While James P. Hoffa's father Jimmy led the Teamsters, he was in bed with the Mafia. But when James became president, he fought back against corruption.David Butow/Corbis via Getty ImagesJames P. Hoffa marches for his union in Seattle in 1999.
To put it mildly, Jimmy Hoffa was a controversial man. Until Hoffa’s sudden disappearance in 1975, he had no problem courting organized crime as the leader of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters. Read More...
John Africa co-founded the Black activist group MOVE, whose home was bombed by Philadelphia Police in 1985. MOVEJohn Africa in his recognizable dreadlocks and sunglasses.
The 1985 MOVE bombing remains one of the most egregious police responses in United States history. Frustrated by the militant Black liberation group and its refusal to evacuate their headquarters, the Philadelphia police dropped a bomb on their rowhouse, killing 11 people — including MOVE founder John Africa. Read More...
Determined to end slavery at any cost, militant abolitionist John Brown led the failed 1859 uprising at Harpers Ferry, Virginia — and helped push the nation toward the Civil War. Long before his failed raid on Harpers Ferry, John Brown occupied a place all his own in the abolition movement — and not just because he was white. After all, many white people in the United States opposed slavery on purely moral grounds. Read More...
