Haymarket Affair, what and the meaning
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May 1 is International Workers’ Day. Why this particular day? The reason is a strike in the US. The strike began peacefully on May 1, but developed into a bloody showdown. 3 May, several workers are killed in Chicago when police fired on unarmed protesters. The next day, a bomb is thrown. In total, seven policemen and four workers were killed by the bomb or by police gunfire. It is this incident that is known as The Haymarket Affair. The workers went on strike for an 8-hour working day.
The Haymarket Affair and May 1
In 1889, the International Socialist Congress in Paris decided that May 1 should be International Workers’ Demonstration Day. It was representatives from the USA who suggested this day, as a commemoration of what happened in Chicago in May 1886. The resolution was passed and the day has since been marked in many parts of the world to highlight workers’ causes.
In some parts of the world, the day is used by governments to celebrate military strength. This has been a common phenomenon in countries with a communist government or a communist tradition. Military parades have nothing to do with highlighting workers’ causes.
The trial
In the aftermath of The Haymarket Affair, 8 anarchists were prosecuted. They are referred to as the Chicago Eight. They were sentenced to death, even though the evidence against them was very thin. Several of them were not at the scene when the bomb was thrown. The claim that they were involved in the incident, but this has never been proven. Nevertheless, 4 of them were hanged on November 11, 1887. Another committed suicide before the execution.
In 1893, the governor was asked to consider a pardon for the remainder. After reviewing the case, he concluded that those convicted had not received a fair trial and that much of the evidence against them was fabricated.
The strike for an 8-hour working day
Few knew in 1886 that the strike of 400,000 workers across the United States would have such an impact on history. The fight for an 8-hour working day lasted for many years and there are still several places in the world where an 8-hour working day is a distant dream.
Workers’ conditions have changed a lot from 1886 to the present day. But without those who were willing to stand up, strike and protest, we wouldn’t be where we are today. The workers get nothing for free. It’s a fight for workers every day. In the future, fighting will still be required, and I sincerely hope that we won’t have police shooting at peaceful protesters.
Sources:
International Workers’ Day | LearnEnglish (britishcouncil.org)
Haymarket Affair | History, Aftermath, & Influence | Britannica