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May Day 1886: U.S. Workers In Chicago Stand For Their Rights!
“* Workingmen to Arms!
* War to the Palace, Peace to the Cottage, and Death to LUXURIOUS IDLENESS.
* The wage system is the only cause of the World’s misery. It is supported by the rich classes, and to destroy it, they must be either made to work or DIE.
* One pound of DYNAMITE is better than a bushel of BALLOTS!
* MAKE YOUR DEMAND FOR EIGHT HOURS with weapons in your hands to meet the capitalistic bloodhounds, police, and militia in proper manner.” ~Printed a few days prior to May 1, 1886, a publisher’s appeal to working people.”
“….whether a man works eight hours a day or ten hours a day, he is still a slave.” ~ Samuel Fielden pointed out in the anarchist newspaper, The Alarm 1886
One hundred twenty-four years ago, on May 1, 1886, more than 300,000 workers in 13,000 businesses across the United States walked off their jobs in the first May Day demonstration in history.
Chicago was the focal point for the 8-hour work day advocates. Workers numbered to be 40, 000 went out on strike and the anarchists were in the forefront of the public’s eye. Their enthusiastic oratory and revolutionary ideology of direct action, the anarchists and anarchism became at once respected, admired and accepted by the workers and derided by the business owners, the capitalists.
Tens of thousands of worker demonstrators took to the streets as a show of the workers’ unity and power. Despite predictions by the authorities and the newspapers to the contrary the gatherings, parades with bands did not become violent .
As more of the working class continued to walk away from their jobs.The number of striking workers rose to almost 100,000and still there was a peaceful showing of solidarity. Two days later, May 3, 1886, violence between police and strikers broke out at the McCormick Reaper Works.
We can, if we care to, learn much from our history. There are many today who wish to see us return to those horrendous days where the proposal of an eight hour day was considered a radical idea. It is important to remember the thousands of people who sacrificed their lives in order for us to have the 8-hour day. We must acknowledge that homes with families in them were torched and totally destroyed so we could have Saturday as part of the weekend. There were brave children as young as 8-years old, survivors of industrial accidents who marched protesting unsafe working conditions and shameful child labor. They were beaten down by police and company thugs.
It is important to understand our current condition cannot be taken for granted – people fought for the rights and dignities we enjoy today. it would be an indignity to their memory and their courage to return to those awful times. The sacrifices made by so many people must be remembered. We must know and remember our history or we are doomed to repeat it. This is why May Day, May 1st, is an important day in our American history. It is as important as July 4th, our national independence day. It deserves to be more widely commemorated.
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