July Events - Today in Civil Liberties History

July

Jul 1

1941

March on Washington Cancelled After FDR Issues EEO Order

1949

Ohio House of Reps. Supports 16 Year-Old African-American Girl, Victim of American Legion Discrimination

1952

Eason Monroe, Fired For Refusing to Sign Loyalty Oath, Becomes Head of ACLU of Southern California

1956

Report Condemns Blacklisting in Movies and Television

1961

New York Civil Liberties Union Fights NY “English Only” Voting Requirement

1970

New York Abortion-Reform Law Takes Effect

1975

David Saxon, Fired For Not Signing Loyalty Oath in 1950, Becomes President of University of California

1985

Pauli Murray, Civil Rights Pioneer, Feminist, Civil Libertarian, Dies

2000

Vermont Civil Union Law Takes Effect

2017

Norman Dorsen, Civil Liberties Giant, ACLU Leader, Dies

Jul 2

1908

Thurgood Marshall, Civil Rights Giant, is Born

1917

Civil Liberties Bureau to Defend Conscientious Objectors, Free Speech in World War I Crisis

1917

Huge East St. Louis Race Riot Erupts

1946

President Truman Signs Japanese-American Claims Act

1964

President Johnson Signs Historic 1964 Civil Rights Act

1965

Equal Employment Opportunity Commission Established

1976

Supreme Court Upholds Constitutionality of the Death Penalty

1979

Supreme Court: No Parental Consent Needed for Abortion

Jul 3

1917

“Slacker Raids” Round Up Alleged Draft Evaders in WW I

1957

Memphis Bans Film “Island in the Sun” For Interracial Theme

1974

“Notorious” Publisher Samuel Roth Dies

1978

Supreme Court Bans Comedian George Carlin’s Seven Dirty Words

1981

First New York Times Article on HIV/AIDS

Jul 4

1776

Declaration of Independence !

1917

“Jails Are Waiting For Them” – New York Times Greets Civil Liberties Bureau

1919

Police Threats Cancel Civil Liberties Bureau Meeting at Carnegie Hall

1951

Cold War Reign of Fear: Madison, WI, Residents Afraid to Sign Petition with Excerpts from Declaration of Independence and Bill of Rights

1965

“Annual Reminder:” First in a Series of Annual Gay Rights Protests

1966

LBJ Signs Historic Freedom of Information Act (FOIA)

1998

“Civil Liberties Line: Do Not Cross” – NYCLU Protests Mayor Giuliani’s Assault on Civil Liberties

Jul 5

1921

Garland Fund Established to Support Civil Liberties in 1920s

1935

Wagner Act: Labor Gains First Amendment Rights, Right to Organize

1947

Larry Doby Integrates American League in Baseball

1952

Loyalty Oath Required for Public Housing

1968

Congress Passes Flag Protection Act

1971

18-Year-Olds Finally Get the Right to Vote

1997

“The Tin Drum” Film Seized as “Obscene” in Oklahoma City

Jul 6

1916

Army Announces Press Censorship Plans in Case of War

1924

KKK Issue Sharply Divides Democratic Party Convention

1976

First Women Enroll at Annapolis

Jul 7

1917

Government Repression Hits Socialist Opponents of War

1917

Suppression of Dissent: “The Masses,” Anti-War Magazine, Held Non-Mailable

1924

Pacifists Denounce War Department Guilt-by-Association “Spider Web Chart”

1948

First Six Enlisted Women Sworn into the U.S. Navy

1976

First Women Cadets Enroll at West Point

1981

President Reagan Nominates Sandra Day O’Connor as First Woman For the Supreme Court

1986

Presidential Power Asserted: The Rise of Signing Statements

1987

Oliver North’s Iran-Contra Testimony Begins; Defends Violations of the Law

2012

Rep. Barney Frank Marries Longtime Partner

Jul 8

1928

Crystal Eastman, Civil Liberties Pioneer, Dies

1939

Jehovah’s Witnesses Parade in Manchester, NH – End in Supreme Court

1953

Eeek! A Virgin! The Film “The Moon is Blue” Premiers in New York

1970

Native-American Tribal Termination “Is Wrong” – President Nixon

1981

Women Golfers Unite! Women Challenge Ban on Mixed Foursomes on Long Island, NY

1986

Attorney General Meese Releases Porn Commission Report

Jul 9

1868

Fourteenth Amendment Ratified

1951

Author Dashiell Hammett Refuses to Provide Names of Contributors to Left-Wing Bail Fund

1953

Joe McCarthy Aide Attacks “Reds in Our Churches”

1959

Massachusetts Unveils Statue Honoring Mary Dyer, Executed for Being a Quaker in 1690

1974

Earl Warren, Chief Justice, Civil Liberties Giant, Dies

1977

Alice Paul, Force Behind Women’s Suffrage Amendment and Author of the Equal Rights Amendment, Dies

1978

Nazis Skip Skokie – Demonstrate in Chicago Instead

1985

Attorney General Ed Meese Launches “Original Intent” Crusade

2008

FISA Extension Act Expands Government Surveillance Powers

2014

NSA Spied on Muslim-Americans

Jul 10

1925

Historic Scopes Monkey Trial Begins

1955

E. Frederic Morrow Becomes First African-American Presidential Aide

1963

“Stall-in” Proposed as Civil Rights Protest for 1964 World’s Fair

1971

National Women’s Political Caucus Formed

1974

Mary McLeod Bethune Memorial Statue Dedicated

2009

Five Federal Inspectors General Criticize Bush Administration Terrorism Policies

2015

American Psychological Association Aided CIA/Military Torture Program

Jul 11

1905

Niagara Movement, Forerunner of NAACP, Founded

1951

Cicero, Illinois, Race Riot – Whites Protest Racial Integration

1954

Segregationist White Citizens’ Council Formed to Fight Integration

1958

Mildred and Richard Loving Rousted Out of Bed, Arrested For Being Married

1961

Maryland Apologizes to African Envoys Denied Service at Segregated Restaurants

1968

American Indian Movement (AIM) Founded

1969

Dr. Spock’s Conviction for Conspiracy to Oppose Vietnam War Draft Overturned

Jul 12

1917

Radical IWW Suppressed: 1,185 Workers Deported from Bisbee, Arizona

1929

Pacifist Dorothy Detzer, Denied Passport, Then Granted Waiver

1974

National Research Act Protects Human Research Subjects

1976

Barbara Jordan Delivers Fiery Keynote Address at Democratic Convention

1984

First Woman Vice Presidential Candidate: Geraldine Ferraro

Jul 13

1917

Activists Protest Post Office Censorship of Anti-War Publications

1919

WWI Over, But U.S. Still Prosecutes Draft Evaders

1940

Equal Rights Amendment Divides Women at Democratic Party Convention

1948

Groups Protest NYC Public Schools Ban on “The Nation” Magazine

1992

Roberta Achtenberg, First Openly Lesbian Woman to Address National Political Convention

2017

Dayton, TN, Erects Statue of Clarence Darrow, Attorney for John T. Scopes

Jul 14

1798

First Sedition Act Passed

1924

National Woman’s Party Announces Plan to Elect More Women to Congress

1934

Catholic Legion of Decency, Protestant Churches, Launch “Clean Film” Drive

1948

Democratic Party Convention Adopts Historic Civil Rights Plank

1948

Segregationist Dixiecrats Walk Out of Democratic Party Convention, Create States’ Rights Party

1953

Chicago Ban on Film “The Miracle” Overturned

1957

Fund for the Republic to Support Studies of Cold War Impact on Civil Liberties

1970

President Nixon Approves Huston Plan for Violations of Americans’ Rights

1975

FBI Director Admits to History of Illegal “Black Bag” (Burglary) Jobs

1977

House Creates Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence

1979

Columbus, Ohio, Ordered to Desegregate its Jail, End Abusive Treatment

Jul 15

1930

“Revolutionary Age” Challenges Post Office Ban

1940

War Preparations Threaten Civil Liberties, Says ACLU

1957

Cecile Richards, Planned Parenthood Leader, 2006-2018, Born

1957

Daniel Seeger Claims CO Status – Begins Road to Supreme Court

1965

New York Abolishes Elite “Blue Ribbon” Juries

1977

CIA Director Admits Documents on Secret Drug Experiments Were Destroyed

Jul 16

1917

“War’s Heretics” – Norman Thomas Makes Historic Plea for the Value of Heresy, Dissent in a Democracy

1935

ACLU Condemns NYC Schools, Praises Police Commissioner

1936

Westchester County Continues Ban on Men’s Topless Swim Suits

1943

Attorney General Biddle Orders FBI to End Detention List – J. Edgar Hoover Ignores Order, Renames List

1944

Irene Morgan Arrested for Challenging Segregation on Interstate Buses: Supreme Court Case Lies Ahead

1964

Police Shooting Sparks Harlem Riot – Four Years of “Long Hot Summers” Begin

1973

Secret White House Taping System Revealed – Tapes Lead to Nixon’s Resignation

Jul 17

1939

NY Times Endorses American Bar Association Civil Liberties Committee

1945

Congress Refuses to Extend Committee on Fair Employment Practices

1946

President Truman Authorizes FBI Wiretapping

2014

“I Can’t Breathe:” Eric Garner Choked to Death by NYPD Police Officers

2020

John Lewis, Civil Right Icon and Respected Leader in Congress, Dies

Jul 18

1919

Party Held to Celebrate Roger Baldwin’s Release from Prison

1931

“Contraception” Not Obscene

1948

Meiklejohn: “Everything Worth Saying Should Be Said”

1949

Baseball Great Jackie Robinson Testifies Before HUAC

1969

President Nixon Discusses Population Issues, Endorses Family Planning

1975

Senator Church Calls CIA “Rogue Elephant”

2011

Paul Oetken Confirmed as First Openly Gay Man to be Federal Judge

Jul 19

1919

Race Riot Erupts in Washington, DC

1948

Canwell Committee Begins Hearings on Communism in Washington State

1958

1958 Wichita Sit-In Challenges Segregation

1966

FBI Admits (to itself) That “Black Bag” Jobs (Burglaries) Are Illegal

1984

Geraldine Ferraro Delivers Vice Presidential Acceptance Speech

1995

President Clinton on Affirmative Action: “Mend it, Don’t End It”

2010

Washington Post Begins “Top Secret America” Series

Jul 20

1925

Darrow Mercilessly Cross-Examines Bryan at Scopes Trial

1948

Communist Party Leaders Arrested – Test of Smith Act Ahead

1965

All in a Day’s Work: New York Repeals, Reinstates Sodomy Law on the Same Day

1965

New York Criminal Anarchy Law Repealed

1970

ATF Agents No Longer Allowed to Snoop on Libraries

1977

ACLU Faults President Carter’s Civil Liberties Record During His First Six Months

1987

Scopes Festival Launched in Dayton, Tennessee

2015

President Obama Normalizes U.S. and Cuba Relations

Jul 21

1918

Eggs, Brawl End Meeting of Radical North Dakota Nonpartisan League

1919

NAACP Demands President Wilson Condemn Racial Violence

1923

Alice Paul Drafts and Introduces Equal Rights Amendment for Women

1925

You Can’t Teach That! Scopes Convicted of Teaching Evolution

1930

ACLU Publicity Director “Wiggles Shoulders” in Newark, is Arrested

1934

FDR’s New Deal Has Mixed Civil Liberties Record, Says ACLU

1959

“Lady Chatterley’s Lover” Declared Not Obscene

Jul 22

1918

City of Mt. Vernon, NY, Bans Hearst Papers, German Language Papers

1928

ACLU: Pennsylvania Leads Nation in Civil Liberties Violations

1939

Jane Bolin, First African-American Female Judge in the U.S., Sworn In

1948

NYC Seeking New Rules to Govern Use of Sound Trucks, Loudspeakers

1985

Arrest Warrant Issued for Attorney General Ed Meese – For Jaywalking

Jul 23

1937

La Follette Committee Report Condemns Police Actions in Chicago Strike

1948

An Early Voice for Young People: National Youth Organization Demands Vote for 18-Year-Olds

1963

President Kennedy Sends Congress Immigration Reform Proposal

1999

Judge Frank M. Johnson, Jr., Civil Rights Hero, Dies

1999

Racist Outrage in Tulia, Texas – 10% of African-American Population Arrested

2010

Journalist Daniel Schorr, Famous in Watergate, Other Crises, Dies

Jul 24

1917

A Brief Halt to WW I Repression: “Masses v. Patten”

1971

Nixon “Plumbers” Unit Created, Illegal Actions Follow

1974

Supreme Court Orders President Nixon to Turn Over Tapes – Resignation Soon Follows

1997

Supreme Court Justice William J. Brennan Dies

Jul 25

1926

Is He Kidding? Censorship Crusader Claims He Supports Free Speech, Is Not a Censor

1947

Mary Ware Dennett, Feminist, Birth Control Activist, and Civil Libertarian, Dies

1952

Puerto Rico Constitution Ratified

1960

Greensboro, North Carolina, Lunch Counters Integrated

1961

National Police Association Warns of ACLU’s “Subversive Activities”

1973

Federal Judge Orders Halt to U.S. Military Actions in Cambodia

Jul 26

1918

President Wilson Finally Denounces Mob Violence, Lynching

1929

Lesbian Themed “The Well of Loneliness” Held Not Obscene by U.S. Customs Court

1937

Wife No Longer the First Fired: Congress Repeals 1933 Law

1947

President Truman Signs National Security Act – Creates CIA

1948

President Truman Desegregates U. S. Military

1963

President Kennedy Urges “Aggressive” IRS Investigation of Political Groups

1972

New York Times Exposes Racist Tuskegee Syphilis Experiment

1990

Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Signed Into Law

Jul 27

1919

Massive Chicago Race Riot Erupts

1920

Vice Presidential Nominee Calvin Coolidge: Sedition Must Be Repressed

1921

President Harding Meets With WW I Amnesty Advocates

1934

Dirk De Jonge, Oregon Communist, Arrested for Organizing Meeting – Heads to Supreme Court

1935

“Ecstasy” is Burning!

1954

Soldier Given “Undesirable” Discharge for Urban League Membership

1970

President Nixon Withdraws Approval of Huston Plan For Spying, Illegal Actions Against Americans

1974

President Richard Nixon Impeached by House

2006

President George W. Bush Signs 25-Year Extension of 1965 Voting Rights Act

Jul 28

1917

NAACP Leads Silent March Down Fifth Avenue to Protest Racist Violence

1920

Women May Wear One-Piece Swimsuits on Long Island, NY

1932

Veterans’ “Bonus Army” Rousted by Army in D.C.

1941

California Un-American Activities Hearings Begin

1948

NY “Released Time” Law for Religious Instruction Challenged

1954

Film “On the Waterfront” Premieres – Cold War Debate Energized

2004

Tariq Ramadan, Noted Islamic Scholar, Denied Entry into U.S.

Jul 29

1932

Rep. La Guardia Protests Eviction of Bonus Army

1946

Marches in Washington, New York Protest Lynching of Four African-Americans in Georgia

1950

Cold War Victim: Hazel Scott TV Show Cancelled

1951

Loyalty Oaths Spread Fear, Charges ACLU

1953

Abraham Chasanow Suspended From Navy Job – Civil Liberties Nightmare Begins

1954

ACLU Defends Dorothy Kenyon, Named by Joe McCarthy

1964

Civil Rights Groups Split on Suspending Protests Because of Riots

2010

Establishing A “New Normal:” ACLU Issues Critique of the Obama Administration

Jul 30

1929

Post Office Bars Pamphlets on Tom Mooney Case

1952

Classic Film “High Noon” Released – Co-Producer/Writer’s Name Deleted (Carl Foreman)

1958

Frank Wilkinson, Anti-HUAC Activist, Refuses to Answer HUAC Questions

1964

FBI Adds KKK to Notorious COINTELPRO Program

2020

John Lewis’ Last Words — To Us

Jul 31

1921

Pennsylvania Censors Orders Cuts in Will Rogers Film for Glorifying Crime and Immorality

1940

ACLU Demands Federal Investigation of Barriers to the Ballot for Minority (i.e., Radical) Parties

1942

Supreme Court Upholds Military Commission – German Saboteurs to be Executed

1979

President Carter Proposes Charter for the F.B.I.

2001

Ten Commandments Installed in Alabama Court House

Index

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