Haymarket+Affair

__ The Haymarket Square Riot __ By: Jordan Coleman and Olivia DeFilippo __** Terms: **__

__Pinkerton__ – The Pinkerton National Detective Agency was a private U.S. security guard and detective agency. Labor spies were hired by McCormick to join the union in order to retrieve information.

__Government Intervention__ – Socialists wanted the government to intervene in economic affairs. They felt that the government should establish the 8 hour work day and control wages.

__ Socialist __ - One who believes in a governmental system that requires the state, rather than individual or market forces, owns and controls the means of production, distribution, and exchange. Socialists advocated the 8 hour work day and government controlled wages.

__Workers__ – These workers worked at the McCormick Harvesting Machine Company in Chicago, the factory that made farm equipment including the famous McCormick Reaper. The main reason for protest was to make the 8 hour work day a standard.

__Scab Labor__ - McCormick Harvesting Machine Company hired strikebreakers who worked in the factory while a strike was occurring. __ Union __ - The Knights of Labor was the largest and most powerful labor unionin America during the last alf of the 19th century. It represente all workers despite gender, race or occupation. The unsuccessful Haymarket Riot significantly tarnished their reputation.

__Business Leader__ - Cyrus McCormick ran the McCormick Harvesting Machine Company. He refused to accept the 8 hour work day or raise wages. When laborers were on strike, he hired strikebreakers to temporarily run the factory. __ Anarchist __ - One who believes in the absence of government. Anarchists went on strike to get better wages and less hours. They led a more violent strike than the socialists and were accused of throwing the bomb.

__ The Build-up: __ In October 1884, a convention held by the Federation of Organized Trades and Laborset May 1, 1886, as the date that the eight-hour work day would become standard. On Saturday, May 1, rallies occured across the in support of the eight-hour day. On May 3, striking workers in Chicago met near the **McCormick Harvesting Machine Co. plant**. They met at this destination because **Cyrus McCormick** refused the 8 hour work day and the idea of raising wages. By the time of the 1886 general strike, **scabs** entering the McCormick plant were under protection of 400 police officers. McCormick workers continued to harass scabs who crossed the picket lines. The general strike to this point was largely non-violent. When the work day ended, a group of workers surged to the gates to confront the strikebreakers. Gunfire erupted as police fired on the crowd. In the end, two McCormick workers were killed.

// Workers Flee as guns // //are fired into the crowd//

__The Bomb:__ Outraged by this act of police violence, local **anarchists** and **socialists** quickly printed and distributed fliers calling for a rally the following day at The Haymarket Square, which was at that time a commercial center. The rally began peacefully on May 4. **August Spies** spoke to the large crowd while a large number of on-duty police officers watched. Spies began by saying the rally was not meant to incite violence.

The final speech was finishing in the evening when the police ordered the rally to disperse and began marching towards the speakers. A pipe bomb was thrown at the police and exploded, killing a policeman. The police immediately opened fire into the crowd. The workers that were armed shot back. The incident lasted less than five minut es.

Several police officers appeared to have been injured by the bomb, but most of the police casualties were caused by bullets. About sixty officers were wounded in the incident along with an unknown number of civilians. In all, eight policemen and at least four workers were killed.

//Policemen and workers exchange fire after the pipe bomb detonates at Haymarket Square.//

__ The Trial: __ Eight people connected with the rally were arrested afterward and charged with the policeman's murder. The trial started on June 21. The prosecution did not offer credible evidence connecting the defendants with the bombing but argued that the person who had thrown the bomb was not discouraged to do so by the defendants, who as conspirators were therefore equally responsible.

The jury returned guilty verdicts for all eight defendants. Four of the convicted men were hanged, and one committed suicide in prison. In 1893, recently elected Illinois governor John Peter Altgeld pardoned the three surviving prisoners. He claimed that the men did not receive a fair trial.

Even today, nobody knows who threw the bomb. // The seven anarchists sentenced to die for the Policeman's murder. An eighth // // defendant, not shown here, was sentenced to 15 years in prison. // __ The Effects of Strike: __ The main immediate effect of the strike was the reaction to trial, explained in the previous section. **Unions** and laborers were furious about the court falsely accusing eight men. The trial motivated socialists and anarchists to continue to protest. Also, hundreds of the workers in the Haymarket Riot were put in prison. Many were beaten during the interrogation process.

The Haymarket Riot was a set-back for socialist and anarchist protestors. It delayed the acceptance of the 8 hour work day. To the contrary, the news of this spread which resulted in nationwide recognition of the problem of workers' rights. It inspired other workers to go on strike as well.

// Haymarket Memorial in Chicago. The memorial marks the spot of the //// Haymarket Riot of 1886 where 11 people including seven //// officers were killed. //

"Attention Workingmen!" was created by the executive committee of the **Knights of Labor** on May 4, 1886. This flier was made to organize a large meeting for union leaders and workers to discuss the shooting of the previous day and how to react to it. This started as a peaceful protest until the work day ended. This meeting led to the throwing of the bomb. This flier was printed in German as well because there were many German immigrant workers.



"Revenge" written by August Spies in response to the killing of laborers at the McCormick Reapers Works meeting on 1886 May 3. Spies' intentions were to enrage protesters and motivate them to continue with the strike. The first sentence refers to the men that were killed as the workers' brothers. This was written this way to make protesters feel as if their family has been attacked. Spies also emphasizes that the businessmen are superior to the workers. He compares this situation to slavery when he used the word masters in place of bosses. Finally, by leading with "If you are men..." he is challenging the pride and toughness of the workers. This document was strategically written to rile up its readers.

__ Sources: __

Secondary: 1. [|The Haymarket Affair, Digital History]

2. [|Haymarket in Historical Context, Illinois in the Guilded Age]

3. [|Haymarket Affair Digital Collection, Chicago Historical Society]

4. [|The Dramas of Haymarket, Chicago Historical Society]

5. [|Death in the Haymarket, James Green]

6. [|ABC Clio]

7. [|The Lucy Parsons Project, Haymarket Incident]

8. [|The Haymarket Tragedy]

Primary: 1. __[|"Attention Workingmen!" by the executive committee of the Knights of Labor]__

2. [|"Revenge!" by August Spies]

__Pictography__: 1. The bomb [] 2. The Trial [] 3. The Effects of the Strike [] 4. The Build-up [] 5. "Attention Workingmen!" by the executive committee of the Knights of Labor 6. "Revenge!" by August Spies

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