February 7, 2021 • 12 mins
On this day in 1926, the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History launched Negro History Week, which was later extended to Black History Month. / On this day in 1497, followers of the Dominican friar Girolamo Savonarola burned objects thought to incite sin in an event known as the Bonfire of the Vanities.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Hey y'all, we're rerunning two episodes today in Troy. The
show Hi, I'm Eves and Welcome to This Day in
History Class, a show that uncovers a little bit more
about history every day. The day was February seven, ninet.
(00:30):
Historian Dr Carter G. Woodson, now affectionately known as the
Father of Black History Month, launched a Negro History Week
in partnership with the Association for the Study of Negro
Life and History. Whatson's insistence on bringing black history into
the spotlight challenge popular notions about black people's role in
(00:52):
American history helped preserve Black history and culture and encourage
black people to draw inspiration from the past. Woodson got
a master's degree from the University of Chicago and a
doctorate from Harvard in history, becoming the second African American
to get a pH d in history from the university.
(01:15):
Woodson published his first book, The Education of the Negro
Prior to eighteen sixty one, in nineteen fifteen, and he
co founded the Association for the Study of Negro Life
and History that same year. The next year, the organization
began publishing the Journal of Negro History, now called the
(01:37):
Journal of African American history. Woodson noticed how often Black
people were left out of conversations about American history, and
when black folks were depicted, they were often portrayed as
racist misrepresentations and stereotypes, like in the nineteen fifteen film
The Birth of a Nation. What's and have been studying
(02:01):
black history for years, and he recognized the need for
more historically accurate and less biased accounts of Black historical
events and figures. His philosophy was that history is more
than just facts about the past. History should be balanced
and acknowledge the true role of Black people in it
(02:21):
without distorting facts. What sends mission to educate people on
the actual contributions of African Americans and history and improve
relations between black and white people would drive his work
for the rest of his life. Woodson once said, if
a race has no history, it has no worthwhile tradition,
(02:43):
it becomes a negligible factor in the thought of the world,
and it stands in danger of being exterminated. What Since
efforts served to counter all the damage that had been
done to people's perception of Black history and advanced a
new understanding of black culture and accomplishments. Wood sent documented
(03:05):
oral histories from slaves, collected artifacts and historical documents of
black history, sponsored research projects, and wrote hundreds of essays
and dozens of books on black subjects. For years, the
historical profession had excluded black scholars of history and presented
historical and accuracies about African Americans, but there was no
(03:29):
organization black historians were welcome to join. At the time,
White publications often rejected research on black history, and libraries
and archives didn't carry primarian materials about African Americans. So
Woodson set out to create platforms where black historians could
present and publish their research. After the Association for the
(03:54):
Study of Negro Life and History and the Journal of
Negro History were up and running, Woodson founded associated publishers
to ensure black scholars would have their work published. These
organizations did face financial setbacks, despite the fact that they
were able to secure some funding from black scholars and
(04:15):
major institutions, but they succeeded in promoting black history and
the study of black history, and they increased public awareness
of how black history had been ignored and manipulated. And
in ninet, Woodson and the Association for the Study of
Negro Life and History proposed the observance of a Negro
(04:38):
History Week to celebrate the achievements of black people. It
would take place in February because that was the month
of Abraham Lincoln's birthday and Frederick Douglas's observed birthday, events
that were already celebrated in black communities. But Woodson wanted
people to celebrate the contributions of all black people, not
(05:00):
just two men who people might not even have the
most comprehensive knowledge of. The Announcement of Negro History Week
brought black history to a wider audience. Schools around the
United States began including curriculum to celebrate Negro History Week,
and Black history clubs began forming. So the Association began
(05:23):
providing study materials to educators, and it formed branches across
the country, and in nineteen thirty seven, the Association for
the Study of Negro Life and History began publishing the
Negro History Bulletin, now called the Black History Bulletin. Its
goal is to provide educators with peer reviewed information about
(05:46):
the history of Africans and people of the African diaspora.
Woodson's hope, though, was that celebrations of Black history would
extend beyond one week. He believed Black History should be
college year round, and he imagined a day when the
week long commemoration would no longer be necessary. As early
(06:09):
as the nineteen forties, people began celebrating Black History throughout
the month of February, and in nineteen seventy six, the
Association for the Study of African American Life and History,
which had recently changed its name to exclude the word Negro,
declared February black History Month. US President Gerald Ford proclaimed
(06:33):
Black History Month a national observance. Debate continues over the
necessity of Black History Month. Some claim the celebration of
Black History shouldn't be confined to a single month, while
others claim the commemoration is racist. But today Black History
Month is celebrated in the U S, Canada, the UK,
(06:55):
and other places around the world. I'm Eaves, Jeff Coat,
and hopefully you know a little more about history today
than you did yesterday. You can subscribe to This Day
in History Class on Apple Podcasts, the I Heart Radio app,
or wherever you get your podcasts. We'll see you tomorrow.
(07:25):
Hello everyone, I'm Eves. Welcome to this Day in History class,
where we take a tiny bite of history every day
the day was February seven. Followers of the Dominican Friar
(07:47):
Givlamo Savonarola burned objects that were considered vanities, like books, artwork,
and instruments. Though this event is known as the Bonfire
of the Vanities, the term generally refers to earning objects
that religious authorities believe incite people to sin. Savonarola became
a Dominican monk in fourteen seventy five and the following
(08:09):
years he began teaching novices and lecturing on philosophy, and
he studied with various lecturers, concentrating on theology. By fourteen
eighty two, he had transferred to the convent of San
Marco and Florence, and soon he was preaching in the
Church of San Lorenzo. He gained a reputation for his
learning and austerity, but at first he did not get
(08:32):
much attention for his preaching. In fourteen eighty four, though
he reported his first vision about the scourge of the church.
He began delivering prophetic sermons and he preached in the
church of San jim and Yano in fourteen eighty five,
and during Lent in fourteen eighty six, he spoke about
the wrath of God and sinfulness, and he called for
(08:54):
reform in the church. At this point his popularity began
to grow. Savonarola preached in several different cities for a while,
but in fourteen ninety he returned to Florence. He soon
began preaching in the cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore,
criticizing materialism and the leaders of the world. He also
(09:16):
criticized the policies of the government, which Florentine ruler Lorenzo
de Medici took offense to the Lorenzo threatened to banish him.
Lorenzo soon died, and Savonarola continued preaching. Savonarola prophesied the
scourge of Italy, railing against vanity and corruption. He soon
(09:36):
led his convent to break from the ruling organization of
monasteries that it belonged to the Congregation of Lombardy. He
advocated for other convents to do the same, and he
ordered that his monks give up their possessions so that
they could raise money for impoverished people. Once Medici rule ended,
he began suggesting new policies in his sermons. Plus his
(09:59):
prophecies were panning out Savonarola quickly became a political authority.
He did not hold public office, but under his guidance,
a new republic was established in four He immediately set
out to help impoverished people, demanding more jobs and telling
the churches to melt their gold in silver to buy
(10:19):
food for the hungry. He also called for more modesty.
Songs deemed profane were replaced with hymns, people began wearing
an adorned clothing, and art and other inappropriate objects were burned.
Savonarola did have enemies like the Arabillati and the Teepady,
but he continued to pursue drastic reform in light of
(10:41):
the abuses of the church. He denounced jokes, sex, gambling,
nude paintings, jewelry, and other luxuries, as well as the
humanistic culture of the Renaissance. He shut down traditional festivals
and replaced them with religious festivals. In fourteen nine seven,
his supports gathered donations from Foreignine citizens for a fire
(11:03):
of repentance. On February seventh. They carried vanities objects like mirrors, dresses,
and cosmetics to a fire in the Piazza de la
Seignoria and burned them. This wasn't the first bonfire sponsored
by the Dominicans, but it is one of the most
notable ones. Hope Alexander the Six ordered him to stop preaching,
(11:25):
but he refused. In May of four seven, the Pope
excommunicated Savonarola, who did not stop preaching until March of
four just two months after his last sermon. After being
convicted of heresy, Savonarola was burnt at the stake. I'm
Eves Jeff Coote and hopefully you know a little more
(11:46):
about history today than you did yesterday. Spend some of
your daily social media time with us at t D
I h C podcast, or if you would prefer to
email us, you can send us a message at this
day at I heart media dot com. I truly hope
you enjoyed today's show. We'll be back tomorrow with another episode.
(12:19):
For more podcasts from my Heart Radio, visit the I
Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to
your favorite shows.
Hey y'all, we're rerunning two episodes today in Troy. The
show Hi, I'm Eves and Welcome to This Day in
History Class, a show that uncovers a little bit more
about history every day. The day was February seven, ninet.
(00:30):
Historian Dr Carter G. Woodson, now affectionately known as the
Father of Black History Month, launched a Negro History Week
in partnership with the Association for the Study of Negro
Life and History. Whatson's insistence on bringing black history into
the spotlight challenge popular notions about black people's role in
(00:52):
American history helped preserve Black history and culture and encourage
black people to draw inspiration from the past. Woodson got
a master's degree from the University of Chicago and a
doctorate from Harvard in history, becoming the second African American
to get a pH d in history from the university.
(01:15):
Woodson published his first book, The Education of the Negro
Prior to eighteen sixty one, in nineteen fifteen, and he
co founded the Association for the Study of Negro Life
and History that same year. The next year, the organization
began publishing the Journal of Negro History, now called the
(01:37):
Journal of African American history. Woodson noticed how often Black
people were left out of conversations about American history, and
when black folks were depicted, they were often portrayed as
racist misrepresentations and stereotypes, like in the nineteen fifteen film
The Birth of a Nation. What's and have been studying
(02:01):
black history for years, and he recognized the need for
more historically accurate and less biased accounts of Black historical
events and figures. His philosophy was that history is more
than just facts about the past. History should be balanced
and acknowledge the true role of Black people in it
(02:21):
without distorting facts. What sends mission to educate people on
the actual contributions of African Americans and history and improve
relations between black and white people would drive his work
for the rest of his life. Woodson once said, if
a race has no history, it has no worthwhile tradition,
(02:43):
it becomes a negligible factor in the thought of the world,
and it stands in danger of being exterminated. What Since
efforts served to counter all the damage that had been
done to people's perception of Black history and advanced a
new understanding of black culture and accomplishments. Wood sent documented
(03:05):
oral histories from slaves, collected artifacts and historical documents of
black history, sponsored research projects, and wrote hundreds of essays
and dozens of books on black subjects. For years, the
historical profession had excluded black scholars of history and presented
historical and accuracies about African Americans, but there was no
(03:29):
organization black historians were welcome to join. At the time,
White publications often rejected research on black history, and libraries
and archives didn't carry primarian materials about African Americans. So
Woodson set out to create platforms where black historians could
present and publish their research. After the Association for the
(03:54):
Study of Negro Life and History and the Journal of
Negro History were up and running, Woodson founded associated publishers
to ensure black scholars would have their work published. These
organizations did face financial setbacks, despite the fact that they
were able to secure some funding from black scholars and
(04:15):
major institutions, but they succeeded in promoting black history and
the study of black history, and they increased public awareness
of how black history had been ignored and manipulated. And
in ninet, Woodson and the Association for the Study of
Negro Life and History proposed the observance of a Negro
(04:38):
History Week to celebrate the achievements of black people. It
would take place in February because that was the month
of Abraham Lincoln's birthday and Frederick Douglas's observed birthday, events
that were already celebrated in black communities. But Woodson wanted
people to celebrate the contributions of all black people, not
(05:00):
just two men who people might not even have the
most comprehensive knowledge of. The Announcement of Negro History Week
brought black history to a wider audience. Schools around the
United States began including curriculum to celebrate Negro History Week,
and Black history clubs began forming. So the Association began
(05:23):
providing study materials to educators, and it formed branches across
the country, and in nineteen thirty seven, the Association for
the Study of Negro Life and History began publishing the
Negro History Bulletin, now called the Black History Bulletin. Its
goal is to provide educators with peer reviewed information about
(05:46):
the history of Africans and people of the African diaspora.
Woodson's hope, though, was that celebrations of Black history would
extend beyond one week. He believed Black History should be
college year round, and he imagined a day when the
week long commemoration would no longer be necessary. As early
(06:09):
as the nineteen forties, people began celebrating Black History throughout
the month of February, and in nineteen seventy six, the
Association for the Study of African American Life and History,
which had recently changed its name to exclude the word Negro,
declared February black History Month. US President Gerald Ford proclaimed
(06:33):
Black History Month a national observance. Debate continues over the
necessity of Black History Month. Some claim the celebration of
Black History shouldn't be confined to a single month, while
others claim the commemoration is racist. But today Black History
Month is celebrated in the U S, Canada, the UK,
(06:55):
and other places around the world. I'm Eaves, Jeff Coat,
and hopefully you know a little more about history today
than you did yesterday. You can subscribe to This Day
in History Class on Apple Podcasts, the I Heart Radio app,
or wherever you get your podcasts. We'll see you tomorrow.
(07:25):
Hello everyone, I'm Eves. Welcome to this Day in History class,
where we take a tiny bite of history every day
the day was February seven. Followers of the Dominican Friar
(07:47):
Givlamo Savonarola burned objects that were considered vanities, like books, artwork,
and instruments. Though this event is known as the Bonfire
of the Vanities, the term generally refers to earning objects
that religious authorities believe incite people to sin. Savonarola became
a Dominican monk in fourteen seventy five and the following
(08:09):
years he began teaching novices and lecturing on philosophy, and
he studied with various lecturers, concentrating on theology. By fourteen
eighty two, he had transferred to the convent of San
Marco and Florence, and soon he was preaching in the
Church of San Lorenzo. He gained a reputation for his
learning and austerity, but at first he did not get
(08:32):
much attention for his preaching. In fourteen eighty four, though
he reported his first vision about the scourge of the church.
He began delivering prophetic sermons and he preached in the
church of San jim and Yano in fourteen eighty five,
and during Lent in fourteen eighty six, he spoke about
the wrath of God and sinfulness, and he called for
(08:54):
reform in the church. At this point his popularity began
to grow. Savonarola preached in several different cities for a while,
but in fourteen ninety he returned to Florence. He soon
began preaching in the cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore,
criticizing materialism and the leaders of the world. He also
(09:16):
criticized the policies of the government, which Florentine ruler Lorenzo
de Medici took offense to the Lorenzo threatened to banish him.
Lorenzo soon died, and Savonarola continued preaching. Savonarola prophesied the
scourge of Italy, railing against vanity and corruption. He soon
(09:36):
led his convent to break from the ruling organization of
monasteries that it belonged to the Congregation of Lombardy. He
advocated for other convents to do the same, and he
ordered that his monks give up their possessions so that
they could raise money for impoverished people. Once Medici rule ended,
he began suggesting new policies in his sermons. Plus his
(09:59):
prophecies were panning out Savonarola quickly became a political authority.
He did not hold public office, but under his guidance,
a new republic was established in four He immediately set
out to help impoverished people, demanding more jobs and telling
the churches to melt their gold in silver to buy
(10:19):
food for the hungry. He also called for more modesty.
Songs deemed profane were replaced with hymns, people began wearing
an adorned clothing, and art and other inappropriate objects were burned.
Savonarola did have enemies like the Arabillati and the Teepady,
but he continued to pursue drastic reform in light of
(10:41):
the abuses of the church. He denounced jokes, sex, gambling,
nude paintings, jewelry, and other luxuries, as well as the
humanistic culture of the Renaissance. He shut down traditional festivals
and replaced them with religious festivals. In fourteen nine seven,
his supports gathered donations from Foreignine citizens for a fire
(11:03):
of repentance. On February seventh. They carried vanities objects like mirrors, dresses,
and cosmetics to a fire in the Piazza de la
Seignoria and burned them. This wasn't the first bonfire sponsored
by the Dominicans, but it is one of the most
notable ones. Hope Alexander the Six ordered him to stop preaching,
(11:25):
but he refused. In May of four seven, the Pope
excommunicated Savonarola, who did not stop preaching until March of
four just two months after his last sermon. After being
convicted of heresy, Savonarola was burnt at the stake. I'm
Eves Jeff Coote and hopefully you know a little more
(11:46):
about history today than you did yesterday. Spend some of
your daily social media time with us at t D
I h C podcast, or if you would prefer to
email us, you can send us a message at this
day at I heart media dot com. I truly hope
you enjoyed today's show. We'll be back tomorrow with another episode.
(12:19):
For more podcasts from my Heart Radio, visit the I
Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to
your favorite shows.
This Day in History Class News
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Gabe Luzier
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