This 2019 episode marked 100 years since a wave of racist violence in the U.S. that became known as Red Summer. In many ways, Red Summer was a response to (but NOT caused by) two earlier events: the Great Migration and the return of black soldiers who had fought in World War I.

This 2019 episode marked 100 years since a wave of racist violence in the U.S. that became known as Red Summer. In many ways, Red Summer was a response to (but NOT caused by) two earlier events: the Great Migration and the return of black soldiers who had fought in World War I.

Join Holly and Tracy as they bring you the greatest and strangest Stuff You Missed In History Class in this podcast by iHeartRadio.

Stuff You Missed in History Class

Listen to this collection of top episodes from iHeartRadio and iHeartPodcasts. 

Listen to this collection of top episodes from iHeartRadio and iHeartPodcasts.&nbsp;

Podcasts from iHeartRadio

SYMHC Classics: Red Summer 1919

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/4c1c6b70-8c61-434f-b5ae-b43c017676c4/transcript

Holly and Tracy commiserate about sending greeting cards. Tracy talks about how she shifted away from an episode exclusively about Frances Thompson.

Holly and Tracy commiserate about sending greeting cards. Tracy talks about how she shifted away from an episode exclusively about Frances Thompson.

Behind the Scenes Minis: Greetings and Context

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/0730cbe0-425a-47e7-aa8e-b43c0174a000/transcript

The Memphis Massacre was a truly horrific wave of destruction and violence, including sexual violence, against the Black community of Memphis just a year after the end of the U.S. Civil War.

Research:
“Memphis Daily Appeal Interviews Frances Thompson (1876),” SHEC: Resources for Teachers, accessed April 9, 2026, https://shec.ashp.cuny.edu/items/show/3717.
“The Outrage Mill.” The North Missouri Register. 9/14/1876.
“The Reports of the Committees of the House of Representatives Made during the First Session Thirty-ninth Congress, 1865-’66.” Washington: Government Printing Office. https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/SERIALSET-01274_00_00-002-0101-0000/context
Blank, Christopher. “Do The Words 'Race Riot' Belong On A Historic Marker In Memphis?” Code Switch. NPR. 5/2/2016. https://www.npr.org/sections/codeswitch/2016/05/02/476450908/in-memphis-a-divide-over-how-to-remember-a-massacre-150-years-later
Britannica Editors. "Memphis massacre of 1866". Encyclopedia Britannica, 15 Feb. 2024, https://www.britannica.com/event/Memphis-Race-Riot. Accessed 8 April 2026.
Carriere, Marius. “An Irresponsible Press: Memphis Newspapers and the 1866 Riot.” Tennessee Historical Quarterly , Spring 2001, Vol. 60, No. 1. https://www.jstor.org/stable/42628498
Davis, Justin A. “How a disabled Black trans woman left her mark on 19th-century Memphis.” The Emancipator. 6/13/2024. https://theemancipator.org/2024/06/13/topics/histories/how-a-disabled-black-trans-woman-left-her-mark-on-19th-century-memphis/
Donald, Bernice Bouie. “When the Rule of Law Breaks Down: Implications of the 1866 Memphis Massacre for the Passage of the Fourteenth Amendment.” Boston Law Review. Vol. 98. 2018.
Equal Justice Institute. “On this day - Apr 30, 1866: White Police and Mobs Terrorize and Kill Black Residents in Memphis.” https://calendar.eji.org/racial-injustice/apr/30
Harper’s Weekly. “The Memphis Riots.” 5/26/1866.
Johnson, Charles F. and T.W. Gilbreth. “The Freedmen’s Bureau Report on the Memphis Race Riots of 1866.” 5/22/1866. https://teachingamericanhistory.org/document/the-freedmens-bureau-report-on-the-memphis-race-riots-of-1866/
Kimberley, Lewis. “’If you kill him, you have got to kill me first’: examining individual and collective loyalties during the Memphis Massacre (1866).” American Nineteenth Century History. Vol. 25, 2024. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/14664658.2024.2316465
O’Donovan, Susan and Beverly Bond. “ ‘A History They Can Use’: The Memphis Massacre and Reconstruction’s Public History Terrain.” The Journal of the Civil War Era. 8/15/2016. https://www.journalofthecivilwarera.org/2016/08/history-can-use-memphis-massacre-reconstructions-public-history-terrain/
Stryker, Susan. “To Appear As We Please.” Aperture, Winter 2017, No. 229, Future Gender. Via JSTOR. https://www.jstor.org/stable/44898154
Walker, Barrington. “'This is the White Man's Day': The Irish, White Racial Identity, and the 1866 Memphis Riots.” Left History. Vol. 5, No. 2, 1997. https://doi.org/10.25071/1913-9632.5336

The Memphis Massacre was a truly horrific wave of destruction and violence, including sexual violence, against the Black community of Memphis just a year after the end of the U.S. Civil War.
Research:
<ul>
<li>&ldquo;Memphis Daily Appeal Interviews Frances Thompson (1876),&rdquo; SHEC: Resources for Teachers, accessed April 9, 2026, https://shec.ashp.cuny.edu/items/show/3717.</li>
<li>&ldquo;The Outrage Mill.&rdquo; The North Missouri Register. 9/14/1876.</li>
<li>&ldquo;The Reports of the Committees of the House of Representatives Made during the First Session Thirty-ninth Congress, 1865-&rsquo;66.&rdquo; Washington: Government Printing Office. https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/SERIALSET-01274_00_00-002-0101-0000/context</li>
<li>Blank, Christopher. &ldquo;Do The Words 'Race Riot' Belong On A Historic Marker In Memphis?&rdquo; Code Switch. NPR. 5/2/2016. https://www.npr.org/sections/codeswitch/2016/05/02/476450908/in-memphis-a-divide-over-how-to-remember-a-massacre-150-years-later</li>
<li>Britannica Editors. "Memphis massacre of 1866". Encyclopedia Britannica, 15 Feb. 2024, https://www.britannica.com/event/Memphis-Race-Riot. Accessed 8 April 2026.</li>
<li>Carriere, Marius. &ldquo;An Irresponsible Press: Memphis Newspapers and the 1866 Riot.&rdquo; Tennessee Historical Quarterly , Spring 2001, Vol. 60, No. 1. https://www.jstor.org/stable/42628498</li>
<li>Davis, Justin A. &ldquo;How a disabled Black trans woman left her mark on 19th-century Memphis.&rdquo; The Emancipator. 6/13/2024. https://theemancipator.org/2024/06/13/topics/histories/how-a-disabled-black-trans-woman-left-her-mark-on-19th-century-memphis/</li>
<li>Donald, Bernice Bouie. &ldquo;When the Rule of Law Breaks Down: Implications of the 1866 Memphis Massacre for the Passage of the Fourteenth Amendment.&rdquo; Boston Law Review. Vol. 98. 2018.</li>
<li>Equal Justice Institute. &ldquo;On this day - Apr 30, 1866: White Police and Mobs Terrorize and Kill Black Residents in Memphis.&rdquo; https://calendar.eji.org/racial-injustice/apr/30</li>
<li>Harper&rsquo;s Weekly. &ldquo;The Memphis Riots.&rdquo; 5/26/1866.</li>
<li>Johnson, Charles F. and T.W. Gilbreth. &ldquo;The Freedmen&rsquo;s Bureau Report on the Memphis Race Riots of 1866.&rdquo; 5/22/1866. https://teachingamericanhistory.org/document/the-freedmens-bureau-report-on-the-memphis-race-riots-of-1866/</li>
<li>Kimberley, Lewis. &ldquo;&rsquo;If you kill him, you have got to kill me first&rsquo;: examining individual and collective loyalties during the Memphis Massacre (1866).&rdquo; American Nineteenth Century History. Vol. 25, 2024. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/14664658.2024.2316465</li>
<li>O&rsquo;Donovan, Susan and Beverly Bond. &ldquo; &lsquo;A History They Can Use&rsquo;: The Memphis Massacre and Reconstruction&rsquo;s Public History Terrain.&rdquo; The Journal of the Civil War Era. 8/15/2016. https://www.journalofthecivilwarera.org/2016/08/history-can-use-memphis-massacre-reconstructions-public-history-terrain/</li>
<li>Stryker, Susan. &ldquo;To Appear As We Please.&rdquo; Aperture, Winter 2017, No. 229, Future Gender. Via JSTOR. https://www.jstor.org/stable/44898154</li>
<li>Walker, Barrington. &ldquo;'This is the White Man's Day': The Irish, White Racial Identity, and the 1866 Memphis Riots.&rdquo; Left History. Vol. 5, No. 2, 1997. https://doi.org/10.25071/1913-9632.5336</li>
</ul>

The Memphis Massacre was a truly horrific wave of destruction and violence, including sexual violence, against the Black community of Memphis just a year after the end of the U.S. Civil War.

The Memphis Massacre

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/2583c7b8-5e76-4e36-bed6-b439005be35b/transcript

Humans have been exchanging tokens of friendship since before recorded history. From calling cards to Valentines to Christmas cards, the modern greeting card industry evolved.

Research:
“America’s First Christmas Card.” Albany Institute of History and Art. https://www.albanyinstitute.org/online-exhibition/50-objects/section/america-s-first-christmas-card
Britannica Editors. "scarab". Encyclopedia Britannica, 3 Apr. 2014, https://www.britannica.com/topic/scarab
Britannica Editors. "greeting card". Encyclopedia Britannica, 15 Mar. 2024, https://www.britannica.com/topic/greeting-card
Brown, Ellen F. “Christmas, Inc.: A Brief History of the Holiday Card.” JSTOR Daily. Dec. 20, 2015. https://daily.jstor.org/history-christmas-card-holiday-card/
Chase, Ernest Dudley. “The Romance of Greeting Cards.” Rust Craft. Cambridge, MA. 1956.
“Dali at Hallmark.” Hallmark Art Collection. https://www.hallmarkartcollection.com/creatively-thinking/stories/dali-at-hallmark/
“Esther Howland 1847.” Mount Holyoke. https://www.mtholyoke.edu/directory/alum/esther-howland
Evans, Elaine Altman. “The Sacred Scarab, Occasional Paper.” McClung Museum of Natural History and Culture. University of Tennessee. January 1, 1996. https://mcclungmuseum.utk.edu/1996/01/01/sacred-scarab/
Greeting Card Association. “The History of Greeting Cards.” https://www.greetingcard.org/history/
Hanc, John. “The History of the Christmas Card.” Smithsonian. Dec. 9, 2015. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/history-christmas-card-180957487/
Henry, William E. “Art and Cultural Symbolism: A Psychological Study of Greeting Cards.” The Journal of Aesthetics and Art Criticism, vol. 6, no. 1, 1947, pp. 36–44. JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.2307/426176
Kavanagh, Marybeth. “Louis Prang, Father of the American Christmas Card.” The New York Historical. Dec. 19, 2012. https://www.nyhistory.org/blogs/prang
Koon, Wee Kek. “How ancient Chinese new year cards went from elites’ greetings to bribery instruments.” South China Morning Post. Jan. 31, 2026. https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/chinese-culture/article/3341675/how-ancient-chinese-new-year-cards-went-elites-greetings-bribery-instruments?module=perpetual_scroll_0&pgtype=article
Korolkov, Maxim. “‘Greeting Tablets’ in Early China: Some Traits of the Communicative Etiquette of Officialdom in Light of Newly Excavated Inscriptions.” T’oung Pao, vol. 98, no. 4/5, 2012, pp. 295–348. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/41725988
Lee, Ruth Webb. “A History of Valentines.” 1984.
Newberry, Percy E. “Scarabs: An Introduction to the Study of Egyptian Seals and Signet Rings.” London. Archibald Constable and Co. Ltd. 1908. https://dn790001.ca.archive.org/0/items/scarabsintroduc00newbuoft/scarabsintroduc00newbuoft.pdf
Purcell, Denise. “Authentic Messaging and Independent Makers Drive Greeting Cards' Next-Gen Relevance.” U.S. Chamber of Commerce. https://www.uschamber.com/co/good-company/launch-pad/greeting-card-next-gen-relevance#:~:text=The%20category%20is%20massive:%20According,card%20market%20at%20$7%20billion.
Grafton, Samuel. “Holly Leaf and Copper Plate.” The North American Review, vol. 226, no. 6, 1928, pp. 660–64. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/25110633
Shoichet, Catherine E. “This ‘visionary’ woman changed the way many Americans celebrate Valentine’s Day.” CNN. Feb. 14, 2024. https://edition.cnn.com/2024/02/13/style/esther-howland-valentines-card-history-cec
Schmidt, Leigh Eric. “The Commercialization of the Calendar: American Holidays and the Culture of Consumption, 1870-1930.” The Journal of American History, vol. 78, no. 3, 1991, pp. 887–916. JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.2307/2078795
Stupperich, Andy. “Art Education: Louis Prang's Christmas Card Competitions.” The Henry Ford Museum. January 29, 2026. https://www.thehenryford.org/collections/explore/articles/art-education-louis-prang%27s-christmas-card-competitions
Terrell, Ellen. “Esther Howland and the Business of Love.” Library of Congress. March 23, 2016. https://blogs.loc.gov/inside_adams/2016/03/esther-howland-and-the-business-of-love/
“World's first printed Valentine's Card.” A History of the World. BBC. 2014. https://www.bbc.co.uk/ahistoryoftheworld/objects/L1NM_6mWRymAMKXcRDlXJA
Wright, Helena E. “A winning design: Prang’s Christmas card contests of the 1880s.” National Museum of American History. December 23, 2019. https://americanhistory.si.edu/explore/stories/winning-design-prangs-christmas-card-contests-1880s

Humans have been exchanging tokens of friendship since before recorded history. From calling cards to Valentines to Christmas cards, the modern greeting card industry evolved.
Research:
<ul>
<li>&ldquo;America&rsquo;s First Christmas Card.&rdquo; Albany Institute of History and Art. https://www.albanyinstitute.org/online-exhibition/50-objects/section/america-s-first-christmas-card</li>
<li>Britannica Editors. "scarab".&nbsp;Encyclopedia Britannica, 3 Apr. 2014, https://www.britannica.com/topic/scarab</li>
<li>Britannica Editors. "greeting card".&nbsp;Encyclopedia Britannica, 15 Mar. 2024, https://www.britannica.com/topic/greeting-card</li>
<li>Brown, Ellen F. &ldquo;Christmas, Inc.: A Brief History of the Holiday Card.&rdquo; JSTOR Daily. Dec. 20, 2015. https://daily.jstor.org/history-christmas-card-holiday-card/</li>
<li>Chase, Ernest Dudley. &ldquo;The Romance of Greeting Cards.&rdquo; Rust Craft. Cambridge, MA. 1956.</li>
<li>&ldquo;Dali at Hallmark.&rdquo; Hallmark Art Collection. https://www.hallmarkartcollection.com/creatively-thinking/stories/dali-at-hallmark/</li>
<li>&ldquo;Esther Howland 1847.&rdquo; Mount Holyoke. https://www.mtholyoke.edu/directory/alum/esther-howland</li>
<li>Evans, Elaine Altman. &ldquo;The Sacred Scarab, Occasional Paper.&rdquo; McClung Museum of Natural History and Culture. University of Tennessee. January 1, 1996. https://mcclungmuseum.utk.edu/1996/01/01/sacred-scarab/</li>
<li>Greeting Card Association. &ldquo;The History of Greeting Cards.&rdquo; https://www.greetingcard.org/history/</li>
<li>Hanc, John. &ldquo;The History of the Christmas Card.&rdquo; Smithsonian. Dec. 9, 2015. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/history-christmas-card-180957487/</li>
<li>Henry, William E. &ldquo;Art and Cultural Symbolism: A Psychological Study of Greeting Cards.&rdquo;&nbsp;The Journal of Aesthetics and Art Criticism, vol. 6, no. 1, 1947, pp. 36&ndash;44.&nbsp;JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.2307/426176</li>
<li>Kavanagh, Marybeth. &ldquo;Louis Prang, Father of the American Christmas Card.&rdquo; The New York Historical. Dec. 19, 2012. https://www.nyhistory.org/blogs/prang</li>
<li>Koon, Wee Kek. &ldquo;How ancient Chinese new year cards went from elites&rsquo; greetings to bribery instruments.&rdquo; South China Morning Post. Jan. 31, 2026. https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/chinese-culture/article/3341675/how-ancient-chinese-new-year-cards-went-elites-greetings-bribery-instruments?module=perpetual_scroll_0&amp;pgtype=article</li>
<li>Korolkov, Maxim. &ldquo;&lsquo;Greeting Tablets&rsquo; in Early China: Some Traits of the Communicative Etiquette of Officialdom in Light of Newly Excavated Inscriptions.&rdquo;&nbsp;T&rsquo;oung Pao, vol. 98, no. 4/5, 2012, pp. 295&ndash;348.&nbsp;JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/41725988</li>
<li>Lee, Ruth Webb. &ldquo;A History of Valentines.&rdquo; 1984.</li>
<li>Newberry, Percy E. &ldquo;Scarabs: An Introduction to the Study of Egyptian Seals and Signet Rings.&rdquo; London. Archibald Constable and Co. Ltd. 1908. https://dn790001.ca.archive.org/0/items/scarabsintroduc00newbuoft/scarabsintroduc00newbuoft.pdf</li>
<li>Purcell, Denise. &ldquo;Authentic Messaging and Independent Makers Drive&nbsp;Greeting Cards' Next-Gen Relevance.&rdquo; U.S. Chamber of Commerce. https://www.uschamber.com/co/good-company/launch-pad/greeting-card-next-gen-relevance#:~:text=The%20category%20is%20massive:%20According,card%20market%20at%20$7%20billion.</li>
<li>Grafton, Samuel. &ldquo;Holly Leaf and Copper Plate.&rdquo;&nbsp;The North American Review, vol. 226, no. 6, 1928, pp. 660&ndash;64.&nbsp;JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/25110633</li>
<li>Shoichet, Catherine E. &ldquo;This &lsquo;visionary&rsquo; woman changed the way many Americans celebrate Valentine&rsquo;s Day.&rdquo; CNN. Feb. 14, 2024. https://edition.cnn.com/2024/02/13/style/esther-howland-valentines-card-history-cec</li>
<li>Schmidt, Leigh Eric. &ldquo;The Commercialization of the Calendar: American Holidays and the Culture of Consumption, 1870-1930.&rdquo;&nbsp;The Journal of American History, vol. 78, no. 3, 1991, pp. 887&ndash;916.&nbsp;JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.2307/2078795</li>
<li>Stupperich, Andy. &ldquo;Art&nbsp;Education:&nbsp;Louis&nbsp;Prang's&nbsp;Christmas&nbsp;Card&nbsp;Competitions.&rdquo; The Henry Ford Museum. January 29, 2026. https://www.thehenryford.org/collections/explore/articles/art-education-louis-prang%27s-christmas-card-competitions</li>
<li>Terrell, Ellen. &ldquo;Esther Howland and the Business of Love.&rdquo; Library of Congress. March 23, 2016. https://blogs.loc.gov/inside_adams/2016/03/esther-howland-and-the-business-of-love/</li>
<li>&ldquo;World's first printed Valentine's Card.&rdquo; A History of the World. BBC. 2014. https://www.bbc.co.uk/ahistoryoftheworld/objects/L1NM_6mWRymAMKXcRDlXJA</li>
<li>Wright, Helena E. &ldquo;A winning design: Prang&rsquo;s Christmas card contests of the 1880s.&rdquo; National Museum of American History. December 23, 2019. https://americanhistory.si.edu/explore/stories/winning-design-prangs-christmas-card-contests-1880s</li>
</ul>

Humans have been exchanging tokens of friendship since before recorded history. From calling cards to Valentines to Christmas cards, the modern greeting card industry evolved.

Greeting Cards

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/15db5476-4ec5-406d-87ed-b433014519a8/transcript

SYMHC Classics: Red Summer 1919

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