding in a white streetcar.
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Jan. 5, 1931: Lemon Grove Incident
Mexican-American students were barred from attending their local elementary school. The parents took the school district to court.
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Jan. 31, 1938: Emma Tenayuca Leads Pecan Sheller Strike
Tenayuca was known as “La Pasionaria de Texas” for her commitment to justice for Mexican American laborers.
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Jazz Owls: A Novel of the Zoot Suit Riots
Book — Historical fiction. By Margarita Engle. 2018. 192 pages.
A novel that uses free verse to tell the story of the 1943 Zoot Suit (or Sailor) Riots through a wide range of characters.
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A novel that uses free verse to tell the story of the 1943 Zoot Suit (or Sailor) Riots through a wide range of characters.
Dec. 23, 1944: The Case of Eddie Slovik
General Dwight Eisenhower endorsed the finding of a court-martial in the case of Eddie Slovik, who deserted from the U.S. Army during World War II.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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Feb. 26, 1931: La Placita Raid
Immigration agents raided La Placita Park where they arrested and deported dozens of Mexican Americans.
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The Untold History of the United States: Young Readers Editions, Vols 1 (1898-1945) & 2 (1945-1962)
Book — Non-fiction. By Oliver Stone and Peter Kuznick. Adapted by Susan Campbell Bartoletti and Eric S. Singer. Vol 1. 2014. 400 pages. Vol 2. 2019. 320 pages.
These are two volumes of illustrated histories, adapted for students from a documentary book and film of the same name.
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These are two volumes of illustrated histories, adapted for students from a documentary book and film of the same name.
Red Summer: The Summer of 1919 and the Awakening of Black America
Book — Non-fiction. By Cameron McWhirter. 2012. 368 pages.
A chronicle of white supremacist violence in major U.S. cities across the nation after World War I.
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A chronicle of white supremacist violence in major U.S. cities across the nation after World War I.
May 30, 1942: Fred Korematsu Arrested
Fred Korematsu was arrested on a street corner in San Leandro, California for resisting Executive Order 9066, in which all people of Japanese descent were incarcerated in U.S. concentration camps.
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June 22, 1944: GI Bill Signed
President Roosevelt signed the Servicemen’s Readjustment Act (USA), known as the GI Bill, to provide financial aid to veterans returning from WW II. White supremacy prevented equal access to those benefits.
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Who Made the New Deal? The Economic Recovery Conference Role Play
Teaching Activity. By Adam Sanchez. Rethinking Schools.
Through role play, students explore how different social groups influenced New Deal legislation.
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Through role play, students explore how different social groups influenced New Deal legislation.