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The Second Commission
Hello, and welcome to Revolutions. After King Louis signed the Law of April 4, which eliminated the legal basis for racial discrimination, the Legislative Assembly selected three men to sail to Saint Domingue and enforce the law. And for the record, it was in fact a law rather than simply a decree, because the King…
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The Citizens of April 4
Hello, and welcome to Revolutions. So last time Saint Domingue erupted into a massive threeway revolt that was capped off with the unfathomable slave uprising. And it did not take long for the rest of the world to learn of the shocking events in the French colony. It should come as no surprise that the…
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Three Revolts
Hello, and welcome to Revolutions. So we ended last week with the momentous vote by the National Assembly in May 1791 to grant full citizenship to free people of color who were born of two free parents. The vote was taken at the end of an exhausting week of debate and was a last minute…
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Free and Equal
Hello, and welcome to Revolutions. So last week, we approached the brink of the French Revolution and discussed the tensions that would shape the course of events inside Saint Domingue once things started going nuts back in the Metropole. But in this early phase of the revolution, events in the colony would not be defined…
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The Web of Tension
Hello, and welcome to Revolutions. So, last time, we introduced Saint Domingue, the French colony that occupied the western third of the island of Hispaniola. We also introduced the main groups who inhabited the island: the whites, the free coloreds, and the slaves. And I did my best last week to discuss each group in…
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Saint Domingue
Hello, and welcome to Revolutions. Welcome to the beginning of our fourth revolution together, and one that is a bit different from the rest. The English, American and French revolutions are all regarded as huge turning points in history. Often studied, often discussed, and at least moderately understood by the general public. They at least…
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NSC-124: US Objectives in Southeast Asia
Hi! Here’s an interesting document from the Foreign Relations of the United States, 1952-1954, East Asia and the Pacific, Volume XII, Part 1. NSC-124 – Report to the National Security Council by the Executive Secretary, Top Secret, Washington, June 25, 1952 Statement of Policy by the National Security Council on United States Objectives and Courses…
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NSC-48: US Post-War Policy in Asia
Hi. Here’s another interesting document from the Foreign Relations of the United States, 1949, The Far East and AustraAsia, Volume VII, Part 2. NSC-48 – The Position of the United States With Respect to Asia A Report to the President by the National Security Council, Top Secret, NSC 48/2Washington, December 30, 1949. Conclusions: Our basic…
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Nayirah – U.S. Propaganda in the First Invasion of Iraq
We all know that the U.S. lied to the world in 2003 about Iraq’s weapons of mass destruction in addition to some bogus Saddam Hussein/Al-Qaeda link to justify their invasion of that country. But did you know that the U.S. also lied to the world for their first invasion of Iraq in 1991? Because, you…
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How the U.S. Supported the 1964 Brazilian Military Coup
The 1964 Brazilian coup d’état was a series of events in Brazil from March 31 to April 1 that led to the overthrow of President João Goulart (Jango) by members of the Brazilian Armed Forces. Goulart took office with full powers in 1963, and during his rule several problems in Brazilian politics became evident, as…