The Newsies! The Non-Hollywood Version

So maybe you already know about the Newsies. You're thinking, "I thought this blog was supposed to be about unsung heroes and other historical people who are often overlooked?" Well, perhaps your knowledge of the Newsies comes from Christian "Batman" Bales' song-and-dance-filled movie version of the Strike of 1899.  If so, read on.  Hollywood took some liberties with the story. Haven't you seen Harry Potter? Hollywood changes the story all the time!

Hollywood got it right when they showed the Newsies buying their papers from the distributor before heading out to the streets to sell them.  Where they went wrong was when they showed the happy bunk house where the boys slept each night.  In reality, many of the newsies had to sleep out on the streets they worked on.  In fact, in 1872, a man named James McCabe wrote:

"There are 10,000 children living on the streets of New York....The newsboys constitute an important division of this army of homeless children. You see them everywhere....   They rend the air and deafen you with their shrill cries. They surround you on the sidewalk and almost force you to buy their papers. They are ragged and dirty. Some have no coats, no shoes and no hat."

--http://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/database/article_display.cfm?HHID=166

Before the major strike of 1899, the newsboys started other smaller strikes in 1884, 1886, and 1887.

In 1898, The Spanish-American War began, and newspaper prices increased across the nation.  Newsies who were used to buying 100 papers for 50 cents now had to pay 60 cents.  For boys who were mostly homeless this was a large increase.  Their average daily income was around 30 cents.  In addition, the papers they didn't sell by the end of the day were a loss.  Say you bought 100 papers for 50 cents.  That comes to two papers for a penny.  If you only sold 50 papers, you lost 25 cents that day.  Being a newsie was not easy!

When the war ended, many papers lowered their prices.  In New York City however, William Randolph Hurst and Joseph Pulitzer left their prices high.  The newsies saw this as unfair, and in 1899 a large group of them organized a strike against the two newspapers.  

Unlike the movie, the newsies organized themselves on the Brooklyn Bridge.  They stayed there for days, bringing traffic to a halt.  Their numbers reached as many as 5,000 at one point.  They were led by a young boy named Kid Blink, who was so named because he was blind in one eye.  (Kid Blink is in the movie version...he wears an eye patch over one eye)

Probably the part of the story that is least like the Hollywood version is the end of the strike.  Unlike the action-packed rally and subsequent arrest of some of the newsies, the real strike ended when Pulitzer and Hurst agreed to buy back the papers the boys didn't sell at the end of the day.  They did NOT lower their price.  

Though the story of the real newsies was greatly exaggerated in the movie, you can't downplay the awesome-ness that is the big musical number, "Seize the Day": Catch a glimpse of Kid Blink in the front row at the beginning!

The newsies' strike in NYC also marked the beginning of the child-labor movement, which is hinted at in the end of the movie version.

Also, do you like comics? Check out The Newsboy Legion, based on The original newsies.

P.S. New York City tends to be the place to have strikes or protests.  Right now it's playing host to the Occupy Wall Street movement.  They aren't occupying the Brooklyn Bridge like the newsies did, but they have taken over several parks.  Check out their website.  What do you think?

http://occupywallst.org/

Howard Zinn's Unsung Heroes

Howard Zinn wrote A People's History of the United States, a book that exposes the hypocritical "heroes" we hold up on pedestals in American history, while also giving voice to the oppressed or ignored.  Within this book he offers up several alternative heroes and heroines who are often more deserving of our praise than those whose busts have been carved into Mount Rushmore.  For example, Zinn tells the story of John Woolman, who began refusing to pay British taxes LONG before other colonial leaders made it a popular movement.  

This post will focus on another of Zinn's Unsung Heroes...John Ross.  Do not let the name mislead you, though.  Mr. Ross was not an English colonial. Nor was he a war hero from WWII.  Contrary to his European name, John Ross was a Cherokee chief, who lived from October 3, 1790 - August 1, 1866.

Ross served as a Native American chief from 1828 until his death in 1866.  His name stemmed from his Scottish ancestry.  In fact, he was technically only 1/8 Cherokee Indian.  However, he grew up on the American frontier, and this coupled with his European ancestry made him a great candidate for working with the American government on behalf of his people.  Much of Ross' early life can be found online, but what I am going to focus on is his later work, including the Trail of Tears.

 The Cherokee people had to walk from Georgia to Oklahoma.

In 1830, Congress passed The Indian Removal Act, which would allow the American government to move the Cherokee Indians of Georgia to less-wanted lands.  After all, the land the tribe was currently on was wanted for its gold and farmland.  Ross fought this act for years, but in 1838 he realized his work was in vain, and so he volunteered to organize the tribal move, which would later become known as The Trail of Tears.

While in the trail, John's wife died after she gave up her blanket to a sick child.  He also watched as his people died around him.  In total, around 4,000 people died on the journey from Georgia to Oklahoma.  Yet, through this heartache Ross found the inspiration to help his people relocate.  Upon their arrival in Oklahoma, Ross helped his people by setting up farms, schools, and small businesses.

Though the work of Ross may seem less valiant than that of perhaps Patrick Henry whose sharp declaration of "Give me liberty or give me death," still stands today as a poignant moment in American history, I want to ask you why?  John Ross fought hard for years to avoid the removal of his people from their tribal lands.  Though nothing he said while fighting for his people's liberty is written in the history books, what he did on behalf of his people is worth remembering.  For, when faced with the forced removal of his tribe to Oklahoma, he led the way, helping them set up their new lives.

Can you think of any other unsung heroes, in history or in your own lives?

Earlier this year the Arab world came to light through several liberation movements.  People who were sick of the oppression they were suffering at the hands of dictators rose up against their government.  Several of these leaders were brought down.  The most recent one occurred in Libya, with the downfall and death of Muammar Gaddafi.  Before Libya though was Tunisia, and a revolution that was a lot less violent.  Yet, there was danger in the choice Libyans made to rise against their government.  One man who made that choice was a musician by the name of El General.  He is a rapper from Tunisia who posted a song to Facebook, which became the rebels' anthem.  You can read his story here:
http://www.spin.com/articles/inside-tunisias-hip-hop-revolution

...and here is his song.
This man wrote a song that spurred a revolution.  He is an unsung hero.

Deborah "Robert Shurtliff" Sampson

There has often been quiet whispering about the possibility that women have fought in American wars under the disguise of being a man.  You don't often hear these stories, but they are some of the most heroic tales, showing that anything is possible if you put your mind to it.  Here's one of those stories.

We'll begin with a look at a woman who served in the Continental Army during the American Revolution.  Deborah was born in 1760 in Plympton, Massachusetts.  Her early life is often described as unusually difficult, as her father was a sailor and did not support his family.  From about the age of 10 until 18, Deborah worked on the farm of a family by the name of Thomas, where she developed an excellent shot by hunting with the farmer's sons.

In 1778, Deborah attempted to enlist as a man but was discovered and told never to try enlisting again.  However, in May of 1782, Deborah tried again and succeeded.  She was assigned to the 4th Massachusetts Regiment of the Continental Army under the name of Robert Shurtliff.  

Deborah's sex was almost revealed to army doctors soon after when she was injured in a skirmish in Chester.  She had suffered a head wound and a thigh wound.  Sampson is quoted as stating, "I considered this as a death wound, or as being the equivalent of it, as it must, I though, lead to the discovery of my sex."  Yet, she was able to conceal herself by not telling the doctors of her leg wound.  She attended to this wound herself, removing several musket balls by hand.  

New York Times article written in 1898

http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?_r=1&res=9402E3D71139E433A2575BC0A9669D94699ED7CF&oref=slogin

However, in 1783, Deborah's luck ran out when she came down with a fever.  The doctor attending to her discovered who she was, but did not expose her.  Instead, he had her stay at his house with his family until the end of the war later in the year.  

Sampson's grave in Mass.

When the war ended, Sampson exposed her sex to General Patterson by coming to muster dressed in women's clothing.  Patterson was surprised but made sure she had enough money to get home.  In 1785, she married Benjamin Gannett, with whom she had three children.  When her family started struggling with money, Deborah's friend, Mr. Paul Revere, petitioned on her behalf to get an army pension.  She eventually won this battle, and was paid $76.80 a year through government pension until she died in April of 1827.  Today, though she is rarely heard of in history books, Deborah Sampson serves as a local hero in her hometown in Massachusetts.  

This statue stands outside a local library in Sharon, Mass

in honor of Deborah Sampson

In 1976, at a celebration for the American Bicentennial, the Texas Boys' Choir performed a song entitled "Deborah Sampson," as part of a larger "Continental Soldier Suite" by Ray Charles.  You can listen to it here:

http://boychoirs.org/texas/tbc006.html

The story of this brave woman is not one that is regularly taught in schools.  I encourage you to do your own research and discover others who are often left out.  Why? Because just because you don't learn about it in school doesn't mean it's not important.  Every story matters when it comes to history.  Even your own.

If you liked the story of Deborah Sampson, there is a fictional tale written by Ann Rinaldi entitled Girl in Blue which tells the story of a young girl who fights for the Union during the Civil War while disguised as a man.  

http://www.teenreads.com/reviews/girl-in-blue

Can you think of any local heroes or heroines from your own hometown? In my hometown of Westfield, NY, we have the story of Grace Bedell, a little girl who wrote a letter to Abraham Lincoln, advising him to grow a beard, stating that it would help him get elected.  When Lincoln became President, he had his train stop in Westfield so he could meet this little girl.  Today, we have a statue depicting their meeting.