Radical History Blog

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.

Begun on this day in 1894, the Pullman Strike was one of the most significant strike actions in US history “It seems to me that if it were not for resistance to degrading conditions, the tendency of our whole civilization would be downward; after a while we would reach the point where there would be no resistance, and slavery would come.” – Eugene Debs, 1894 By the 1890s, the US was being turned into an industrial powerhouse at breakneck speed.

Born on this day in 1921, Daniel Berrigan was a tireless campaigner for peace and justice “Our apologies, good friends, for the fracture of good order, the burning of paper instead of children.” So said the Reverend Daniel Berrigan after burning 378 draft files in Catonsville, Maryland.

When we think of the Civil Rights Movement we think of the United States - but it happened here too...'s refusal to leave her seat in 1955 made waves not just across the United States, but also across the world.

Born on this day in 1822, Ulysses S. Grant used his presidency to fight for racial equality... A photograph from the 1869 Inauguration of Ulysses S.