Radical History Blog

325 years ago, an African King was killed in the forests of northern Brazil. He remains one of the great symbols of black liberation in the Atlantic World. Portrait of Zumbi dos Palmares by Pedro Celso Cruz de Souza (Source: Wikimedia Commons).

Today in 1910, three hundred suffragettes marched on Parliament to demand the vote. With immense bravery, they faced down violent attack from the police and right-wing vigilantes in what is known to feminist history as 'Black Friday'.

Today in 1887, the working class from London's East End took a stand for justice in Trafalgar Square and were attacked for their trouble.

Born today in 1913, Albert Camus tried to place morality above all else. Albert Camus in 1957 (Picture: Wikimedia Commons) "The choices we have to make are always essentially moral choices." The legendary British socialist, , once said that.

On the day of Thomas Wilson Dorr’s birth, we remember a little-known chapter in history of American democracy and what it has to teach us about democratic empowerment today. Democracy is never 'won'.

Forty years ago, Salvador Allende (1908-1973) was made President of Chile. Over its short life, his government was nothing short of a renaissance for Latin America.

Today in 1865, black Jamaicans rose up against white supremacy.George William Gordon at Morant Bay (Wikimedia Commons)After decades of courageous activism by characters like Olaudah Equiano and William Wilberforce, the British slave trade was abolished by an act of parliament in 1807.Slavery itself was outlawed two decades later, in 1833.These were immense legislative victories for the cause of emancipation, but the exploitation of black lives was hardly ended by them.In Britain’s Caribbean colonies, nominally freed slaves were forced to continue working for their former masters for several years by a system of ‘apprenticeship’.

Born today in 1888, the progressive Henry Wallace – who came tantalisingly close to succeeding FDR – was one of the best presidents the US never had.There have been few truly good presidents.

Today in 1813, the Shawnee leader Tecumseh was killed in battle while fighting to save his people’s land.

Frances Harper, the unofficial poet laureate of abolition, was born today in 1825.