On July 15, 1978, the “Longest Walk”—a 2,800-mile trek for
Native American justice that had started with several hundred
marchers in California in California—ended in Washington,
D.C., accompanied by thousands of supporters.
The intent of the event was to call attention to issues affecting
Native Americans, such as a lack of jobs and housing, and
legislation before Congress that could dramatically change
their rights.
TIM MAGUIRE
Thirteen years after American settlers founded the city named
for him, Chief Seattle died in a nearby village of his people.
Born sometime around 1790, Seattle (Seathl) was a chief of the Duwamish and Suquamish tribes who lived around the Pacific
Coast bay that is today called Puget Sound.
He was the son of a Suquamish father and a Duwamish mother,
a lineage that allowed him to gain influence in both tribes. It was
rededicated on December 8, 1975.
The statue was added to the National Register of Historic Places
on April 19, 1984, and named a city landmark on May 6, 1985.
The copper statue shows Seattle with his right hand extended
as if in greeting. The statue stands atop a stone base that was
designed to serve as a fountain, although the fountain has been
turned off and on over the years.
The statue was sculpted by James Wehn and was unveiled
November 13, 1912.
President Coolidge stands with four Osage Indians at a White House ceremony.
On this day in 1924, President Calvin Coolidge signed into
law the Indian Citizenship Act, which granted citizenship
to all Native Americans born in the United States, many
of whom had served in the armed forces during World
War I.
While the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States
Constitution defines a citizen as any persons born in
the United States and subject to its laws and jurisdiction,
the amendment had previously been interpreted by the
courts not to apply to Native peoples.
Calvin Coolidge (July 4, 1872 – January 5, 1933)
Two-time Olympic gold medalist and Pro Football Hall of Fame
member James Francis "Jim" Thorpe came into this world on
this day in history, May 28, 1888.
Born in a one-room cabin in the geographical area that is now
Oklahoma, Thorpe was raised by Hiram and Charlotte Vieux
Thorpe on the Sac and Fox reservation, according to the
Oklahoma Historical Society.
Thorpe was given the Native American name "Wa-tho-huck,"
meaning "Bright Path" in Sac and Fox language.
James Francis Thorpe (1888 – 1953)
