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John Miles Lewis Remembered
Congressman and civil rights leader, John Lewis, was remembered today, Thursday, July 30, 2020, at his longtime place of worship, Ebenezer Baptist church. Congressman Lewis, the son of sharecroppers, was born on February 21, 1940 in Pike County, Alabama. Before his service in the House of Representatives, 5th Congressional District of Georgia (1987-2020), he was a civil rights icon. In 1961 Lewis became one of the original Freedom Riders; 13 activists who protested the segregation of interstate transportation facilities, including bus stations, as being unconstitutional. Three former presidents attended Representative Lewis’s funeral; Clinton, Bush and Obama, while President Carter, 95, and his wife, Rosalynn, were unable to attend. The Carter’s…
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Emancipation Proclamation
Juneteenth Emancipation Order June 19, 1865 commemorates the day General Gordon Granger arrived in Galveston, Texas leading the union occupation force and bringing with them the news of the Emancipation Proclamation. Read more about the holiday of Juneteenth: “Emancipation wasn’t a gift bestowed on the slaves; it was something they took for themselves, …” New York Times Opinion Piece Washington Post Article on George Floyd Protest
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WWII Songstress Vera Lynn Dies at 103
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History’s Worst Pandemics
1) Justinian Plague: Started in the year 541 C.E. in Constantinople. 2) The Black Death: Hit Europe in 1347 killing 200 million lives in four years. 3) Great Plague of London: In 1665 100,000 londoners died in seven months. 4) Smallpox: It was not until 1980 that the World Health Organization announced that smallpox was eradicated. 5) Cholera: In the early to mid 19th century tens of thousands were killed by cholera in England. Largely eradicated in developed countries cholera still plagues third world countries because of their lack of access to clean water and an untreated sewer system. Further reading on the history of pandemics
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American Presidential Impeachments
Donald John Trump was impeached for the second time on January 13, 2021. Below is a summary of presidential impeachments in ascending order. In 1868 Andrew Johnson became the first U.S. president to be charged for impeachable acts by the House of Representatives. The 11 articles of impeachment outlined these acts: 1) violation of the Tenure of Office act by attempting to fire Edwin M. Stanton, the secretary of war, 2) influencing a general of the army to violate an act of congress, 3) contempt of congress. Though President Andrew Johnson was impeached, he escaped conviction and removal when the Senate acquitted him by only one vote. Source Richard Nixon,…
