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Did You Know? September 1 — From Wheatley to World War II · Voices Of Life

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  Welcome to the Did You Know series of the Voices
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  of Life podcast, a ministry of the Church for
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  Life. A place where faith speaks, where history
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  breathes, and where hope finds its voice again.
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  Each episode is crafted to inspire, to strengthen,
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  and to guide you on your walk with God. And now,
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  to lead us through today's journey, here is your
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  host. Pastor David. This is Pastor David, and
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  welcome to another Voices of Life, Did You Know?,
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  where history and faith meet across centuries.
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  September 1st is a day of extraordinary contrasts,
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  poetry born from bondage, petitions for peace,
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  battles for freedom, and revolutions that reshape
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  nations. Let's journey through the moments that
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  made this date unforgettable. In 1773, Phyllis
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  Wheatley publishes poems in various subjects,
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  religious and moral. phyllis wheatley was a slave
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  from west africa and she was enslaved in boston
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  yes boston a northern state where slavery was
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  in the 1700s yet she became one of the most brilliant
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  literally voices of colonial america well how
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  did this happen well her slave owners the wheatleys
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  believed in educating their slaves without it
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  they wouldn't have the education and she would
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  not have been able to do what she did but they
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  believed that at some point slaves may be free
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  and they want them to have a clean education
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  and this worked very well for phyllis wheatley
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  her book published in london in 1773 was the
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  first known volume of poetry by a black woman
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  18 massachusetts leaders including john hancock
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  signed a statement verifying that she truly wrote
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  the poems it was just something that Everyone
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  found it unbelievable, but it was true. A stunning
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  testament to her genius. Her words blended Christian
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  faith, classical learning, and a cry for liberty
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  in a society that denied her freedom. She even
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  corresponded with George Washington, who praised
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  her poetry. Her story reminds us that the light
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  of intellect and faith can shine even in the
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  darkest places. In 1775, King George III rejects
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  the Olive Branch petition. We did a whole Did
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  You Know series on the Olive Branch petition,
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  the Continental Congress' last opportunity to
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  try to avoid war. So the Continental Congress
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  sent one last plea of reconciliation to the king.
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  The Olive Branch petition. It was delivered on
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  September 1st, 1775. But George III had already
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  declared the colonies in rebellion. He refused
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  to receive it. That rejection marked the end
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  of hope for peace and the beginning of independence.
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  The question. Can we reconcile became we must
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  be free. From prayer to revolution, the transformation
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  of a people's destiny. Moving a couple years
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  up to 1777, the attack on Fort Henry. Far from
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  the eastern cities, the revolution raged on the
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  frontier. At Wheeling, Virginia, Native Americans
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  took up arms and allied themselves with the British.
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  They then attacked together Fort Henry. Captain
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  Samuel Mason and fewer than 100 defenders held
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  the fort. Legend tells of McClough's leap when
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  a trapped rider drove his horse off a cliff rather
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  than surrender, but he survived. The fort endured,
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  symbolizing the courage of settlers and the complexity
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  of Native alliances during the war. The Revolution
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  was not only fought for liberty, it was also
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  fought for land, survival, and identity. In 1807,
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  Aaron Burr was acquitted of treason. Former Vice
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  President Aaron Burr faced trial for treason
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  after a mysterious Western expedition. It was
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  alleged that he was trying to start his own country
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  in the West. President Jefferson demanded conviction.
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  But Chief Justice Marshall demanded constitutional
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  proof. On September 1st, 1807, Burr was acquitted.
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  Marshall's ruling established that political
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  opposition is not treason. only an overt act
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  of war against the United States qualifies. Well,
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  starting a country in a westward expansion, I
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  think that would qualify. But you have to remember,
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  John Marshall was also the Chief Justice who
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  self -proclaimed authority that the Constitution
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  did not afford the Supreme Court in Mulberry
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  v. Madison, which is the basis of the judicial
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  review. So, it is likely that his decision here
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  also was unconstitutional however it was an early
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  triumph for the alleged rule of law over political
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  passion 1864 almost 90 years later atlanta evacuated
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  by confederate forces by late summer 1864 sherman's
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  army surrounded atlanta when the railroads were
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  cut confederate general john bell hood ordered
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  evacuation on september 1st explosions rocked
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  the city as munitions were destroyed. Sherman
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  entered Atlanta the next day. A victory that
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  electrified the North and amazingly helped secure
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  Lincoln's reelection. Which brings to question,
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  was Sherman's march with his scorching burn policy
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  and attacking of civilians, was that Lincoln's
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  idea or was it Sherman's idea? Either way, Lincoln
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  went around with it and was complicit. But it
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  did help him get the reelection. Atlanta's fall
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  marked the turning of the Civil War and beginning
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  of Sherman's march to the sea. Faith, endurance,
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  and the cost of freedom, all written in fire.
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  What a heavy cost. In 1878, Emma M. Nutt becomes
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  the first female telephone operator. Only two
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  years after Alexander Graham Bell's invention,
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  Emma Nutt answered the call literally. On September
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  1st, 1878, she became the world's first female
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  telephone operator. Her sister, Stella, joined
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  hours later. Companies discovered that a woman's
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  patience and courtesy transformed communication.
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  Emma Nutt's quiet professionalism opened a new
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  era of opportunity for women in technology and
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  in business. Her voice became the sound of progress.
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  And I could say, growing up in the late 60s,
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  early 70s, when there were still live operators,
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  They were 99 % female, and they generally had
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  a beautiful disposition. Moving a few years up
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  to 1939, Germany invades Poland. Before dawn
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  on September 1st, 1939, German forces crossed
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  into Poland. Hitler had alleged that Poland fired
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  the first shot, but the truth is the battleship
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  Schweisswig -Holstein fired the first shot at
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  Westerplatte. Hister's false claim of Polish
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  aggression masked the brutal invasion. Within
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  days, Britain and France declared war and World
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  War II begun, but this could have been avoided.
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  Britain and France guaranteed the safety of Poland,
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  but they did not muster their forces. They had
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  more than enough to overwhelm and push back the
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  Germans, but they didn't do it. That could have
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  avoided World War II. However, things worked
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  out the way they were. Poland was crushed. between
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  Germany and the Soviet Union, and the world entered
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  its darkest century. This date reminds us that
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  unchecked ambition and hatred can ignite global
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  catastrophe. And we'll say one thing about the
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  Soviet Union or Russia at the time. Stalin wanted
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  Poland's oil. That's what that was all about.
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  Probably close to what Putin is doing today in
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  the Ukraine, but the bottom line was it was all
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  about commodities. And Stalin made the pact with
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  Hitler because he knew he was going to get those
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  oil fields. So that's where that one went. Moving
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  up to 1969, Muammar Gaddafi seizes power in Libya.
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  While King Idris I was abroad, young officers
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  led by Muammar Gaddafi staged a bloodless coup.
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  They abolished the monarchy, proclaimed the Libyan
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  Arab Republic. Foreign bases were closed in Libya's
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  direction. Change for decades. The revolution
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  reflected a wave of Arab nationalism and anti
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  -colonialism sweeping the region. This was all
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  based on Islam. This was all based on Muslim
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  beliefs. And if you were not in that religion,
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  you were pushed out. A single day reshaped a
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  nation's destiny. Finally, moving up to 1971.
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  Pittsburgh Pirates field Major League Baseball's
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  first all -black and Latino startup lineup. At
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  Three Rivers Stadium, the Pittsburgh Pirates
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  defeated the Phillies 10 -7. But history was
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  made before the first pitch. Manager Danny Murtaugh's
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  lineup featured nine black and Latino players.
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  Renny Stennett, Gene Clines, Roberto Clemente,
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  Willie Stargle, Manny Sangulan, Dave Casa, Al
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  Oliver, Jackie Hernandez, and Doc Ellis. No announcement,
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  no publicity, just excellence. Two months later,
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  the Pirates won the World Series, and Clemente
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  became the first Latin American World Series
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  most valuable player. Integration had become
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  an achievement. Talent, teamwork, and unity spoke
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  louder than any headline. From Phyllis Wheatley's
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  pen to Sherman's march, from Emma Nutt's telephone
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  to Clemente's bat, September 1 is a day of courage,
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  creativity, and conviction. It reminds us that
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  the history is not just written in books or battles,
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  but in hearts that dare to believe and voices
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  that dare to speak. This is Pastor David. Thank
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  you for joining us on Voices of Life, a ministry
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  of the Church for Life. Until next time, keep
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  learning, keep growing, and keep walking in the
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  light. Thank you for joining us today on the
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  Voices of Life podcast, a ministry of the Church
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  for Life. As we close, may the stories we share
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  strengthen your faith, steady your heart, and
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  remind you that God is present in every chapter
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  of your journey. If this episode encouraged you,
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  share it with someone who needs hope. And until
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  we meet again, walk in truth, stand in courage,
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  and keep listening for the voice that leads you
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  forward. This has been Voices of Life Peace.
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  Be with you.