Radical History Blog

Born on this day in 1796, the Irish Chartist Feargus O'Connor was known as "the lion of freedom" “Rise like lions after slumber In unvanquishable number, Shake your chains to earth like dew Which in sleep had fallen on you- Ye are many – they are few.” So went Percy Bysshe Shelley’s rallying cry to the British working classes after the in 1819.

Born on this day in 1907, Frida Kahlo was not just an artist - she was a revolutionary On this day, 6th July, in 1907, Frida Kahlo was born – but she wouldn’t admit it.

Thrown in prison over thirty times, Kwame Ture never gave up the fight against racism and injustice... Many of the greatest figures in US radical history have come out of the black freedom struggle.

Arrested for voting in 1872, Susan B. Anthony put her freedom on the line to fight for suffrage... The US has a long and still unfinished history of voter suppression.

Born on this day in 1844, Charlotte Despard was a radical on many different fronts From childhood, Charlotte Despard (1844-1939) rebelled against convention and authority, running away from governesses and causing real mischief.

Born on this day in 1880, Jeannette Rankin was the first Congresswoman in US history “If I am remembered for no other act I want to be remembered as the only woman who ever voted to give women the right to vote.” - Jeannette Rankin Women’s suffrage in the US was a little peculiar because it didn’t happen all at once.

Born on this day in 1804, Cobden spent much of his life calling out the horrors of the British Empire You hear a lot of nonsense about British ‘history’ these days.

The man who was killed for trying to make the French Revolution even more radical...

Born on this day in 1930, Harvey Milk was the first openly gay American elected to US public office US radical history has always been a coast-to-coast struggle.

What can Mill's flawed vision of freedom teach us about the radical struggle? Born today in 1806, John Stuart Mill didn’t have a normal English childhood… He was speaking Ancient Greek at three years-old and Latin by the age of eight.