How wheelchairs, a river, and a spaceship challenged the status quo
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This message comes from the podcast 5 Miles From Home. When a high school student disappears from a small Nevada town, a story of betrayal and shocking confessions emerges. Hosted by Dateline's Keith Morrison. Search 5 Miles From Home to follow now.
This is America in Pursuit, a limited-run series from NPR and ThruLine. I'm Randa Abdel-Fattah. Each week, we bring you stories about life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness in the U.S. that began 250 years ago.
We're going to do things, demonstrate, carry picket signs. We stood up. You're taught what a good country America is and all that crap. As the greatest demonstration for freedom in the history of our nation.
Today, civil disobedience. Starting with those peaceful boycotts in the 1700s, escalating into the overthrow of the British tyranny. It's been a catalyst for change ever since. Being able to question, to stand up to the powers that be, is one of the most American ideals. Henry David Thoreau famously wrote in his 1849 essay, Civil Disobedience,
Must the citizen ever for a moment, or in the least degree, resign his conscience to the legislator?
What is the theme of this episode and how does civil disobedience connect these stories?
Why has every man a conscience then?
At the time, Thoreau was railing against poll taxes, slavery, and the Mexican-American War. The big message underneath it all was that Americans have a moral duty to question the government and to fight injustice.
I say break the law. Let your life be a counter-friction to stop the machine.
On this episode, we're going to shine a spotlight on work from our colleagues in the NPR newsroom who bring us stories of resistance from Denver, Colorado, to Montgomery, Alabama, and from a 1966 primetime TV show. That's coming up after a quick break.
Of all the protests in the summer of 2020, For a moment there, it was utopia.
one took a unique turn.
Somebody over there, he's 18, ought to use a gun.
This is the story of how violence came to occupy an anti-violence occupation in Seattle. Listen to We Keep Us Safe, a new true crime series on the Embedded podcast from NPR.
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The Emmy nominations are here. We're unpacking record-breaking nominations for Hacks, plus a big day for The Pit and newcomers like Widow's Bay. We'll talk about some snubs and make some early predictions of who will win. Listen to Pop Culture Happy Hour via the NPR app or wherever you get your podcasts.
I recently learned this surprising fact about one of the founding fathers. To write his signature on the Declaration of Independence, Stephen Hopkins used his left hand to steady his right. Historians say the delegate from Rhode Island had a disability, what we now call cerebral palsy, or maybe Parkinson's. And as he signed the document, he noted, My hand trembles, but my heart does not. It wasn't until the 20th century that people with disabilities began demanding their rights to the Declaration's promise of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. NPR correspondent Joseph Shapiro and Stephanie Wolf of Colorado Public Radio tell the forgotten story of one group of Americans with disabilities that helped launch a movement.
It's one of the busiest intersections in downtown Denver, where Broadway crosses wide Colfax Avenue, where the Colorado State Capitol, with its gleaming gold dome, towers against the dull winter sky. Cars rush by and buses. This is a hub for city buses. The bus driver spots Dawn Russell in her wheelchair and lowers the automatic wheelchair lift. I know it's for you. I would have been all right if you did know. Every time that lift goes down, what does that feel like? Russell is a disability rights activist. She wants us to see how easy it is for her to ride a city bus now.
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