NewsInHistory Blog

In post-Reconstruction America, especially in the Deep South, laws designed to separate the white and black races were common. This separation received legal sanction from the highest court in the land when, on May 18, 1896, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in its Plessy v. Ferguson decision that racial segregation was constitutional, paving the way for a legion of “Jim Crow” laws in the South that legally separated blacks from white services and facilities. read more...

It was the epitome of the “landmark” ruling—a Supreme Court decision so profound that it forever changed life in America. On May 17, 1954, the Court announced its Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka decision, ruling that segregation in public schools was unconstitutional. This unanimous Supreme Court ruling overturned the established “separate but equal” doctrine, opening up the path to integration and giving the Civil Rights Movement a solid legal foundation. read more...

Amelia Earhart electrified the world during the 1920s and ’30s with her daring feats of flying and the many aviation records she set. In 1932 she became the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic—for this 15-hour feat of endurance and pluck she became the first woman to receive the Distinguished Flying Cross. read more...

On May 13, 1846, Congress declared war on Mexico, beginning the two-year Mexican-American War. From the Mexican perspective, the war was purely an act of American aggression, flimsily based on a pretext that Mexico began the hostilities. Mexico regarded Texas as a renegade province even after the Texas Revolution established the Republic of Texas, and warned the United States not to annex the territory. read more...

It was a proud moment for residents of the eastern half of Minnesota Territory when Minnesota was admitted into the Union as the 32nd state on May 11, 1858. However, the country they entered was in the midst of being torn apart by political turmoil and public discord, primarily over the issue of slavery, and the debate over Minnesota’s statehood reflected those tensions. read more...

Confederate General Thomas Jonathan “Stonewall” Jackson was a demanding and inspiring leader, full of religious conviction and unshakeable faith in his men, often sucking on lemons to help with his chronic indigestion. He was brave in battle, and brilliant in military strategy. Jackson’s death, the result of an accidental shooting by Southern troops at the Battle of Chancellorsville, was a severe setback to the Confederate cause. read more...

Setting aside a day to honor mothers is a tradition celebrated in many cultures and countries, from ancient times to today. In the United States, Mother’s Day became an official national holiday with the signing of a proclamation by President Woodrow Wilson on May 9, 1914. Some form of a mother’s day, however, had been celebrated in America since shortly after the Civil War, begun as small local gatherings of women whose sons had fought each other in the war. read more...

The European nightmare of the horror, violence and destruction of World War II lasted 2,076 days, beginning with Germany’s invasion of Poland on September 1, 1939, and ending when Germany unconditionally surrendered to the Western Allies and Russia on May 7, 1945. Tens of millions of soldiers and civilians were killed, and the evil of the Nazi concentration camps was inflicted upon the world—especially the Jewish people. read more...