Haymarket Square Riot Research Paper

1972. Print. This book provides information leading up to the Haymarket Riot, and all the way to the aftermath of the trial. This source provides the key people that were involved in the pre-trial and the post-trial. This source will give clues to the flaws of the capital and labor, which ultimately lead to the changes to the businesses.

In the 1800s and early 1900s working conditions were much harsher than now. Long hours and small wages made up a day in the life of someone living in the late 1800s to the early 1900s. The Haymarket Riot was the result of the bombing in Chicago. “In the summer 1886 the campaign for an eight-hour day, long a rallying cry that united American laborers, culminated in a national strike on May 1, 1886. Between 300,000 and 500,000 workers struck across the country. In Chicago, police forces killed several workers while breaking up protestors at the McCormick reaper works. Labor leaders and radicals called for a protest at Haymarket Square the following day, which police also proceeded to break up. But as they did, a bomb exploded and killed seven policemen. Police fired into the crowd, killing four. The deaths of the Chicago policemen sparked outrage across the nation and the sensationalization of the “Haymarket Riot” helped many Americans to associate unionism with radicalism” (Yawp). As a result of the Haymarket Riot was the loss of members of the Knight of Labor. “The national movement for an eight-hour day collapsed”(Yawp). The Haymarket Riot played an important role in illustrating how labor was in the late 1800s to the

Anti-Semitism has been prevalent throughout the world since the establishment of the Jewish religion and unfortunately, traces of it can still be found to this day in the United States. What exactly is anti-Semitism? It is the intense dislike for and prejudice against the Jews; it can range anywhere from simple opposition to the Jews to vicious hatred displayed through physical torment. Some examples of the more publicized cases of violence against the Jews include the attack of Irish workers and police on the funeral procession of Rabbi Jacob Joseph in New York City in 1902, the lynching of Leo Frank in 1915, the assassination of Alan Berg in 1984, as well as the Crown Heights riots of 1991. I have

They held several successful protests across the country, demanding the “8-Hour workday”. However an employer counteroffensive began in the aftermath of the Haymarket bombing in 1886 and stopped the Knights march by the end of 1880s (Rosenzweig, Pg 91). The Haymarket incident stunned the society & created fear in the hearts of people about radicals, mobs and labor movements. The government strengthened there stance against the labor movement with increasing the presence of police, militia and the US Army. The workers learned about the power of capital and had experienced firsthand the role of government in labor-capital conflict. Another stain on the Knights of Labor was that they blatantly discriminated against the Chinese by promoting the Chinese Exclusion Act in the early

Between the 6th and 11th of August 2011 thousands of people rioted in cities across England participating in looting, arson and vandalism. The rioting occurred after a peaceful demonstration on the 4th of August in Tottenham over the death of local 29-year-old father of four Mark Duggan who was a victim of a still-unresolved shooting by the police.

The Labor Unions organized various strikes in an attempt to improve labor conditions and rights. The strikes became increasingly more violent and the media merged the violence with radicalism, communism and anarchism. The political cartoon suggests that Labor Unions are killing capitalism with communism, the radical violence tainting the image of the Labor Unions and shifted the public support; focused on the Great Rail Road Strike of 1877 and the radical violence (Document 2). Following the Great Strike of 1877, the Haymarket Square Riot sparked further controversy towards the acts of violence. The Haymarket Square Riot and Bombing involved the Knights of Labor and advocated a violent overthrow of the American government. The Chicago police had been called to end the protest and in the chaos a bomb was thrown, injuring and killing several dozen people. After the Haymarket Square Riot, a gradual repression of the labor movement occurred. The public lost trust in the worker's associations and the campaign. The American labor movement, in general, received a setback due to the riot, also weakening the struggle for the eight-hour day demand. The Homestead Strike and Lockout of 1892 was one of the most violent strikes; the riot was ended by Pinkerton Detectives and the state militia, and the violence further damaged the image of unions. The purpose of the

catch the attention of the “big guys” so they can make improvements in the workshops. Many of the strikes were unsuccessful, stopped, or ignored. The strikes went on for about twenty years, a few of them were: The Great Strike,1877; Haymarket Riot,1886; Homestead Strike, 1892; Pullman Strike, 1894. In a Speech given by Eugene Debs he had said “To realize this great social ideal is a work of education, and organization. The working classes

The Haymarket affair took place in Chicago on May 4, 1886 during the period in American history known as the Gilded age. During this period there was political corruptness and tension between the rich and poor. The Haymarket affair occurred after protesters were killed by police while striking against their employer for an 8-hour work day. The next day Laborers rallied at the Haymarket to protest the death of their friends and towards the end of the rally an Anarchist within the crowd through a bomb at a group of police officers. In return the police opened fire on the crowd and killed many protesters. The action of this one unidentified man cost the lives of numerous people as well as get the leaders of group arrested and convicted.

In the aftermath of the riot there were three major outcomes. One, the McCone Commission was set up by the government to study the riots. The McCone Commission found that people rioted because of unemployment, bad schools and education, and prior instances of police brutality (www.southcentralhistory.com). A second outcome following was an independent commission, chaired by former Illinois Gov. Otto Kerner, that investigated the causes of the rioting. The Kerner Commission issued its landmark report in 1968, concluding: "Our nation is moving toward two societies, one black, one white -- separate and unequal" (www.cnn.com). Another major outcome was the creation of SWAT teams. They were created with the vision of three police officers: Officer Nelson, who originally came up with the concept of a specially equipped and highly trained unit, Inspector Gates, who spear headed the push to make it happen and Ed Davis had the foresight to approve the program. The term SWAT was coined by Gates and originally stood for

The Haymarket Affair took place in the city of Chicago on May 4, 1886. Strikers from the McCormick factory were killed by the police force the day before; therefore, creating the protest in Haymarket Square. Speeches were held on May 4, 1886, to address the previous day. A bomb was thrown into the crowd of people, resulting in the death of a policeman. The chaotic atmosphere of the bomb caused panicked police officers to shoot multiple civilians and other policemen. The police then searched for the radical group leaders that plotted and carried out the bombing. A total of eight anarchists were charged and convicted for the bombing in Haymarket Square. Only one of the eight accused radical group leaders was not born in a foreign country. The

• 8 hour work day • No child labor • Cooperative • Equal pay • Government owned (telegraph, telephone, RR) • Graduated income tax • At first …no strikes .. but later strike! (demise is Haymarket riot) Uriah Stephens Terence Powderly Skilled & unskilled Associated with anarchists during Haymarket Riot & slowly dissolve American Federation of Labor (AFL) 1886 • Higher pay • 8 hour work day • Safe conditions • Collective bargaining Samuel Gompers Skilled white males Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) 1905 • Overthrow wage system and replace with industrial democracy (elect management) • Class warfare • Strike • Boycott • Slow downs • Sabotage • (not collective bargaining because anti-contract hierarchy) Big Bill Haywood Eugene V. Debs • Unskilled

-The May 4, 1886 rally at Haymarket Square was organized by labor radicals to protest the killing and wounding of several workers by the Chicago police during a strike the day before at the McCormick Reaper Works.

About half a million people gathered in Washington, D.C., and even with so many people, the protest was mostly peaceful, until some violence broke out at the end of the day. The events of the day included listening to speakers such as Eugene McCarthy, George McGovern, and Charles Goodell, hearing musicians, including Peter, Paul and Mary, and Pete Seeger, sing about peace, reading the names of the killed soldiers, and participating in a religious service and prayer vigils.

The 1866 Haymarket affair, which resulted in multiple deaths, was actually a revolt. Industrial workers were demanding an eight-hour work day, Dr. Koslow mentioned in the Pivotal Moment video the workers wanted to have a 24 hour day in which they worked for eight, and were able to have rest, leisure and spend time with family (Pivotal Moment video, Dr. Koslow), which lead to an abundance of strikes happening in many places around the country, workers were demanding some sort of union which would hold their best interests. Foner writes about the McCormick plant deciding to oppose the unions, which lead to a strike from its employees. Tension was added into the mix when police killed two employees trying to enter the factory (Foner, 632-633).

Thousands of protestors congregated in Washington D.C. on May 3rd, 1971. After two days of protest prior, federal troops finally made an appearance. The government placed over ten thousand troops in various locations in Washington DC. According to David (2007), “25,000 young radicals set out to do something brash and extraordinary: shut down the federal government through nonviolent direct action.” The result—about 7,000 protestors were arrested. The largest mass arrest in American history. Known as May Day, this date is still well known today (Network, 2012).