Seeds of Fire: A People’s Chronology

Recalling events that happened on this day in history.
Memories of struggle, resistance and persistence.

Compiled by Ulli Diemer

July 2, 1809
Alarmed by the growing encroachment of whites squatting on Native American lands, the Shawnee Chief Tecumseh issues a call to all Indians to unite and resist. By 1810, he has organized the Ohio Valley Confederacy, which unites Indians from the Shawnee, Potawatomi, Kickapoo, Winnebago, Menominee, Ottawa, and Wyandotte nations. For several years, Tecumseh’s Indian Confederacy successfully delays further white settlement in the region. Related Topics: Aboriginal History
July 2, 1839
Captive Africans on the Cuban slave ship Amistad, led by Joseph Cinquè (a Mende from what is now Sierra Leone), mutiny against their captors, kill the captain and the cook, and seize control of the schooner. Related Topics: Slave Revolts
July 2, 1888
The London matchgirls strike: 1,400 women and girls working in the Bryant and May match factory in London go out on strike. The trigger for the walkout is the firing of a worker, but the grievances have to do with low pay and terrible, unhealthy working conditions. The strike gathers widespread public support. It ends within three weeks when the company offers concessions. Related Topics: Strikes
July 2, 1925
Birth of Medgar Evers (1925-1963), American civil rights activist. Related Topics: Civil Rights Movement (U.S.)