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Letters & Politics seeks to explore the history behind today’s major global and national news stories. Hosted by Mitch Jeserich.
The original Luddites were British weavers and textile workers who objected to the mechanical advancements of the Industrial Revolution. When the economic pressures of the Napoleonic Wars made the cheap competition of early textile factories particularly threatening to the artisans, a few desperate weavers began breaking into factories and smashing textile machines. They called themselves … Continued
As part of an ongoing oral history project Letters & Politics is undertaking, today we bring you the second part of our conversation with Richard Wolff. He explains Marx’s comments on the promises of capitalism. We talk about Marx’s criticisms, praise, and thoughts on the analyses of early economists, as well as the downturns of … Continued
As part of an ongoing oral history project Letters & Politics is undertaking, today we bring you the first part of a conversation with Richard Wolff. He explains how he became interested and learned about Marxism. We talk about the history of his family and how it formed him and how central this theory came … Continued
After saying he didn’t like the chant of “send her back” at his event in North Carolina last week, President Trump doubled down on the four congresswomen, also known as the Squad. In a tweet he said “I don’t believe the four congresswomen are capable of loving our country. They should apologize to America and … Continued
Eugenics is the science of improving the human species by selectively mating people with specific desirable hereditary traits. It aims to reduce human suffering by “breeding out” disease, disabilities and so-called undesirable characteristics from the human population. Early supporters of eugenics believed people inherited mental illness, criminal tendencies and even poverty, and that these conditions … Continued
The Trump administration moved to dramatically limit Central American migrants’ ability to seek asylum at the U.S. border with Mexico, an escalation of the president’s push to stem the flood of border crossers that are severely straining the U.S. immigration system. Under the rule published online on Monday, with limited exceptions, migrants who pass through … Continued
After the National Party gained power in South Africa in 1948, its all-white government immediately began enforcing existing policies of racial segregation under a system of legislation that it called apartheid. The apartheid system made laws forced the different racial groups to live separately and develop separately, and grossly unequally. It tried to stop all … Continued
The Chicago Defender is an African-American owned and operated newspaper founded in 1905 by Robert S. Abbott. It brought publicity to race riots in 1919 and reported on the lynching of black citizens. The paper would also rewrite stories pertaining to its readers with an African-American point of view. Abbott also hired the first female … Continued
States with conservative governments are moving quickly in bringing bills to restrict when a woman can have an abortion. Currently there are about 20 cases concerning abortion restrictions in courts across the country and about 300 bills throughout the state legislatures with similar restrictions. Bringing all these cases to the Supreme Court is part of … Continued
The Farabundo Marti Liberation Front was formed when five politically different organizations joined forces to overthrow the Salvadoran military government. This was preceded by 50 years of military dictatorship supported by the U.S. government and the national oligarchy that kept a vast majority of Salvadoreans in extreme poverty and squalid working and living conditions. The … Continued
