In honor of Dr. Martin Luther King’s birthday, I’d like to set the record straight. There seems to be a group of people who believe that MLK could have never been a Republican because most blacks today are Democrats. As far as I know, there is no record of how MLK voted, but his niece Rev. Alveda King, has long argued that her uncle was a Republican. History will tell you that during MLK’s time, most, if not all blacks were Republicans. It stands to reason that if I were black at the time, I’d be too. Why? When the Republican party was founded in 1854, it was known as the party of anti-slavery, it later championed freedom and civil rights for blacks. In an article by Frances Rice, chairman of the National Black Republican Association (NBRA) she outlines the reasons she believes MLK was a Republican. She speaks of how it was the Democratic party that in fact made it impossible for blacks throughout history, and have kept blacks and other minorities in the gutter through a system which makes it appear as if they are the “caring party,” when in fact, its history tells a different story. The article tells of an ominous game being played by the “caring party,” on blacks and other minorities. Rice says,

It was the Democrats who fought to keep blacks in slavery and passed the discriminatory Black Codes and Jim Crow laws. The Democrats started the Ku Klux Klan to lynch and terrorize blacks. The Democrats fought to prevent the passage of every civil rights law beginning with the civil rights laws of the 1860s, and continuing with the civil rights laws of the 1950s and 1960s.

Now looking at this fact, do you really think MLK would have had anything to do with the Democratic party? I really don’t think so. It’s a no brainer. I think today, many want to believe he was, but all facts point to the contrary. You don’t have to take my word for it. After I read Rice’s article I am thoroughly convinced that MLK was a Republican. Not only for religious reasons, but also because the Republican party stood for the very same principles he stood and  fought for.

Sources: Frances Rice’s Article, MLK was a Conservative-Republican

The 1920’s or the Jazz age has always fascinated me. So much happened, so quickly to change the world. One of the things that happened was the birth of the Flapper. The Flapper embraced all things new and modern. Out with the Victorian rules, and in with the modern, young, and the carefree. WW I birthed the flapper and the flapper ways. Many came back from the war disillusioned. When they returned from the war the old world order crammed their style.

The flapper cuts her hair short, the hem lines come up, they use make up, they experiment with sex, alcohol, drugs, and they danced the night away. It was a rebellion of sorts and once the flapper came out, there was no turning back.

One of the interesting things the Flapper did was to encourage the flat-chested look in women. Understand that Victorian women were robust, they were aging by this point, and the clothing and look of the flapper was out their reach.Everyone in the 1920’s wanted to have that slender flat-chested, tanned body and face of a 15-year-old. Women rushed to the beauty salons, health clubs, anybody that could help them achieve “the look.” You can imagine how hard it was for the aging Victorian women who were used to wearing the boring matronly dresses. Leaders of fashion had to change and change quick because the Flapper was all the rage.

Now if you were naturally flat-chested, you did ok, but what if you weren’t? Bras at the time were more like bodices or camisoles, they offered no support. This wasn’t going to work for the top heavy gals. The top heavy girls resorted to bandaging their breasts flat. Others would purchase a bra made at the time called Symington Side Lacer, basically a bra that laced at both sides and when pulled would flatten the chest. Women looking like boys was a fashion statement. My how things have changed huh?

Many believe that the women’s movement and the sexual revolution started back in the 60’s, I disagree, it started in the 20’s. The Flapper gave up the restricting clothing way before the liberated women burned their bras. The Women’s suffrage movement was in full swing, and women gave up a lot of the inhibitions imposed on them by society. I can’t say that all was for the good. Some good came out of this, and some bad too. But I suppose it comes with the territory.

The story of Archduke Franz Ferdinand has always fascinated me. If you think about it, his assassination was a pivotal point in history. It set things in motion which changed the world forever. Many believe that not only did this cause WW I, but root causes of  WWII, Cold War, and present day events can be traced back to June 28, 1914.

The Archduke Franz Ferdinand, the heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne decides he and his wife Sopie will visit one of the empire’s territories, Bosnia. Things are not stable in Bosnia, in fact, things are hot, and the Archduke is not popular. And among those who despised the Archduke was a 19-year-old named Gavilo Princip, a Slavic Nationalist. In Princip’s mind killing the Archduke meant freedom for the people of Bosnia, Serbia joined forces with Bosnia to rid themselves of what they thought was an oppressor of the people.

June 28^th comes, and the Archduke and his wife are in a motorcade in Bosnia. The plot is to kill him as he drives through Sarajevo. One of the would-be assassins throws a bomb at the Archduke’s car. The Archduke narrowly escapes. The story goes that the Archduke insisted on visiting an aid at a hospital, who had been hurt in the blast.  His driver completely unfamiliar with the roads makes a wrong turn and decides to ask for directions of a young man on the road. The young man on the road must’ve looked defeated, lifeless, as he, unbeknownst to the driver, was one of the conspirators involved in the foiled plot. You can imagine his surprise when he realizes, he’s got a second chance to kill the Archduke! And so he drew his pistol and killed the Archduke and his wife. And the course of events started from that point on. It was as if this part of the world was boiling for a very long time and the shot sparked a flame which started an explosion which has reverberated up on until the present day.

References: Rick Beyer, The Greatest Stories Never Told , (2003),

“Assassination of Archduke Ferdinand, 1914,” EyeWitness to History, www.eyewitnesstohistory.com (1998)