The Haymarket Riot- 1886
• May 1st- Chicago workers strike for the 8 hour day
• Anarchists and radicals become involved in the campaign
• May 3rd- shooting occurs at McCormick Reaper plant when strikers and police altercate(2 workers killed)
• May 4th- protest meeting is called for at Haymarket Square (see flyers)
Haymarket Rally
• August Spies and other labor leaders spoke to between 600 and 3000.
• The Chicago Police advanced towards the speaker Samuel Fielden as he was finishing his speech
• A bomb was thrown that led to the death of 7 police officers
• At least 4 demonstrators were killed, 70+ injured
The Aftermath
• Labor is attacked and investigated big time• Fear of Anarchists• 8 radicals arrested and 7 get the death penalty
(some for “inflammatory speeches”)• 4 are executed, 1 commits suicide, and 3
others are released on a pardon by Governor Altgeld.
The Pullman Strike (1894)
• George Pullman created a “model town” to house workers of his company
• Town outside Chicago had nice parks, library, banks, and homes for workers
• Panic of 1893 lowered demand for luxury railroad cars
• Pullman cut wages of workers but did no lower rent
Wages, Rent, and Strike
• Wages were cut by 25% while the rent was still 25% higher than normal
• Pullman workers go on strike• The American Railway Union (led by Eugene
Debs) boycotts Pullman cars across the country
The Government
• Strike becomes first real national strike in US history
• President Grover Cleveland sends in federal troops to Illinois against Governor Altgelds wishes
• Presence of federal troops incite violence• Riots occur, troops fire in crowd killing at least
four and wounding many
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