WEBVTT - Protest 0:00:00.240 --> 0:00:03.239 Just a heads up. This episode contains topics of violence 0:00:03.320 --> 0:00:06.040 towards children and animals that may be disturbing to some. 0:00:06.600 --> 0:00:13.280 Please take care while listening. You're listening to American Shadows, 0:00:13.280 --> 0:00:16.000 a production of I Heart Radio and Grim and Mild 0:00:16.000 --> 0:00:27.200 from Aaron Mankey. It's a story we grew up with 0:00:27.320 --> 0:00:30.440 in the history classes of our youth, the Revolutionary War 0:00:30.680 --> 0:00:34.040 and the events leading up to it, though some violent 0:00:34.200 --> 0:00:37.400 or heavily political aspects were removed until we were older, 0:00:38.120 --> 0:00:40.880 such is the case with the Boston Tea Party as 0:00:40.960 --> 0:00:43.839 we've come to know it. The American colonies had just 0:00:43.880 --> 0:00:46.640 started to recover from the French and Indian War, which 0:00:46.760 --> 0:00:49.280 was part of a larger conflict that played out across 0:00:49.320 --> 0:00:53.640 the globe. As countries fought for more territory, war costs 0:00:53.680 --> 0:00:57.320 money and to offset its debt, the British Parliament taxed 0:00:57.400 --> 0:01:01.440 the colonists. In seventeen sixty five, the Stamp Act taxed 0:01:01.480 --> 0:01:05.680 all paper goods, from newspapers to legal documents to playing cards. 0:01:06.640 --> 0:01:10.360 In seventeen sixty seven, Parliament added the town Send Acts, 0:01:10.400 --> 0:01:14.080 which tax consumer goods like paint, glass, lead, and tea, 0:01:14.160 --> 0:01:18.600 among other things. Colonists were displeased that the British taxed 0:01:18.680 --> 0:01:21.560 them on raw materials that they supplied and shipped to England. 0:01:22.000 --> 0:01:24.720 They were less happy that the products were heavily marked 0:01:24.760 --> 0:01:29.240 up and sent back. Anger and resentment grew, especially since 0:01:29.240 --> 0:01:32.080 colonists felt they had little to no representation in the 0:01:32.080 --> 0:01:35.640 Parliament that was claiming to act on their behalf. As 0:01:35.680 --> 0:01:39.360 the resentment grew, so did the violence. In seventeen seventy 0:01:39.560 --> 0:01:43.840 the Boston Massacre sparked further discord. The last straw was 0:01:43.920 --> 0:01:47.720 the Tea Act of seventeen seventy three. The problem had 0:01:47.720 --> 0:01:50.560 started when the British repealed the town Send taxes on 0:01:50.760 --> 0:01:54.559 other products but kept the tax on tea. You see, 0:01:54.640 --> 0:01:57.520 the revenue from one point to million pounds of tea 0:01:57.720 --> 0:02:01.600 was to appealing. Tea loving ownials found a solution, though 0:02:02.080 --> 0:02:05.760 they boycotted the British East India Company and purchased more affordable, 0:02:05.920 --> 0:02:10.240 if smuggled, Dutch tea. This left the British East India 0:02:10.280 --> 0:02:13.760 Company holding millions of pounds of tea. All was not 0:02:13.919 --> 0:02:16.800 lost for the company, though it was large enough and 0:02:16.919 --> 0:02:21.480 had plenty of political connections. In May of seventeen seventy three, 0:02:21.639 --> 0:02:25.040 Parliament passed the Tea Act, the East India Company could 0:02:25.040 --> 0:02:30.000 sell tea duty free, helping to undercut Dutch tea prices. However, 0:02:30.400 --> 0:02:33.600 the lower prices cut into the profit of smugglers like 0:02:33.800 --> 0:02:37.560 Sam Adams and John Hancock. Since it wouldn't come across 0:02:37.560 --> 0:02:41.120 as patriotic to complain about the loss of income from smuggling, 0:02:41.639 --> 0:02:47.560 they instead decried taxation without representation, making tea their rallying point. 0:02:48.520 --> 0:02:52.600 In December of seventeen three, three ships carrying tea from 0:02:52.600 --> 0:02:56.880 the East India Company arrived in Boston Harbor. To their surprise, 0:02:56.960 --> 0:02:59.840 and angry mob met them at the port. Much of 0:02:59.880 --> 0:03:02.760 the crowd had been whipped into a frenzy by clandestine 0:03:02.800 --> 0:03:06.600 political group that called themselves the Sons of Liberty. The 0:03:06.680 --> 0:03:09.560 mob refused to allow the ships to unload, and the 0:03:09.600 --> 0:03:12.120 governor refused to allow the ships to return to England. 0:03:12.680 --> 0:03:17.280 This impast lasted until December six. That night, members of 0:03:17.280 --> 0:03:20.720 the Sons of Liberty, wearing disguises, quietly slipped onto the 0:03:20.720 --> 0:03:24.760 ships and tossed the tea overboard. The men left as 0:03:24.800 --> 0:03:28.679 quietly as they boarded, and disappeared into the night. We've 0:03:28.720 --> 0:03:31.760 come to know this event as the Boston Tea Party. 0:03:32.120 --> 0:03:36.920 And though some residents cheered, many reacted with disgusted. George 0:03:36.920 --> 0:03:41.520 Washington berated Bostonians for their conduct. Other prominent patriots, including 0:03:41.560 --> 0:03:45.040 Benjamin Franklin, argued in favor of compensating the East India 0:03:45.080 --> 0:03:49.680 Company for their losses, but ultimately Parliament's punitive reaction to 0:03:49.760 --> 0:03:52.320 the Boston Tea Party was one of the sparks that 0:03:52.440 --> 0:03:55.880 started the Revolutionary War, making it perhaps one of the 0:03:55.880 --> 0:04:00.240 most notable protests in history, and protests have been part 0:04:00.280 --> 0:04:04.360 of American life ever since. The reasons have varied, and 0:04:04.480 --> 0:04:08.600 while we understand the rationale behind some, others have existed 0:04:08.640 --> 0:04:12.800 only in the darkest recesses of an individual's mind. I'm 0:04:12.880 --> 0:04:25.599 Lauren Vogelbaum. Welcome to American Shadows. After the American Revolution, 0:04:25.880 --> 0:04:29.840 the French found themselves preoccupied with growing problems back home, 0:04:30.480 --> 0:04:35.159 leaving much of the colonized territories in Michigan wide open. Sadly, 0:04:35.320 --> 0:04:38.520 the indigenous peoples living there weren't much of a consideration 0:04:38.680 --> 0:04:42.839 when colonists moved in. After a few battles and skirmishes, 0:04:43.200 --> 0:04:47.440 the settlers took over the prime farming land. Considering New 0:04:47.440 --> 0:04:52.000 England's weather, many found the climate more temperate natural resources 0:04:52.040 --> 0:04:55.279 were also more abundant. It didn't take long before more 0:04:55.320 --> 0:04:58.400 people moved to the area. In eighteen o five, the 0:04:58.440 --> 0:05:03.480 Michigan Territory was aided, lowing in more colonists. The population 0:05:03.560 --> 0:05:07.080 increased again after the Erie Canal's completion in eighteen twenty five, 0:05:08.080 --> 0:05:11.880 and by eighteen thirty seven one Silas Rose, along with 0:05:11.920 --> 0:05:15.520 his wife, five children, and all their livestock, relocated from 0:05:15.520 --> 0:05:19.080 New York to Michigan. The family promptly carved out a 0:05:19.120 --> 0:05:21.560 portion of land they called Bath in honor of their 0:05:21.560 --> 0:05:25.160 hometown back in New York. In a few years, Bath 0:05:25.240 --> 0:05:29.040 had a few dozen settlers. Most were farmers seeking a 0:05:29.120 --> 0:05:31.680 way to make a living and pass down land from 0:05:31.720 --> 0:05:36.640 generation to generation. In eighteen forty three, Bath became a township, 0:05:37.000 --> 0:05:39.960 and the citizens held their first election on April eighteenth 0:05:40.000 --> 0:05:43.160 of that year. By the mid eighteen hundreds, the town 0:05:43.200 --> 0:05:46.560 had a sawmill, a brick factory, shops, and a post office. 0:05:47.320 --> 0:05:50.400 Rail service soon followed, allowing their goods to be sold 0:05:50.440 --> 0:05:53.880 to other towns. They even had a one room schoolhouse 0:05:53.920 --> 0:05:57.719 where children of all ages learned side by side. Most 0:05:57.800 --> 0:06:01.320 children stayed long enough for a grammar school education. Roughly 0:06:01.520 --> 0:06:04.919 eight years. At the time, most kids who wanted to 0:06:04.920 --> 0:06:08.320 attend high school had to pass an entrance exam. Since 0:06:08.400 --> 0:06:12.159 high schools weren't common in rural areas, children pursuing further 0:06:12.320 --> 0:06:14.880 education often went to stay with a relative who lived 0:06:14.880 --> 0:06:18.880 in town. As Bath grew over the coming decades, neither 0:06:18.920 --> 0:06:22.480 the kids nor the community benefited from these small schoolhouses. 0:06:23.120 --> 0:06:26.640 Across the nation, larger schools provided education for children in 0:06:26.720 --> 0:06:30.800 grades one through twelve. By the nineteen teens, every morning, 0:06:30.920 --> 0:06:33.760 motor buses drove through districts of other cities to pick 0:06:33.839 --> 0:06:37.000 up kids and drop them off at school. Each school 0:06:37.040 --> 0:06:40.520 had teachers for each of the grades and subjects. By 0:06:41.720 --> 0:06:45.320 approximately twelve thousand of these new modern schools had been 0:06:45.360 --> 0:06:49.359 built across the country. While some people were happy about 0:06:49.360 --> 0:06:53.760 furthering their children's educations, others took offense. Many stated that 0:06:53.839 --> 0:06:55.880 they had turned out just fine with the old way 0:06:55.880 --> 0:06:58.839 of teaching. Others wanted to know who would pay for 0:06:58.880 --> 0:07:02.880 the new schools of uses and extra teachers. Of course, 0:07:03.240 --> 0:07:06.760 like in all cities across America, money for schools meant 0:07:06.920 --> 0:07:12.160 higher taxes. Bath residents argued bitterly for years as some 0:07:12.280 --> 0:07:14.640 parents wanted more for their children than what they had 0:07:14.640 --> 0:07:19.240 been given. Others thought the cost was too high. Eventually, 0:07:19.360 --> 0:07:22.840 Bath voted to create a new school. To save money, 0:07:22.880 --> 0:07:26.000 they opted to renovate an existing one. The local brick 0:07:26.040 --> 0:07:29.680 factory provided materials. Construction on the school began in the 0:07:29.720 --> 0:07:34.360 fall of and when they finished, residents boasted that the 0:07:34.400 --> 0:07:36.680 school was one of the most modern in mid Michigan. 0:07:37.440 --> 0:07:40.640 A sense of pride replaced anger for most residents who 0:07:40.640 --> 0:07:44.600 had been against the school, all except Andrew Keyhoe, who 0:07:44.640 --> 0:07:47.840 had moved to Bath from to Come See. His parents 0:07:47.840 --> 0:07:51.080 had once had high expectations for him. As a child, 0:07:51.280 --> 0:07:55.360 Keyhoe had shown talent with mechanical devices. His aptitude for 0:07:55.440 --> 0:07:58.160 mechanics had helped modernize the family farm back into Come 0:07:58.200 --> 0:08:02.240 See life. Chain deb eighteen, when his mother died and 0:08:02.320 --> 0:08:06.320 his father remarried a woman twenty five years younger. Keyhoe 0:08:06.400 --> 0:08:09.000 didn't care for his father's new wife, and he left 0:08:09.040 --> 0:08:12.240 home for a while before returning. By then he had 0:08:12.280 --> 0:08:15.320 a half sister, Irene, whom he also did not like. 0:08:16.040 --> 0:08:20.480 To show his displeasure, he killed Irene's cat. Then, in 0:08:20.560 --> 0:08:24.400 nineteen eleven, the gas stove mysteriously caught fire while his 0:08:24.440 --> 0:08:27.720 stepmother was making dinner. Keyhoe watched her burn for a 0:08:27.720 --> 0:08:30.960 while before fetching a pail of water. She did not 0:08:31.080 --> 0:08:36.079 survive small towns. Being small towns where everyone knows everyone 0:08:36.120 --> 0:08:40.040 else's business, it had been no secret that Keyhoe hated 0:08:40.120 --> 0:08:44.240 his stepmother and half sister, and like most small towns, 0:08:44.800 --> 0:08:47.360 rumors began to swirl that he had rigged to the 0:08:47.360 --> 0:09:02.600 stove to catch fire. On May fi, just eight months 0:09:02.640 --> 0:09:06.960 after his stepmother's death, Keyhoe married one Ellen Agnes Price. 0:09:07.840 --> 0:09:10.880 Had met Ellen, known simply as Nellie to family and friends, 0:09:11.080 --> 0:09:14.640 while attending Michigan State College. The couple settled on his 0:09:14.720 --> 0:09:20.160 family farm. Like other residents, Nellie was an avid churchgoer. Keyhoe, however, 0:09:20.360 --> 0:09:23.520 was not oh Once when the town planned to erect 0:09:23.559 --> 0:09:26.880 a new church, Keiho threatened the parish priest with violence 0:09:26.920 --> 0:09:31.120 for requesting a four hundred dollar donation. When his father died, 0:09:31.520 --> 0:09:35.200 Keihoe purchased farm land in Bath from Nellie's aunt. He 0:09:35.320 --> 0:09:38.080 paid half in cash and took a mortgage for the remainder. 0:09:38.679 --> 0:09:41.760 The population in Bath was just over three hundred, so 0:09:41.920 --> 0:09:46.200 newcomers were exciting, and many residents recalled Nellie from her 0:09:46.240 --> 0:09:49.400 childhood trips to her aunt and uncle's farm. They were 0:09:49.440 --> 0:09:52.760 none the wiser when it came to Keyhoe's past. Some 0:09:52.960 --> 0:09:55.840 regarded him as a kind gentleman who said hello to 0:09:55.880 --> 0:09:59.079 the children and tipped his hat to the ladies. Others 0:09:59.120 --> 0:10:02.960 thought he was trick Obsessed with the newest farm technologies 0:10:03.080 --> 0:10:07.640 like gas powered tractors, Keyho didn't dress like most farmers. 0:10:08.160 --> 0:10:10.480 He took to the day wearing a suit, vest and 0:10:10.600 --> 0:10:14.000 shiny dress shoes. Visitors to the farm noted that his 0:10:14.080 --> 0:10:17.160 tools were kept clean and orderly, not even a rake 0:10:17.320 --> 0:10:21.240 out of place, But talk of his quirky ways and 0:10:21.400 --> 0:10:25.160 gentlemanly manners soon stopped as he returned to his old 0:10:25.160 --> 0:10:29.720 ways of being short tempered and suspicious of everyone. He 0:10:29.960 --> 0:10:33.360 shot the neighbor's dog for barking, and when a horse 0:10:33.360 --> 0:10:36.480 he purchased didn't live up to his expectations, he beat 0:10:36.520 --> 0:10:40.240 it to death. And of course, there were the odd 0:10:40.280 --> 0:10:44.720 explosions on the property. While dynamite wasn't unheard of on 0:10:44.840 --> 0:10:48.000 farms to break up land, and most considered it useful 0:10:48.200 --> 0:10:51.880 only in the most experienced hands, even so, the couple 0:10:51.960 --> 0:10:56.160 remained popular among the townsfolk. Keyho enjoyed spending time at 0:10:56.200 --> 0:10:58.920 the local farm bureaus, where he showed off his talent 0:10:59.000 --> 0:11:02.560 with modern technical marvels. He also joined the school board, 0:11:02.920 --> 0:11:06.840 though the couple had no children themselves. Neighbors considered Keyhoe's 0:11:06.880 --> 0:11:10.320 interest in extension of his commitment to the community. He 0:11:10.440 --> 0:11:14.160 was well educated, so his involvement with education seemed natural. 0:11:15.000 --> 0:11:19.360 No one realized his motives were anything but generous. Keyhoe 0:11:19.520 --> 0:11:23.040 was frugal, to say the least. While he freely spent 0:11:23.120 --> 0:11:27.000 money on himself in the farm's latest technology, Keyhoe felt 0:11:27.040 --> 0:11:29.920 he shouldn't have to pay for anything that didn't benefit 0:11:30.000 --> 0:11:35.200 him directly. Nothing set off his temper like taxes, especially 0:11:35.280 --> 0:11:39.400 taxes for school. In his mind, since he had no children, 0:11:39.559 --> 0:11:43.240 he shouldn't have to pay towards their education. But when 0:11:43.280 --> 0:11:47.240 the board held a vote on November twelfth, of only 0:11:47.320 --> 0:11:50.040 twenty out of seventy six opposed a plan to fund 0:11:50.080 --> 0:11:54.120 the new school's athletic field by raising property taxes. Additional 0:11:54.160 --> 0:11:57.600 taxes were needed to hire teachers and staff. When the 0:11:57.640 --> 0:12:01.240 doors opened in the fall of nWo Keiho watched the 0:12:01.280 --> 0:12:05.880 community rally behind the school with complete contempt. A man 0:12:05.920 --> 0:12:08.679 by the name of Emery Haike, a veteran and one 0:12:08.679 --> 0:12:12.120 of the school's teachers also took on the position of superintendent. 0:12:12.920 --> 0:12:16.040 Hike worked hard to make the bussing system successful and 0:12:16.160 --> 0:12:20.440 focused on earning the school's accreditation. In nineteen twenty five. 0:12:20.520 --> 0:12:24.240 He succeeded, making the bad consolidated school one of the 0:12:24.280 --> 0:12:29.760 best schools in Michigan. Keiho seethed, so when the board 0:12:29.760 --> 0:12:33.200 treasurer was up for reelection, Keiho ran against him and won. 0:12:33.679 --> 0:12:36.440 He was sworn in a week later. Keiho took on 0:12:36.480 --> 0:12:39.920 additional roles as well, working as a janitor and handyman. 0:12:40.920 --> 0:12:43.360 For the next few years, he fought with the school 0:12:43.360 --> 0:12:46.200 board in the town over his property's value, trying to 0:12:46.280 --> 0:12:49.560 reduce it to lower his taxes. Keiho argued that the 0:12:49.559 --> 0:12:51.600 taxes had risen to the point where Pe could no 0:12:51.640 --> 0:12:55.400 longer pay his mortgage. His wife, Sant, who held the 0:12:55.400 --> 0:12:59.000 mortgage on the farm, threatened foreclosure. He shouted at her 0:12:59.040 --> 0:13:02.240 that if he couldn't of their no one would a 0:13:02.320 --> 0:13:06.560 word regarding Keyhoe's obstructionist behavior and policies caused him to 0:13:06.600 --> 0:13:11.440 lose the election for town clerk in and adding to 0:13:11.480 --> 0:13:16.200 his stress, Nellie had tuberculosis, which was often fatal, especially 0:13:16.240 --> 0:13:20.760 in rural areas like Bath. The townsfolk quietly observed the 0:13:20.840 --> 0:13:23.679 Keyhos temper had reached a fever pitch by the end 0:13:23.720 --> 0:13:28.520 of the school year. Neighbor Monty Ellsworth noticed a two 0:13:28.600 --> 0:13:31.720 ft long box full of rifle shells and Keyhoe's truck. 0:13:32.760 --> 0:13:36.040 Though Ellsworth didn't tell anyone the amount of weapons and 0:13:36.080 --> 0:13:40.520 ammunition his neighbor had stockpiled made of nervous If Ellsworth 0:13:40.559 --> 0:13:43.640 had known what else his neighbor had stoppiled, it might 0:13:43.679 --> 0:13:46.959 have sent off alarm bells loud enough for the entire town. 0:13:54.440 --> 0:13:57.920 Lightning and thunder rumbled across Bath on the morning of 0:13:58.040 --> 0:14:02.920 May eighte The farming town was happy about the much 0:14:02.960 --> 0:14:07.679 needed rain. The resulting power outage was another matter. The 0:14:07.760 --> 0:14:10.880 storm took out the school generator, preventing the school bell 0:14:10.960 --> 0:14:16.000 from ringing. The residents carried on as usual everywhere in Bath, 0:14:16.200 --> 0:14:18.839 students prepared for the last day of school. A nine 0:14:18.920 --> 0:14:22.000 year old Robert Hart had spent the morning feeding chickens 0:14:22.040 --> 0:14:24.960 before realizing he was running late. He shouted goodbye to 0:14:25.000 --> 0:14:27.840 his mom as he ran off to school. Third grader 0:14:27.960 --> 0:14:30.960 Arnold Boyerla tried convincing his parents to let him stay 0:14:31.000 --> 0:14:34.560 home and go shopping with them in Lansing. Unfortunately, he 0:14:34.600 --> 0:14:37.240 had missed enough school already and they sent him on 0:14:37.280 --> 0:14:40.520 his way. Twelve year old Lola Hart lamented to her 0:14:40.560 --> 0:14:42.480 mother that she had a test that day that would 0:14:42.520 --> 0:14:46.240 surely kill her. In response, her mother assured her everything 0:14:46.280 --> 0:14:49.760 would be fine. To brighten the day, Lola stopped to 0:14:49.760 --> 0:14:53.440 pick lilacs to take with her to class. Seven year 0:14:53.440 --> 0:14:56.920 old Ralph Cushman walked to school with his older sister, Josephine. 0:14:57.360 --> 0:15:00.600 He talked excitedly about the long summer ahead and all 0:15:00.600 --> 0:15:04.320 the games of baseball he intended to play once at 0:15:04.320 --> 0:15:07.960 the school. Josephine smiled and promised her little brother she 0:15:07.960 --> 0:15:10.680 would seem at lunch, before disappearing into the sea of 0:15:10.720 --> 0:15:15.160 students heading to their classes. Principal Floyd Huggett stood on 0:15:15.240 --> 0:15:18.240 the school steps at eight thirty, ringing a bell signifying 0:15:18.280 --> 0:15:21.800 that class was about to begin. After the last students 0:15:21.800 --> 0:15:24.760 stepped inside, Huggett walked next door to the church to 0:15:24.960 --> 0:15:27.840 check on the details for the commencement celebrations planned for 0:15:27.840 --> 0:15:31.280 the following night. Keyho drove into the parking lot and 0:15:31.400 --> 0:15:34.760 headed inside. One of the faculty asked him to check 0:15:34.760 --> 0:15:38.080 on the boiler. It frequently gave them trouble, and though 0:15:38.120 --> 0:15:40.400 that asked him several times to take a look, it 0:15:40.440 --> 0:15:43.880 had never been fixed. Many thought it was odd, given 0:15:44.000 --> 0:15:49.040 Keyhoe's ability to fix almost everything. One teacher, Miss gudakanst 0:15:49.120 --> 0:15:51.840 allowed her class to start a little late that day. 0:15:52.440 --> 0:15:55.520 By eight thirty five, over two hundred and fifty students 0:15:55.520 --> 0:15:59.080 were in attendance. A group of senior boys stepped outside 0:15:59.120 --> 0:16:01.840 to celebrate their last stay with an impromptu baseball game, 0:16:02.280 --> 0:16:04.760 and the day had started out bleary but seemed to 0:16:04.800 --> 0:16:08.840 be shaping up nicely, and several minutes after arriving, Keyhoe 0:16:08.920 --> 0:16:13.160 left the school and drove away. The first explosion tore 0:16:13.160 --> 0:16:17.800 apart the north wing of the school at walls collapsed 0:16:17.800 --> 0:16:22.000 onto the children, Floors and ceilings shook, windows burst, and 0:16:22.040 --> 0:16:25.160 brick and plaster shot through the air like missiles. The 0:16:25.200 --> 0:16:29.280 boys playing baseball outside were grown to the ground. Survivors 0:16:29.320 --> 0:16:32.720 and nearby residents scrambled to help. They plowed at the 0:16:32.760 --> 0:16:37.080 debris to find anyone buried underneath. Parents screamed and sobbed 0:16:37.120 --> 0:16:40.240 as they clung to lifeless forms on the lawn. A 0:16:40.280 --> 0:16:44.520 few men passing the Keyhoe farm noticed smoke. They stopped 0:16:44.520 --> 0:16:47.640 to help and found the bar and ablaze. Realizing it 0:16:47.720 --> 0:16:49.680 was too late to save any of the animals, they 0:16:49.800 --> 0:16:52.520 headed to the house, but promptly left and they found 0:16:52.560 --> 0:16:56.360 a stack of dynamite with a timer. They only narrowly 0:16:56.480 --> 0:17:00.520 escaped the blast threw them against their cars. A neighbors 0:17:00.520 --> 0:17:04.000 stood stunned as Keyho jumped into his truck and yelled 0:17:04.000 --> 0:17:07.240 at them to get to the school before speeding away. 0:17:07.480 --> 0:17:10.119 The fire marshal and other first responders at the school 0:17:10.320 --> 0:17:14.199 noticed the smell of explosives. Rescue efforts were underway to 0:17:14.200 --> 0:17:17.520 get the wounded to the nearby hospital. Adults took uninjured 0:17:17.600 --> 0:17:20.240 children to a nearby home to prevent them from seeing 0:17:20.359 --> 0:17:23.800 so much death and destruction. Ke Ho roared into the 0:17:23.800 --> 0:17:27.760 parking lot and stopped next to Superintendent Hike's car. He 0:17:27.880 --> 0:17:31.240 jumped out, rifle in hand. Hike walked over to him, 0:17:31.480 --> 0:17:35.600 either mistaking his intentions to help or possibly to stop Keyhoe. 0:17:35.760 --> 0:17:39.760 Once he saw the rifle, Keiho turned and fired into 0:17:39.800 --> 0:17:43.000 his own truck, where had stashed a considerable amount of 0:17:43.040 --> 0:17:47.720 dynamite and boxes of nuts, bolts and nails. The shot 0:17:47.880 --> 0:17:51.120 ignited the dynamite and a ball of gas and flames 0:17:51.200 --> 0:17:54.679 incinerated the men. The nails and other loose items became 0:17:54.880 --> 0:17:59.160 lethal shrapnel, hitting bystanders. One of the children who had 0:17:59.160 --> 0:18:02.560 survived the initial old blast died after sharpnel lodged into 0:18:02.560 --> 0:18:07.440 his spine. Josephine Cushman stood in the parking lot, confused 0:18:07.600 --> 0:18:12.000 in shock. People ran, screamed, or were lying on the ground. 0:18:12.880 --> 0:18:15.080 She caught a glimpse of her parents and ran to them. 0:18:15.160 --> 0:18:19.080 Sobbing blood streamed from her leg. Until then, she had 0:18:19.160 --> 0:18:22.520 no idea she had been hit by shrapnel. Her parents 0:18:22.560 --> 0:18:25.760 asked where her brother was. Josephine shook her head. She 0:18:26.080 --> 0:18:30.240 had no idea. Rescuers found him still sitting at his 0:18:30.320 --> 0:18:34.520 desk next to Ralph sat, another classmate. Neither boy had 0:18:34.560 --> 0:18:38.080 had time to escape. They were among the forty five 0:18:38.359 --> 0:18:41.680 killed in the mask Here fifty eight others were injured. 0:18:42.680 --> 0:18:45.440 The rescue efforts and clean up went on late into 0:18:45.440 --> 0:18:48.480 the night. Nothing like this had occurred at a school before. 0:18:49.440 --> 0:18:52.440 But for the residence of Bath, one thing was clear. 0:18:53.000 --> 0:18:56.200 The explosion hadn't been a case of a faulty boiler. 0:18:57.280 --> 0:19:02.320 One man angry over taxes had meticulously planned the most 0:19:02.400 --> 0:19:14.320 heinous act. They could imagine there were other victims not 0:19:14.520 --> 0:19:18.399 at the school. Investigators found Nellie's charred body in a 0:19:18.480 --> 0:19:21.840 cart at the back of the farm. Keyhoe had also 0:19:21.960 --> 0:19:24.159 hobbled all the horses in the barn to prevent them 0:19:24.200 --> 0:19:27.560 from escaping on a fence. He had left a hand 0:19:27.600 --> 0:19:33.400 painted sign Criminals are made, not born. While the town 0:19:33.480 --> 0:19:36.119 didn't have all the answers as to why key Hoo 0:19:36.280 --> 0:19:40.600 had decided on such depth and destruction, they knew this much. 0:19:41.040 --> 0:19:45.040 He blamed everyone else for his actions. It was a 0:19:45.080 --> 0:19:48.960 miracle more hadn't died. Investigators found the keyho had been 0:19:49.040 --> 0:19:52.639 rigging the entire building for months. A short circuit and 0:19:52.680 --> 0:19:55.359 one of the wires had prevented another five hundred pounds 0:19:55.359 --> 0:19:59.200 of dynamite in the south wing from exploding. In the aftermath, 0:19:59.600 --> 0:20:04.320 doctor nurses and help from neighboring towns poured in. Businesses 0:20:04.359 --> 0:20:07.600 sent food and provisions. The American Red Cross arrived to 0:20:07.640 --> 0:20:11.959 assist and took in donations, And then there were onlookers. 0:20:12.760 --> 0:20:15.800 The neighbor Monte Ellsworth, owned a gas station just outside 0:20:15.800 --> 0:20:18.760 of town. He told reporters that a double row of 0:20:18.840 --> 0:20:23.080 cars passed through Bath nearly fifty thousand vehicles drove down 0:20:23.119 --> 0:20:25.360 the stretch of road through the town to pay their 0:20:25.400 --> 0:20:29.359 respects or bear witness. The traffic was so thick that 0:20:29.480 --> 0:20:33.160 it took four hours to drive three miles, yet Ellsworth 0:20:33.280 --> 0:20:36.359 never heard a single car horn. He noted that the 0:20:36.400 --> 0:20:42.080 cars resembled one long funeral procession of sympathy. Money came 0:20:42.080 --> 0:20:46.400 in from across the country. Lancing architect donated new plans 0:20:46.440 --> 0:20:52.480 for rebuilding the school. Michigan Senator James Cousins donated dollars. 0:20:53.440 --> 0:20:57.760 The town rebuilt slowly. A year later, the school was 0:20:57.800 --> 0:21:01.639 finished a new and classes returned from local storerooms to 0:21:01.680 --> 0:21:06.480 the schoolhouse. Newspapers wrote the Keyhoe had been a deranged 0:21:06.520 --> 0:21:11.400 and demented madman. No matter how anyone tried, they could 0:21:11.440 --> 0:21:15.920 not understand such an act. Killing children and staff over 0:21:16.040 --> 0:21:20.879 taxes made sense to no one. One thing was certain, though, 0:21:21.640 --> 0:21:25.399 Andrew Keyhoe unwittingly united a country in the name of 0:21:25.440 --> 0:21:29.879 those he sought so bitterly to destroy. There's more to 0:21:29.920 --> 0:21:33.080 this story. Stick around after this brief sponsor break to 0:21:33.119 --> 0:21:43.440 hear all about it. It was May of ninety three, 0:21:43.800 --> 0:21:47.440 and the civil rights movement in Birmingham, Alabama had stalled. 0:21:48.240 --> 0:21:51.199 Dr Martin Luther King Jr. And others worried about the 0:21:51.240 --> 0:21:55.120 lack of supporters. King had traveled to Birmingham to rally 0:21:55.200 --> 0:21:59.160 support and stand toe to toe against die hard segregationists. 0:21:59.560 --> 0:22:03.480 Protest sit ins and boycotts were met with increasing violence, 0:22:03.880 --> 0:22:06.600 all for the crime of taking part in exposing the 0:22:06.640 --> 0:22:10.600 cruelty and unjust nature of the Jim Crow mentality. King 0:22:10.640 --> 0:22:14.320 and other activists knew they needed a new strategy. One 0:22:14.320 --> 0:22:19.600 of them, James Bevel, made a controversial suggestion utilize America's 0:22:19.680 --> 0:22:24.119 younger generations. The suggestion was met with a lot of pushback. 0:22:24.720 --> 0:22:27.040 King and the others had seen the violence against the 0:22:27.080 --> 0:22:32.480 adult protesters, but the idea spread throughout Birmingham's communities. Young 0:22:32.520 --> 0:22:36.280 adults and teenagers had seen the violence softened firsthand against 0:22:36.280 --> 0:22:39.800 their own parents. Their parents were only trying to ensure 0:22:39.880 --> 0:22:43.080 that they have a better, more equitable future, and needed help. 0:22:43.640 --> 0:22:47.439 Older teenagers had already participated in the protests, often marching 0:22:47.480 --> 0:22:51.120 with their parents, but younger children had always stayed home. 0:22:52.080 --> 0:22:54.680 King warned the parents that the police would arrest kids 0:22:54.760 --> 0:22:58.400 and that jail wasn't a place for them, But children 0:22:58.440 --> 0:23:02.159 throughout the city were determined to make a difference. The 0:23:02.200 --> 0:23:06.360 idea angered some community leaders. They asked how anyone could 0:23:06.400 --> 0:23:11.959 suggest pitting young kids against bull Connor, Birmingham's public safety commissioner, 0:23:12.000 --> 0:23:17.640 known for his cruel methods of injuring black protesters. Still, children, 0:23:17.840 --> 0:23:21.840 parents and other community leaders pushed the grassroots movement forward. 0:23:22.600 --> 0:23:25.520 They attended meetings and told the kids what to expect. 0:23:26.240 --> 0:23:30.080 Each child was taught to act non violently. The group 0:23:30.160 --> 0:23:32.560 began to refer to the day they would first protest, 0:23:32.960 --> 0:23:37.200 May second of nineteen sixty three as D Day. When 0:23:37.200 --> 0:23:40.240 the day arrived, thousands of children gathered at the sixteenth 0:23:40.280 --> 0:23:44.160 Street Baptist Church. After a quick briefing, they left, some 0:23:44.359 --> 0:23:48.600 carrying signs to march throughout the city. Children ranging from 0:23:48.640 --> 0:23:52.920 just seven years old to eighteen marched peacefully, making their 0:23:52.960 --> 0:23:55.360 way to the Mayor's office, where they hoped to talk 0:23:55.359 --> 0:24:00.320 about segregation. Some sang freedom songs and some marched quietly. 0:24:01.000 --> 0:24:04.960 All had skipped school. When they reached their destination, they 0:24:05.000 --> 0:24:09.240 did not receive a warm greeting. They expected to be 0:24:09.280 --> 0:24:12.920 spat on, pushed, and called names no matter what happened. 0:24:12.960 --> 0:24:16.159 They had been instructed to not fight back. But no 0:24:16.200 --> 0:24:18.760 matter what they had been told, no one expected what 0:24:18.800 --> 0:24:23.040 would happen next The police were already there waiting to 0:24:23.160 --> 0:24:27.000 arrest them. They were grabbed off the street, kicked and pushed, 0:24:27.160 --> 0:24:30.119 tossed into wagons and school buses that took them to jail. 0:24:30.720 --> 0:24:35.640 The children persisted protesting for days. That's when law enforcement 0:24:35.720 --> 0:24:38.680 turned water hoses on them. Hitting them was forced strong 0:24:38.800 --> 0:24:40.920 enough to knock them off their feet and send them 0:24:40.920 --> 0:24:45.439 sprawling to the hard pavement. The police unleashed canine units 0:24:45.440 --> 0:24:50.240 to attack the children. Officers beat protesters for clubs. Bull 0:24:50.320 --> 0:24:54.119 Connor reportedly laughed when he saw black children running in fear, 0:24:55.000 --> 0:24:58.159 but the sight of children being brutally attacked moved adult 0:24:58.200 --> 0:25:01.600 witnesses to respond with violent of their own against the police. 0:25:02.240 --> 0:25:07.080 They threw rocks, bottles, and bricks. Reporters converged on the scene. 0:25:07.680 --> 0:25:10.760 Those with video cameras were hosed down and arrested. As 0:25:10.800 --> 0:25:14.240 the days went on, the brutality spurred outrage across the nation. 0:25:15.119 --> 0:25:18.600 Over two thousand children were arrested. When the jails and 0:25:18.640 --> 0:25:22.639 attention centers overflowed, Connor created a makeshift jail at the 0:25:22.680 --> 0:25:27.800 fair grounds. The children kept coming and kept protesting. Without 0:25:28.080 --> 0:25:30.439 more police to fight them, more and more places to 0:25:30.480 --> 0:25:35.879 put them. The kids finally won, O'Connor retaliated. On May 0:25:36.520 --> 0:25:40.399 theo Wright and Birmingham's school superintendent composed a letter to 0:25:40.440 --> 0:25:43.399 schools demanding that every student who had participated in the 0:25:43.400 --> 0:25:47.840 protest be immediately expelled or suspended. The Board of Education 0:25:47.880 --> 0:25:51.960 members who Connor had endorsed all upheld the decision. Though 0:25:52.000 --> 0:25:55.480 Connor had attempted to quiet the press, they also persisted 0:25:55.840 --> 0:25:59.320 showing videos of the attacks on television networks across the country. 0:25:59.680 --> 0:26:02.520 Business his owners also began calling for an end to 0:26:02.600 --> 0:26:06.920 the violence. President John F. Kennedy sent the Assistant Attorney 0:26:06.960 --> 0:26:10.240 General to Birmingham to take part in the community negotiations, 0:26:11.359 --> 0:26:16.680 and eventually lunch counters, public restrooms, and businesses were desegregated 0:26:16.760 --> 0:26:20.639