Browsing: Politics

A Brief History On an unknown date in 324 BC, the Macedonian (Greek) King Alexander the Great arranged about 80 weddings in the Persian city of Susa between the daughters of Persian nobles and Greeks of high office.  An astute judge of culture, Alexander regularly acknowledged a conquered people’s customs and culture and attempted to show respect and acceptance for their ways in order to better incorporate the new lands into his empire.  Of course, Alexander also meant to further Greek culture into conquered lands as well. Digging Deeper Alexander had already married Roxana (aka Roxanne or Roxanna) the beautiful…

A Brief History On an unknown date in 495 BC, one of the greatest  Athenian heroes of their “Golden Age” was born, Pericles, the man that came to be known as “The First Citizen of Athens.”  So important and influential was Pericles that his time as leader of Athens is called “The Age of Pericles” (461-429 BC). Digging Deeper Like many truly great men, Pericles was multi-dimensional, and served as a military general, statesman, and orator, as well as being a great patron of the arts and education.  A strong advocate of democracy, Pericles is responsible for most of the…

A Brief History On an unknown date around 638 BC one of the greatest of the Ancient Greeks was born in Athens into a modestly wealthy family of the noble class.   A Renaissance Man before there was such a thing, Solon had many facets and many talents.  Engaging in commerce and in military leadership, he became known for high intelligence and persuasive debate. Digging Deeper Eventually becoming a major reformer of Athenian society, Solon is often remembered as “The Lawgiver” for his wise legislation as Chief Magistrate of Athens starting around 594 BC.  During his time as autocrat of Athens,…

A Brief History On August 28, 1917, ten women who were picketing the White House demanding women’s suffrage were arrested.  Civil rights are measures to protect individuals and groups against discrimination and to ensure that people are treated equally and that freedoms are not taken away.  Such rights should be blatantly apparent and should not require people struggling to achieve them in the first place.  Nonetheless, throughout history people have had to campaign and even fight for their rights. Digging Deeper August 28 has come up numerous times in the 20th century as a date that saw important pieces of the civil rights…

A Brief History On August 26, 1970, the Women’s Liberation movement spearheaded by Betty Friedan held the Women’s Strike for Equality.  The event, under the auspices of the National Organization for Women (NOW), was held on the 50th anniversary of the adoption of the 19th Amendment to the Constitution, the amendment that allowed women in the US to vote. Digging Deeper The idea of the strike, which featured a 20,000 person demonstration in New York City, was to champion equal rights for American women vis a vis employment (both positions and pay), access to abortion, free child care, marriage rights,…