December is always an action packed month, so here goes:
December 1, 1955 the modern American civil rights movement started when Rosa Parks (an African American woman) is arrested for refusing to move to the back of the bus.
December 2, 1859 abolitionist leader John Brown was executed for treason at Charles Town, West Virginia for his raid on the U.S. Arsenal at Harper’s Ferry.
December 6, 1865 – The 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was ratified, abolishing slavery.
December 7, 1941 – The U.S. Naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, was attacked by nearly 200 Japanese aircraft in a raid that lasted just over one hour and left over 2,400 Americans dead. http://www.history.navy.mil/photos/events/wwii-pac/pearlhbr/pearlhbr.htm
December 8, 1980 – Former Beatle’s musician John Lennon was assassinated in New York City. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=moCf_pghM-U
December 16, 1773 – The Boston Tea Party occurred as colonial activists boarded 3 British ships anchored in Boston and dumped 342 containers of tea into the Harbor. http://www.boston-tea-party.org/facts-numbers.html
December 19, 1998 – The House of Representatives impeached President Bill Clinton, approving two out of four Articles of Impeachment, charging Clinton with lying under oath to a federal grand jury and obstructing justice.
December 23, 1913 – The U.S. Congress passed the Federal Reserve Act establishing the Federal Reserve System to serve as the nation’s central bank.
December 25th – Christmas Day, commemorating the birth of Jesus of Nazareth. Although the exact date of his birth is not known, it has been celebrated on December 25th since 336 A.D.
December 29, 1890 – Members of the U.S. 7th Cavalry massacred more than 200 Native American (Sioux) men, women and children at Wounded Knee Creek, South Dakota. http://www.eyewitnesstohistory.com/knee.htm
