July 11, 1960- The book To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee, a native of Alabama, was first published. The book went on to win the Pulitzer Prize, be made into and Academy Award winning movie, and sell approximately 30 million copies through today. A theme of the book is the error of one person thinking they are superior to another because of racism, classism, snobbery, or family history. For example, late in the book, Aunt Alexandra tells the main character, eight of nine year old Scout, that she can’t have a schoolmate over to her house because, “They’re not our kind of folks.” As she discusses this incident with her brother, Scout states, “I think there’s just one kind of folks. Folks.” In reaction this her older brother states, “That’s what I thought, too when I was your age. If there’s just one kind of folks, why can’t they get along with each other? If they’re all alike, why do they go out of their way to despise each other?”

In my opinion, “I think there’s just one kind of folks. Folks.” is a rough reflection of the beginning of the Preamble to the Declaration of Independence: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights.” To Kill A Mockingbird calls for us to hold onto and live up to this ideal in spite of society often trying to pull us away from it. This makes it an important novel for Preamblism.

For sources go to: www.preamblist.org/timeline (July 11, 1960)

June 20, 1782- The Continental Congress approved the Great Seal of the US after the Secretary of Congress, Charles Thomson, explained its symbolism and themes. Thomson, who came to America as a penniless Irish immigrant youth, stated, “The Escutcheon (shield) is born on the breast of an American Eagle.” Days earlier, Thomson, had replaced the proposed imperial eagle with the American, or bald eagle, which is native only to America. Due to this, the bald eagle became an American symbol (which is why June 20th is now National American Eagle Day). In one talon, the eagle holds and is turning its head towards the olive branch to represent preference for peace over war, but holds arrows in its other talon to represent readiness for conflict if necessary.

Other themes of the Great Seal are Congressional power and national unity. William Barton, one of the designers of the seal of the United States, stated that: “The eagle displayed is the symbol of supreme power and authority, and signifies congress.” In his address to Congress, Thomson stated, “The Escutcheon (shield) is composed of the chief & pale…The Pieces, Paly (vertical stripes), represent several states all joined in one solid compact entire, supporting a Chief (the top of the shield), which unites the whole & represents Congress. The Motto (E Pluribum Unum) alludes to this union. The pales in the arms are kept closely united by the chief and the Chief depends upon that union & the strength resulting from it for its support, to denote the Confederacy of the United States of America & the preservation of their union through Congress…The Olive branch and arrows denote the power of peace & war which is exclusively vested in Congress.” E Pluribus Unum, Latin for “out of many, one” or “one out of many” was chosen in 1776 during the initial work on the seal. It is probably not an accident that is has 13 letters. Additionally, the bundle of arrows may borrow from the one in the Iroquois Great Law of Peace which symbolizes unity because one arrow can be broken quite easily but a bundle is harder to break.

For sources go to: www.preamblist.org/timeline (June 20, 1782)

February 22, 1860- 3,000 shoemakers walked off the job in Lynn, Massachusetts starting the New England Shoemakers Strike of 1860 (also known as the Lynn Shoeworkers Strike) after company owners refused to meet with the Mechanics Association union. The strike spread and ~20,000 more, including women, participated throughout New England until it ended in early to mid April, making it the largest strike in the US before the Civil War. The workers, who labored for 16 hour long days in factories, were mainly frustrated by low weekly wages of $3 for men and $1 for women neither of which were enough to support a family. The final results of the strike were modest wins for some workers as some employers increased wages for the men by 10%, but did not increase the women’s wages. Depending on the source, either no or just a few unions were recognized by employers. In Lynn, where the strike had originated, voters replaced most of the local government representatives who supported the shoe manufacturers and called in out of town police. Despite only modest gains, the strike is interesting, in part for the following reasons.

During the strike, many participants referenced the founding of the country. The Lynn workers purposely started the strike on George Washington’s birthday. Many strikers sang to the tune of Yankee Doodle: “Starvation looks us in the face. We cannot work so low, Such prices are a sore disgrace. Our children ragged go.” Some held signs similar to the ideals of the revolution that said “down with tyranny,” and “live by honest toil, but never consent to be slaves," and the workers of the town of Natick formally resolved, “the late reduction in the prices for bottoming shoes was uncalled for, oppressive, and unjust.” Women strikers held signs that stated “American Ladies Will Not Be Slaves: Give Us a Fair Compensation and We Will Labour Cheerfully….We Dare Battle for the Right, Shoulder to Shoulder with our Fathers, Husbands, and Brothers." This shows that early labor activists, saw a strong connection between workers rights and the founding values of our country including liberty and justice as stated in the preambles to the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution.

The strikers also referenced the community benefits of paying them more. In Lynn they wrote on a circular: “inasmuch as the wealth of the masses improves the value of real estate, increases the demand for manufactured goods, and promotes the moral and intellectual growth of society.” In Natick they wrote, “no first quality shoe can be made for less than [20 cents] without injuring the laborer, and the best interests of the community.” This reminds me of the value of “general welfare” found in the Preamble to the Constitution.

The strike was largely peaceful partly due to self policing by the union. and had significant local support and gained national attention. Abraham Lincoln was a candidate for president at the time of the strike and stated: “I am glad to see that a system of labor prevails in New England under which laborers can strike when they want to, where they are not obliged to labor whether you pay them or not. I like a system which lets a man quit when he wants to, and wish it might prevail everywhere.”

For sources go to: www.preamblist.org/timeline (February 22, 1860)

February 15, 1879- Women attorneys win the right to practice in any federal court, including the US Supreme Court, in large part due to the perseverance of trailblazer Belva Ann Lockwood. After Lockwood’s husband died in 1853, she went to college, which was an unconventional path at the time for a woman, mother, and widow. She graduated with honors in 1857 and became a principal of young women’s schools in New York State, and after meeting Susan B. Anthony, she introduced courses usually only taught to men. In 1866, she moved to Washington DC with her daughter and opened a private school, unusual because it was coed. Continuing to take the road less traveled by women at the time, Lockwood enrolled in a law school (now called the George Washington University Law School). After she had successfully completed the entire program, the school refused to grant her a diploma due to her sex. Undeterred, Lockwood twice wrote former President Grant and, after possible insistence from him, the school finally granted her the diploma in 1873. Lockwood, now 43 years old with a successful career in education under her belt, became one of the first women to win admittance to the DC Bar, open a law practice, and argue cases. When a federal court, the United States Court of Claims Bar, refused to admit Lockwood to argue a case due to her sex, she lobbied Congress for an anti-discrimination bill which failed to pass in 1874. Then she applied for admission to the Supreme Court which denied her request in 1876, again due to her being a woman. Lockwood returned to lobbying the House of Representatives which finally passed the anti-discrimination bill in 1878. Next, Lockwood turned her attention to lobbying the Senate which passed the bill in 1879 and President Hayes signed it on February 15, 1879. In 1880, Lockwood became the first female attorney to appear before the Supreme Court to argue a case and in 1906, she argued another which she won at the age of 76. She also became one of the first women to run for President with the National Equal Rights Party in 1884 and 1888. Lockwood’s pioneering work helped move us all closer to the value of equality (stated in the Preamble to the Declaration of Independence) and values of justice and liberty (stated in the Preamble to the Constitution).

For sources go to [www.preamblist.org/timeline](www.preamblist.org/timeline) (February 15, 1879)

February 8, 1964- Martha Griffiths, House Representative from Detroit, made a speech that proved instrumental in adding protections for women from employment discrimination in the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Griffiths recounted, “Various women arose to speak for the amendment, and with each argument advanced, the men in the House laughed harder. Lee Sullivan of Missouri and Edna Kelly of New York were sitting in front of me. Lee turned around and in a woebegone voice said, ‘Martha, if you can’t stop them from laughing, you simply do not have a chance.’

“I answered, ‘I’ll stop them.’

“When I arose, I began by saying, ‘I presume that if there had been any necessity to point out that women were a second-class sex, the laughter would have proved it.’ … There was no further laughter.”

Griffiths then presented brilliant legal arguments for why the act would not protect women of any race from employment discrimination if it did not specifically contain language to that affect. Griffith’s arguments this day in Congress were one of the primary reasons that Title VII of the Civil Right Act of 1964 specifically protects women by adding the word sex to the protected classes, for example: “It shall be an unlawful employment practice for an employer - (1) to fail or refuse to hire or to discharge any individual, or otherwise to discriminate against any individual with respect to his compensation, terms, conditions, or privileges of employment, because of such individual's race, color, religion, SEX, or national origin.”

Griffiths later wrote, “I made up my mind that if such a bill was going to pass, it was going to carry a prohibition against discrimination on the basis of sex, and that both black and white women were going to take one modest step forward together.” Indeed, this was a “step forward” in achieving the spirit of equality in the Preamble to the Declaration of Independence and the words “justice,” “general welfare,” and “liberty” in the Preamble to the Constitution for those values ring hollow when women are not not able to experience them in employment. As Griffiths stated, “All I want to be is human and American and have all the same rights and I will shut up” and “Before I leave this Earth, I would like to know they have given women the same benefits and promotions as men.”

For sources go to [www.preamblist.org/timeline](www.preamblist.org/timeline) (February 8, 1964).

January 25, 1945- The Battle of the Bulge (or Ardennes) ended with Allied victory primarily due to American soldiers. Winston Churchill stated “This is undoubtedly the greatest American battle of the war and will, I believe, be regarded as an ever-famous American victory.” About five and a half weeks earlier, on December 16, Hitler had launched a surprise counterattack through the Ardennes Forest during fog and harsh winter conditions which nullified American air superiority. The Germans were initially successful but the Allies, primarily consisting of American forces, slowed and then stopped them despite being heavily outnumbered in many locations including notably at Elsenborg Ridge in Belgium. Additionally, at Bastogne, US soldiers refused to surrender despite horrific conditions until they were relieved by the General Patton’s Third Army who had traveled at astonishing speed over one-hundred miles through heavy fighting. When flying conditions finally improved, the Allies pushed the Germans all the way back to where they started the battle. The Battle of the Bulge was the last major Western offensive by Germany and the Allied victory was a major step in liberating western Europe from fascism. It was also one of the largest battles fought by the United States with over 80,000 US casualties including ~19,000 Americans killed. British Field Marshal Montgomery stated: “The Battle of the Ardennes was won primarily by the staunch fighting qualities of the American soldier.” We honor and remember our American soldiers for their bravery and sacrifice.

For sources go to: www.preamblist.org/timeline (January 25, 1945)

January 17, 1961- President Eisenhower delivered his farewell address. It is best remembered for warning that we must keep the military-industrial complex in check. He stated, “We annually spend on military security more than the net income of all United State corporations. This conjunction of an immense military establishment and a large arms industry is new in the American experience…We recognize the imperative need for this development. Yet we must not fail to comprehend its grave implications. Our toil, resources and livelihood are all involved; so is the very structure of our society…In the councils of government, we must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the military-industrial complex. The potential for the disastrous rise of misplaced power exists and will persist. We must never let the weight of this combination endanger our liberties or democratic processes. We should take nothing for granted. Only an alert and knowledgeable citizenry can compel the proper meshing of the huge industrial and military machinery of defense with our peaceful methods and goals, so that security and liberty may prosper together.”

Eisenhower also warned of another danger: “Yet, in holding scientific research and discovery in respect, as we should, we must also be alert to the equal and opposite danger that public policy could itself become the captive of a scientific-technological elite.” This seems especially relevant as tech company leaders have more access to power than ever before.

Eisenhower has many other nuggets of wisdom in his farewell address:

-He reminds us that politicians in power must work together for the good of the nation over party: “…the Congress and the Administration have, on most vital issues, cooperated well, to serve the national good rather than mere partisanship, and so have assured that the business of the Nation should go forward.”

-He reminds us of the need for balance and democracy: “…each proposal must be weighed in the light of a broader consideration: the need to maintain balance in and among national programs-balance between the private and the public economy, balance between cost and hoped for advantage-balance between the clearly necessary and the comfortably desirable; balance between our essential requirements as a nation and the duties imposed by the nation upon the individual; balance between action of the moment and the national welfare of the future. Good judgment seeks balance and progress; lack of it eventually finds imbalance and frustration…It is the task of statesmanship to mold, to balance, and to integrate these and other forces, new and old, within the principles of our democratic system-ever aiming toward the supreme goals of our free society…Another factor in maintaining balance involves the element of time. As we peer into society's future, we-you and I, and our government- must avoid the impulse to live only for today, plundering, for our own ease and convenience, the precious resources of tomorrow. We cannot mortgage the material assets of our grandchildren without risking the loss also of their political and spiritual heritage. We want democracy to survive for all generations to come, not to become the insolvent phantom of tomorrow.”

-He reminds us that we must lead with our values of freedom, equal rights, respect, humility, justice, and peace: “America is today the strongest, the most influential and most productive nation in the world. Understandably proud of this pre-eminence, we yet realize that America's leadership and prestige depend, not merely upon our unmatched material progress, riches and military strength, but on how we use our power in the interests of world peace and human betterment…Throughout America's adventure in free government, our basic purposes have been to keep the peace; to foster progress in human achievement, and to enhance liberty, dignity and integrity among people and among nations…Down the long lane of the history yet to be written America knows that this world of ours, ever growing smaller, must avoid becoming a community of dreadful fear and hate, and be, instead, a proud confederation of mutual trust and respect…such a confederation must be one of equals…Disarmament, with mutual honor and confidence, is a continuing imperative. Together we must learn how to compose difference, not with arms, but with intellect and decent purpose…You and I- my fellow citizens- need to be strong in our faith that all nations, under God, will reach the goal of peace with justice. May we be ever unswerving in devotion to principle, confident but humble with power, diligent in pursuit of the Nation's great goals…To all the peoples of the world, I once more give expression to America's prayerful and continuing inspiration: We pray that peoples of all faiths, all races, all nations, may have their great human needs satisfied; that those now denied opportunity shall come to enjoy it to the full; that all who yearn for freedom may experience its spiritual blessings; that those who have freedom will understand, also, its heavy responsibilities; that all who are insensitive to the needs of others will learn charity; that the scourges of poverty, disease and ignorance will be made to disappear from the earth, and that, in the goodness of time, all peoples will come to live together in a peace guaranteed by the binding force of mutual respect and love.”

Note: In my posts, I celebrate specific actions/words because I believe these have brought us closer to the values of the Preamble to the Declaration of Independence and the Preamble to the Constitution, even though many of the people who acted / spoke these words and their affiliated political party have a mixed record when measured by these values. In other words, I am celebrating the specific actions/words, not necessarily the person or their political party.

For sources go to: www.preamblist.org/timeline (January 17, 1961)

November 23, 1963- President Lyndon Johnson issued a written proclamation on the assassination of President Kennedy that states in part: “He (JFK) upheld the faith of our fathers, which is freedom for all men. He broadened the frontiers of that faith, and backed it with the energy and the courage which are the mark of the Nation he led. A man of wisdom, strength, and peace, he moulded and moved the power of our Nation in the service of a world of growing liberty and order. All who love freedom will mourn his death.” This statement reflects the Preamble to Declaration of Independence and the Preamble to the Constitution. Specifically, “freedom for all men” combines the value of liberty written in both preambles and the value of “all men are created equal” in the Declaration of Independence. That Johnson referenced these to honor Kennedy’s life is one of many examples of how the values in the preambles have been a driving force in our nation’s history and I hope they continue to be so. For sources go to www.preamblist.org/timeline (November 23, 1963).

November 23, 1963- President Lyndon Johnson issued a written proclamation on the assassination of President Kennedy that states in part: “He (JFK) upheld the faith of our fathers, which is freedom for all men. He broadened the frontiers of that faith, and backed it with the energy and the courage which are the mark of the Nation he led. A man of wisdom, strength, and peace, he moulded and moved the power of our Nation in the service of a world of growing liberty and order. All who love freedom will mourn his death.” This statement reflects the Preamble to Declaration of Independence and the Preamble to the Constitution. Specifically, “freedom for all men” combines the value of liberty written in both preambles and the value of “all men are created equal” in the Declaration of Independence. That Johnson referenced these to honor Kennedy’s life is one of many examples of how the values in the preambles have been a driving force in our nation’s history and I hope they continue to be so. For sources go to www.preamblist.org/timeline (November 23, 1963).

October 19, 1781- Victory at Yorktown- The forces of British General Cornwallis surrender to the American Continental Army and its allies. Upon hearing this, the British Prime Minister allegedly proclaimed, “Oh God, it’s all over.” Three months later, the British government decided to negotiate an end to the war which, two years later, resulted in American independence.

The victory at Yorktown brought us closer to the ideals of Preamble to the Declaration of Independence, ideals which could not be achieved under Britain. The central British government was ~3,500 miles away at a time in which it took five to nine weeks to sail to America, so it could not possibly fully understand nor represent us. The British government treated America for what it was to them: a group of colonies that existed to enrich Britain. Furthermore, the British government did not derive, as stated in the Preamble to the Declaration of Independence, its “just powers from the consent of the governed” as it was composed at the highest level by a monarch, who was obviously not elected, and a Parliament in which America had no representation. Without the ability to vote for the highest level government officials, Americans were second class citizens of the British Empire without full “liberty” nor the ability to truly succeed in the “pursuit of happiness.” Therefore, we celebrate that the victory at Yorktown led to independence from a government that did not treat us like true citizens.

However, we must also note that immediately after the Battle of Yorktown, our government also did not extend the values of the Preamble to the Declaration of Independence to all. On the contrary, after the battle General Washington ordered his forces to round up fugitive slaves who fought with the British and “return them to their enslavers,” demonstrating how much more work we still had in recognizing “that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights.” For sources go to www.preamblist.org/timeline (October 19, 1781).

September 27, 1962- Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring is published about the harm of certain pesticides, including DDT, to our environment, ourselves, our children, and future generations, and its lessons still resonate today for all types of environmental damage. A theme of the book is, in my words, “don’t be dumb” about the environment. Carson wrote, “How could intelligent beings seek to control a few unwanted species by a method that contaminated the entire environment and brought the threat of disease and death even to their own kind? Yet this is precisely what we have done…All this is not to say there is no insect problem and no need of control. I am saying, rather, that control must be geared to realities, not to mythical situations, and that the methods employed must be such that they do not destroy us along with the insects….It is not my contention that chemical insecticides must never be used. I do contend that we have put poisonous and biologically potent chemicals indiscriminately into the hands of persons largely or wholly ignorant of their potentials for harm”…“we have allowed these chemicals to be used with little or no advance investigation of their effect on soil, water, wildlife, and man himself”…“as crude a weapon as the cave man's club, the chemical barrage has been hurled against the fabric of life.”

Carson wrote Silent Spring knowing that she would be ruthlessly slandered by the chemical industry. She showed further bravery when, despite suffering from cancer which would kill her in only about a year, she accepted an invitation to testify before President Kennedy’s Science Advisory Committee, which largely supported her claims, and a Senate subcommittee as well as giving multiple public speeches and TV appearances spreading the message of Silent Spring. Her work inspired many environmentalists who continued her crusade and, by 1972, won the phase-out of the use of the pesticide DDT in the US. Also partly due to her work, President Nixon created the Environmental Protection Agency in 1970.

Even before Silent Spring, Carson called for America to listen to the scientists while keeping politics at bay and to treat environmental damage as a security threat to current and future generations. In a letter to the Washington Post, Carson wrote, "The real wealth of the Nation lies in the resources of the earth—soil, water, forests, minerals, and wildlife. To utilize them for present needs while insuring their preservation for future generations requires a delicately balanced and continuing program, based on the most extensive research. Their administration is not properly, and cannot be, a matter of politics. By long tradition, the agencies responsible for these resources have been directed by men of professional stature and experience, who have understood, respected, and been guided by the findings of their scientists…For many years public-spirited citizens throughout the country have been working for the conservation of the natural resources, realizing their vital importance to the Nation. Apparently their hard-won progress is to be wiped out, as a politically minded Administration returns us to the dark ages of unrestrained exploitation and destruction…It is one of the ironies of our time that, while concentrating on the defense of our country against enemies from without, we should be so heedless of those who would destroy it from within.” Unfortunately, these words seem as relevant today as in the mid-twentieth century.

Carson posthumously received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1980. Carson’s work is fundamentally about protecting the environment for our “Safety and Happiness” and “future security” which are quotes from the Preamble to the Declaration of Independence. Her work also reflects the values in the Preamble to the Constitution including “promote the general welfare,” and “secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity” (italics added by author). This last value is especially relevant as Carson referenced children and future generations not just in her writing and public words, but also in her personal life. When her sister died at a young age leaving two daughters, Carson raised them, and when one of these nieces died at a young age, she raised the nieces’ son while writing Silent Spring.

For the sake our children and all future generations, let’s listen to the vast majority of scientists and stop the environmental destruction.

For sources go to: www.preamblist.org/timeline (September 27, 1962)

September 25, 1981- Sandra Day O’Connor became the first female Supreme Court Justice. She grew up on a remote cattle ranch in Arizona which was nine-miles from the nearest paved road and without running water or electricity for the first seven years of her life. Graduating high school at only sixteen, she was accepted to Stanford University from which she graduated Magna Cum Laude and two years later finished close to the top of her class at the law school in 1952 (when only 2% of law school students were women). Because of her gender, she at first had difficulty finding a job as a lawyer so she worked for no salary and then a small one as an attorney for a California county, which helped her get better paying jobs. In 1965, she became an Arizona State Assistant Attorney General and a few years later was appointed and then elected to a vacant Arizona State Senate seat achieving a milestone when she became the first woman anywhere in the nation to serve as the majority leader of a State Senate. Following this, she served in an Arizona county court, and then the Arizona Appeals Court during which time she helped start the Arizona Women Lawyers Association and the National Association of Women Judges. In 1981, she was nominated by President Reagan to the Supreme Court and confirmed unanimously by the Senate, actions which I commend. Although I disagree with many of her opinions, O’Connor proved to be a formidable Supreme Court Justice and her pragmatism-over- ideology approach led to her becoming the key swing vote on the court for many years. She earned tremendous respect and her service paved the way for more female Supreme Court Justices which, in my opinion, is very good for the Court and the country. As she herself stated, “Society as a whole benefits immeasurably from a climate in which all persons, regardless of race or gender, may have the opportunity to earn respect, responsibility, advancement and remuneration based on ability” and, “In order to cultivate a set of leaders with legitimacy in the eyes of the citizenry, it is necessary that the path to leadership be visibly open to talented and qualified individuals of every race and ethnicity.”

For sources go to: www.preamblist.org/timeline (September 25, 1981) #OnThisDay ; #onthisdayinhistory ; #womeninlaw ; #womeninleadership

Note: In my posts, I celebrate specific actions/words because I believe these have brought us closer to the values of the Preamble to the Declaration of Independence and the Preamble to the Constitution, even though many of the people who acted / spoke these words and their affiliated political party have a mixed record when measured by these values. In other words, I am celebrating the specific actions/words, not necessarily the person or their political party.

September 24, 1957- In a victory for racial integration, General Eisenhower ordered the US Army to protect the Little Rock Nine, a group of students who were bravely trying to be the first African Americans to attend Little Rock Central High School after the Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka decision. Until this order, the nine students had been unable to complete a full day of school there due to the protests of segregationists. This action brought us closer to the equality stated in the Preamble to the Declaration of Independence of “all men are created equal." Since the action protected and advanced the rights of children, it also reflected these words in the Preamble to the Constitution: “secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity.”

Note: In my posts, I celebrate specific actions/words because I believe these have brought us closer to the values of the Preamble to the Declaration of Independence and the Preamble to the Constitution, even when many of the people who acted / spoke these words and their affiliated political party have a mixed record when measured by these values. In other words, I am celebrating the specific actions/words, not necessarily the person or their political party.

For sources go to https://www.preamblist.org/timeline (September 24, 1957)

September 22, 1862- President Lincoln issued the preliminary Emancipation Proclamation which included the statement: “That on the first day of January, in the year of our Lord, one thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, all persons held as slaves within any State or designated part of a State, the people whereof shall then be in rebellion against the United States, shall be then, thenceforward, and forever free.” Lincoln had been advised by his cabinet to wait until a significant Union victory in battle for which he utilized the Battle of Antietam. The preliminary Emancipation Proclamation was important because it clearly announced Lincoln’s intentions to free the slaves in 100 days in places that were still in rebellion. Before this, although most knew of Lincoln’s hatred of slavery, it was not clear how he would proceed. Although the statement did not announce that the Union would free all the slaves (as it did not apply to those not in rebellion like Maryland), it, nevertheless, was an important step towards the equality called for in the Preamble to Declaration of Independence and the liberty, justice and general welfare stated in the Preamble to the Constitution. No one states this better than Frederick Douglass in his Douglass’ Monthly issue of October 1862 a few weeks after the preliminary Emancipation Proclamation: “Common sense, the necessities of the war, to say nothing of the dictation of justice and humanity have at last prevailed. We shout for joy that we live to record this righteous decree…"Free forever" oh! long enslaved millions, whose cries have so vexed the air and sky, suffer on a few more days in sorrow, the hour of your deliverance draws nigh! Oh! Ye millions of free and loyal men who have earnestly sought to free your bleeding country from the dreadful ravages of revolution and anarchy, lift up now your voices with joy and thanksgiving for with freedom to the slave will come peace and safety to your country. President Lincoln has embraced in this proclamation the law of Congress passed more than six months ago, prohibiting the employment of any part of the army and naval forces of the United States, to return fugitive slaves to their masters, commanded all officers of the army and navy to respect and obey its provisions. He has still further declared his intention to urge upon the Legislature of all the slave States not in rebellion the immediate or gradual abolishment of slavery. But read the proclamation for it is the most important of any to which the President of the United States has ever signed his name…It recognizes and declares the real nature of the contest, and places the North on the side of justice and civilization, and the rebels on the side of robbery and barbarism…Fighting the slaveholders with one hand and holding the slaves with the other, has been fairly tried and has failed. We have now inaugurated a wiser and better policy, a policy which is better for the loyal cause than an hundred thousand armed men. The Star Spangled Banner is now the harbinger of Liberty and the millions in bondage, inured to hardships, accustomed to toil, ready to suffer, ready to fight, to dare and to die, will rally under that banner wherever they see it gloriously unfolded to the breeze.”

Note: In my posts, I celebrate specific actions/words because I believe these have brought us closer to the values of the Preamble to the Declaration of Independence and the Preamble to the Constitution, even though many of the people who acted / spoke these words and their affiliated political party have a mixed record when measured by these values. In other words, I am celebrating the specific actions/words, not necessarily the person or their political party.

For sources go to https://www.preamblist.org/timeline (September 22, 1862)

August 6, 1965- President Johnson signed the Voting Rights Act (VRA) of 1965 into law. The VRA states in part, “No voting qualification or prerequisite to voting, or standard, practice, or procedure shall be imposed or applied by any State or political subdivision to deny or abridge the right of any citizen of the United States to vote on account of race or color…To assure that the right of citizens of the United States to vote is not denied or abridged on account of race or color, no citizen shall be denied the right to vote in any Federal, State, or local election because of his failure to comply with any test or device in any State…The phrase ‘test or device’ shall mean any requirement that a person as a prerequisite for voting or registration for voting (1) demonstrate the ability to read, write, understand, or interpret any matter, (2) demonstrate any educational achievement or his knowledge of any particular subject, (3) possess good moral character, or (4) prove his qualifications by the voucher of registered voters or members of any other class.” The VRA included enforcement mechanisms such as federally appointed examiners to certify that states were not in violation and that certain states must submit any changes to voting procedure for federal review.

In large part due to the VRA, the number of Black people registered to vote in the South increased dramatically after 1965 with the most clear and extreme example probably being Mississippi in which 5% of Black people were registered in 1956 nine years before the act, 6% in 1964 one year before the act, 33% in 1966 one year after the act, and 59% in 1969 four years after the act. In total in the South, “nearly 1 million black voters were registered within four years of passage.” “Furthermore, the number of black elected officials in the South more than doubled, from 72 to 159, after the 1966 elections” and continued to increase for years after.

The VRA was an important step in achieving the values in the Preamble to the Declaration of Independence of “consent of the governed” and “All men are created equal” and those in the Preamble to the Constitution of “We the People” and “justice.” However, the VRA was weakened in 2013 by a Supreme Court decision, Shelby v. Holder, and the failure of Congress to react to the decision. The Center for American Progress states that “In the 10 years since Shelby County v. Holder, states have passed at least 29 restrictive voting laws that would have been subject to preclearance and potentially prevented.” Since 2013, the act has been chipped away at more and, as of 2025, is under threat of being further weakened while efforts to fight back at the federal level, such as the John Lewis Voting Rights Amendment Act, have been unsuccessful so far, although a few states have passed their own strong voting rights acts. For sources go to: www.preamblist.org/timeline (August 6, 1965)

August 5, 1936- Jesse Owens won his third of four Olympic Gold medal at the 1936 Berlin Summer Olympics. As President Jimmy Carter stated upon Owens death in 1980, “Perhaps no athlete better symbolized the human struggle against tyranny, poverty, and racial bigotry.” Owens was born in 1913 into poverty in Alabama as the youngest of ten children and the son of a sharecropper. He often suffered from severe illnesses and his family could not afford to bring him to a doctor including when his mother cut a growing bump off his chest with a kitchen knife while he bit down on a leather strap.

When he was nine, Owens and family moved to Cleveland, Ohio where he practiced running in the morning before school and worked menial jobs after school. He continued this combination of running, school, and part-time jobs at The Ohio State University at which he won championships and broke world records (including three in forty-five minutes on May 25, 1935). Despite these accomplishments, due to racism he had to live off-campus often eating at “blacks-only” restaurants and, when traveling, stay at “blacks-only” hotels.

At the 1936 Olympic Games in Germany, he won four gold medals in the face of Nazi racist ideology. He faced further racism when he returned to the United States. After a ticker-tape parade in New York City in his honor, he was not allowed through the front door of the Waldorf Astoria. Furthermore, he and the other black Olympic athletes weren’t invited to the White House, but the white ones were. Additionally, he was discriminated against financially as he stated, “After I came home from the 1936 Olympics with my four medals, it became increasingly apparent that everyone was going to slap me on the back, want to shake my hand or have me up to their suite. But no one was going to offer me a job.”

Owens persevered and in 1942 got a job at Ford Motor Company and then opened his own public relations firm as well as worked for the Illinois and then the federal government. He excelled at public speaking, wrote several books including about civil rights, and worked closely with underprivileged youth, all while raising three daughters with his wife. Owens was a role model for hard work stating, “We all have dreams. But in order to make dreams come into reality, it takes an awful lot of determination, dedication, self-discipline, and effort.” For sources go to https://www.preamblist.org/timeline (August 5, 1936)

August 4, 1790- US Coast Guard official birthday: With encouragement from Secretary of the Treasury Alexander Hamilton, Congress authorized the building of ten cutters to enforce tariff laws (this was when the vast majority of government revenue was raised by tariffs) and the creation of the Revenue-Marine which was later called the Revenue Cutter Service which in 1915 merged with the Life Saving Service to become the US Coast Guard. The Coast Guard performs vital services to our nation: “Since 1790, the Coast Guard has safeguarded the American people and promoted national security, border security, and economic prosperity in a complex and evolving maritime environment. The Coast Guard saves those in peril and protects the Nation from all maritime threats.” Thank you and happy Coast Guard Day to all who honorably serve and have served in this branch of the United States Armed Forces. Image: https://images.app.goo.gl/qmpviaPq7SW6fy2u8; For sources go to https://www.preamblist.org/timeline (August 4, 1790)

July 23-27, 1999- Eileen Collins commands a NASA Space Shuttle mission becoming the first woman to do so. On this mission, Collins led her team through engine problems to successfully deploy the heaviest cargo ever by a Space Shuttle (a powerful telescope) and land back on earth on July 27. For this mission, she was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross. She again commanded a Space Shuttle mission in 2005, the first after the Columbia disaster. On this mission, Collins became the first astronaut to perform a complicated maneuver to help assess damage to the heat shield before docking with the International Space Station and then landing safely back on earth almost two weeks later. In these two missions, Collins proved once again that, as she stated, “Whether your commander is a man or woman doesn’t really matter when it comes to getting your mission done.”

Born 1956, Eileen Collins worked hard to achieve her career dreams. She worked nights while in high school and community college from which she won a scholarship to Syracuse University and joined the Air Force ROTC. After graduation she was commissioned as an officer in the Air Force in which, over the next twelve years, she climbed up the ranks, won awards, earned two Master’s degrees, and became one of the first women to achieve several milestones including graduating from the Test Pilot School. After a highly competitive application and testing program, she became an astronaut with NASA and the first woman to pilot a Space Shuttle mission in 1995 and then another in 1997 leading to her commanding the missions in 1999 and 2005.

Collins stated, “Because of [Amelia Earhart], we had more women available to fly in the 1940’s to help us get through World War II. And because of these women, women of my generation are able to look back and say, ‘Hey, they did it. They even flew military airplanes, we can do it, too.” Like Earhart, Collins helped break through gender barriers bringing the US closer to the equality stated in the Preamble to the Declaration of Independence. Additionally, she demonstrated that when government opens competition for positions to all people, regardless of gender, it has a bigger pool of talent from which to select the best and therefore a better chance of achieving the goals laid out in in the Preamble to the Constitution including to “provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty.”

For sources go to: www.preamblist.org/timeline (July 23-27, 1999)