Protests and Strikes

The United States has a long and diverse history of protests and strikes to represent the everyday man and woman. Protests of the past century range from labor strikes in the 19th century that resulted in people being shot by law enforcement, housewives protesting the high price of food in 1917, garbage workers refusing to haul garbage in 1911, political prisoners in the U.S in 1922, protesters against the passage of the ERA (Equal Rights Amendment) which would have guaranteed women equal civil rights in the 1970's... The list goes on and on, and these photos are but a snapshot of some of these demonstrations and protests from the past.

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was born January 15th, 1929 in Atlanta, Georgia to a Baptist minister and his wife, Alberta. Both father and son were born with the name "Michael" but when the elder Reverend King attended a Baptist conference in Germany in 1934, he decided to change their names to "Martin Luther" in honor of Martin Luther, the leader of the Protestant Reformation. King Jr. grew up in the South and experienced first hand the sometimes subtle and most often brutal racism of that time. Having won accolades in high school for his debating skills, during college he felt "an inner urge to serve humanity" and chose to enter divinity school. Below is a brief snippet of him giving his final speech in the fight for Civil Rights before his death.

Fashionable and dowdy, upper crust and working class, old and young, beautiful and plain, all segments of society and types of women supported the women's rights movement of the 1800's and early 1900's. These are some of the photos, protest signs, and stories of what these women did. They were feminists, abolitionists, lawyers, and writers, speaking out against injustice wherever they saw it.

Long days, backbreaking work, low pay: In the late 19th century and early 20th century, the average American worked 7 days a week, 12 hours a day just to survive. Even children as young as 5 or 6 would work in order to help their families. Imagine working every waking hour just to fill your belly and the bellies of those you loved! Labor unions were created to enforce better wages from businesses, working hours, and even paid vacations for workers. In 1894, Labor Day became a federal holiday as a tribute to the contribution of all of those who labored on behalf of the U.S. These photos highlight some of the tough jobs and working conditions of our ancestors, as well as some of the turn of the century parades in honor of them.