Browsing: Society

A Brief History On May 29, 1733, the colonial government of New France located in Quebec City reaffirmed the right of Canadians (meaning European Canadians, citizens of New France) to own and keep slaves. Digging Deeper Slavery in Canada is a subject often ignored, especially when the topic of escaped slaves from the United States fleeing to Canada is discussed. (No mention of Canadian slavery ever came up when I went to school.) In fact, New France allowed the practice of slavery for 2 centuries, from 1632 to 1834. This area includes New France in what is now the independent…

A Brief History On May 28, 1802, 400 former slaves revolting against the reinstatement of slavery by the French under Napoleon Bonaparte in the Caribbean department of Guadalupe blew themselves up rather than surrender to the French. Digging Deeper Revolutionary France had abolished slavery, but after Napoleon Bonaparte took control of the country his wife, Josephine, herself a native of Martinique, talked the Emperor into reinstating slavery in the West Indies, as slaves were vital to the plantation way of life for the rich French overseers. Resistance to the French authorities was led by Louis Delgres, a mulatto (half white,…

A Brief History On May 26, 1868, US President Andrew Johnson was acquitted at his impeachment trial by the narrowest of margins, one single vote. Johnson had been charged with 11 counts of “high crimes and misdemeanors” by the US House of Representatives and tried by the US Senate, the first time any US President had been impeached. Digging Deeper The next time a US President was impeached was when President Bill Clinton made the blunder of lying to Congress about his sexual relationship with intern, Monica Lewinsky. President Clinton was charged by the House of Representatives with 2 counts…

A Brief History On May 25, 1953, the United States Army conducted a live nuclear artillery test shot, the only time the US ever conducted such a test. Digging Deeper Conducted in the Nevada desert (Nevada Test Site, later renamed the Nevada National Security Site) the test firing and detonation of a live nuclear (fission type) bomb fired from a cannon was called by the code-word Upshot-Knothole Grable.  One of only 4 “gun” type atom bombs ever detonated by the US, the warhead was constructed similar to the “Little Boy” bomb that obliterated Hiroshima in 1945.  It used 2 chunks…

A Brief History On May 23, 2014, a mentally disturbed 22 year old man took his mental illness to a new level by killing 3 people with a knife, another 3 with pistols, and injuring another 14 with gunshots and his car, eventually taking his own life as well, in an incident known as the Isla Vista Killings. Digging Deeper Despite having psychiatric care since the age of 8, Elliot Rodger had not been officially diagnosed with a mental illness, even though he had been prescribed anti-psychotic medicine.  (Is it me, or does that seem like the doctors thought he…