Setting it Straight: Race and Racism, Minority Groups
Reaching back in time to discover and shine a light on events and peoples whose roles in shaping history may be unknown, misunderstood, or misrepresented.
August 20th, 2012
Written by Russell Roberts in Latest News, Setting It Straight with 0 Comments
Mary Edwards Walker had the bad luck to be born a century too early. Throughout her lifetime, she received severe criticism for practicing medicine and fighting to achieve equal rights for women, things we take for granted today.
Born on November 26, 1832, on the family farm in Oswego, New York, Walker’s father Alvah, a freethinker and reformist, had a profound influence on her, particularly...
July 5th, 2012
Written by Russell Roberts in Latest News, Setting It Straight with 0 Comments
Today the subject of immigration is a hot-button issue and debate on the topic rages all across the political spectrum. Yet this is nothing new in American history. In the mid 19th century, a political party sprang up based on prejudice against immigrants and Catholics: The American Party, popularly known as the Know-Nothings.Several factors led to the rise of the Know-Nothings. Prejudice against...
June 5th, 2012
Written by Russell Roberts in Latest News, Setting It Straight with 0 Comments
Most people know Scott Joplin as the composer of “The Entertainer,” the insanely bouncy tune in the classic Newman-Redford film “The Sting.” Those who dig deeper may also know that Joplin was one of the leading figures of the musical style known as ragtime. However, only a few knew the other side of Scott Joplin – the side that was a confirmed believer in the idea that African-Americans could...
May 2nd, 2012
Written by Russell Roberts in Latest News, Setting It Straight with 0 Comments
Most people have heard of the Battle of Little Bighorn, a.k.a “Custer’s Last Stand.” What they don’t know is how that battle happened as a result of yet another broken treaty between the U.S. government and Native Americans – and how the aftermath of the conflict is still very much alive today.The American Army fought the Red Cloud War from 1866-68. Red Cloud was a Sioux chief who, allied with...
April 5th, 2012
Written by Russell Roberts in Latest News, Setting It Straight with 0 Comments
There were many triggers for the Civil War: Slavery, sectional rivalries, and the assault on Fort Sumter. However, one that is not as well known is the explosive case of Sara Lucy Bagby – the last African-American prosecuted under the Fugitive Slave Act.The Fugitive Slave Act was a lightning rod for controversy in the on-going slavery debate ever since its passage in 1850 as part of the...
Pages
