This Week in History- March 3rd – March 9th

(2000s – Present) Record Breaking Basketball: Caitlin Clark Breaks NCAA Scoring Record, 2024

 

Even if you don’t follow college women’s basketball, you almost certainly know the name Caitlin Clark. The record-breaking player from the University of Iowa quickly made a name for herself in the world of sports, and has since brought thousands of new fans to the WNBA. On March 3, 2024, Clark broke the NCAA Division 1 scoring record of 3,667 points. The record was previously held by Pete Maravich, who played for Louisiana State University from 1967 to 1969. 

The day before Clark was anticipated to break the record in a home game against Ohio State, The Gazette in Cedar Rapids published a piece about the record-breaking shot’s potential implications. Pete Maravich, often referred to as Pistol Pete, and the steps to setting his record were different than they were for Caitlin Clark. Besides the obvious gender difference, many argued that Maravich played in an era of basketball where there wasn’t a 3-point line or a shot clock. However, the writer was quick to defend Clark, arguing that despite these technical differences, Caitlin was more similar to Pistol Pete than most realized. Both players emphasized connecting and inspiring their fans, and it is indisputable that Caitlin Clark has inspired thousands of fans. 

(1980s – 2000s) Most Trusted Man in America: Walter Cronkite Retires, 1981

 

Walter Cronkite was the face of the CBS Evening News for 19 years. He is remembered as one of the most important TV journalists. He covered some of the biggest news, including the Watergate scandal and the Nuremberg trials. He was dubbed by many the “most trusted man in America” for his firm commitment to journalistic integrity. He retired from his long time as the host of the CBS evening news on March 6th, 1981. Dorothy Van Doren, one of Walter’s many fans, shared her feelings on the matter in the Lakeville Journal on March 12th, 1981. She recounted some notable journalistic moments of his career, like when he drilled President Reagan over their relationship with the Soviet Union. Dorothy emphasized how much she admired his ability to ask hard questions. I think this reflection is a perfect insight into why so many viewers enjoyed his journalism because they knew he would see every task to the end. 

(1945 – 1980s) Peace Turned Violent: Selma-Montgomery Marches, 1965

 

March 7th, 1965 began as a day of peaceful protest and ended in a violent attack. Alabama police officers attacked civil rights protesters marching from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama, on a day that has now become known as Bloody Sunday. The attack was highly documented as peaceful protestors were met with tear gas and violence, leading to public outcry. One of the leaders of these marches was John Lewis of SNCC, who suffered a concussion from the attacks. I found it interesting to see how the attack was described in certain political climates, including the one I found in The Baldwin Times, which was published in Bay Minette, Alabama on August 26th, 1965. Their description was one of “a marching throng” who “defied an order”, rather than a peaceful exercise of their right to protest. Alabama was the setting for many of the biggest civil rights historical events, likely because of the overwhelming amount of segregation in the state. This puts into perspective the careful choice of words used to describe the events of the Selma-Montgomery Marches, and how wording can change the perspective of historical events. 

A few weeks ago, we talked about the history of presidential inaugurations, and you may remember that not all of them happened in January. For example, President Franklin D. Roosevelt was inaugurated on March 4th, 1933. When FDR entered office, the United States was in the midst of the Great Depression, and highly upset with the way the previous administration had been handled. The inaugural address that FDR gave on this day had a great impact on the attitudes of the American public. During this speech, he said, “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself, ” a famous quote that is still used to this day. He also used his address to outline his plan to bring the economy back, giving hope to Americans. The Sterling Daily Gazette described his plans as “drastic remedies to cure economic ills”. The reporters seemed to echo the thoughts of many Americans after his address, detailing its components with careful hope that things would get better. FDR delivered on the promises he made, and successfully ‘cured’ the economy. In fact, he did such a good job as president and received so much support from the American people that he was elected to an unprecedented four terms in office. 

The case of Dred Scott v Sanford in 1857 escalated the already tense relationship between the free states and slave states. The case began in the St. Louis Circuit Court, where an enslaved black man sued on behalf of himself and his wife for their freedom. Despite living in a free state, where slavery was prohibited, they were still considered enslaved. Despite seeming to be a clear-cut and dry case, it took over a decade to settle the case after reaching the United States Supreme Court. On March 6th, 1857, the court made its decision against Scott. They ruled that because enslaved people were not citizens, the federal government could not grant them their freedom. Additionally, it stated that Congress held no authority to ban slavery in federal territory, another highly controversial decision. Many historians and scholars have argued that this was one of the poorest judgments issued by the Supreme Court. By essentially removing the legal rights of any enslaved person, they rapidly increased the tensions between free and slave states. The ruling of Scott v Sandford was eventually overturned in the 13th and 14th amendment, which declared birthright citizenship and abolished slavery in the United States. A piece in the Moultrie Observer was published almost a century later, on June 7th, 1950 in Georgia, and detailed the modern implications of the Dred Scott case. At the time of its publishing, segregation was prominent in the South, and the Supreme Court took a similar approach to modern cases as it did in the Dred Scott case. While they continued to whittle away at the legality of segregation, they still failed to directly address the problem, as they did in the Dred Scott case. For Scott, they determined that it wasn’t up to the federal government to defend non-citizens, rather than addressing the complications of slaves living in a free state. For the cases discussed in the article, they argued the courts focused on individual cases, avoiding addressing the greater issue of segregation. I found this to be an interesting historical perspective comparing the larger amount of similarities between civil rights issues almost a century apart from each other. 

Join me again next week to discover more of history’s hidden gems and timeless tales.