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The Haymarket Riot of 1886

            In 1886 in the windy city of Chicago an important event occurred in the history of the United States called the Haymarket Riot. During this time the Knights of Labor were very popular and maintained a respectable status. After the riot the Knights of Labor were held liable for the occurrence and eight of the leaders were convicted for being part of the Haymarket Square Riot. After the Knights of Labor reputation was lost, the American Federation of Labor gained popularity and soon became the most dominate labor union in America. American workers have been protesting as early as the 1760's for better working conditions. Workers were not considered to have rights or protection. Immigrants made up a significant percentage of the workers during this time and they came to America for a job to provide for their families. Most of the immigrants were not skilled workers who would work for cheap wages and long hours. Skilled labor workers were favored more than the unskilled workers during the labor movement that is why unskilled workers joined unions to protest. Since 1867, a law was passed for federal employees and workers in Illinois that supposedly protected employees for an eight hour a day. Unfortunately that law didn't stick because workers were working well over eight hours a day. In the summer of 1884 the Federation of Organized Trades and Labor Unions began talking about creating a national strike for an eight hour work day. This reached attention nationwide after a questionnaire was sent out to employers.
             It all started with one company in the 1840's called McCormick Harvester Works. The company made various farming equipment which included the reaper. Cyrus McCormick owned the company and was a kind gentleman that knew all 43 of his employees by name. The factory grew over time but Cyrus still managed to know all his employees. During this time the way of business was very personable and as corporations started to take over everything changed dramatically.


Essays Related to The Haymarket Riot of 1886

1. The American Labor Movement

... Baltimore, Maryland; Chicago, Illinois; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; Buffalo, New York; and San Francisco, California. (Department of Humanities, 2) The Haymarket Square incident took place nine years later in 1886. On May 1, many workers struck for shorter hours. A group of radicals and anarchists became involved in this campaign. Two days later, a death occurred from shooting during a riot in the McCormick Harvester plant in Chicago when police arrived and tangled in ... the chaos. On May 4, a bomb exploded in Haymarket Square during a meeting called to discuss the events of the precedin...

  • Word Count: 2178
  • Approx Pages: 9
  • Has Bibliography
  • Grade Level: High School

2. Populism and the Knights of Labor

... years, the Knights of Labor opposed the use of strikes. However, new members and local leaders gradually radicalized the organization. By the mid-1880's, labor stoppages had become an effective tool. The KOL won important strikes on the Union Pacific Railroad in 1884 and the Wabash Railroad in 1885. However, failure in the Missouri Pacific Railroad strike in 1886 and the Haymarket Square Riot of the same year quickly eroded the Knights' influence. In the public mind, the eight ... -hour work day and other demands by the KOL had become radical ideas. To many, the terms "unionism" and "ana...

  • Word Count: 1563
  • Approx Pages: 6
  • Grade Level: Undergraduate

3. A true Anarchist: Emma Goldman

... origin and that the economic paths were littered with obstacles for new immigrants, nourished her antipathy towards the capitalistic system. A major turning point in her life and crucial to the development of her anarchist beliefs was definitely the Haymarket strike. Consequently, knowledge of these events is crucial in understanding Emma Goldman's career as an anarchist. The Haymarket Bombing The Haymarket Riot of 1886 was one of the most violent incidents of labor unrest in the late nineteenth century ... . On May 1, 1886, mass strikes and the largest spontaneous labor demonstration in...

  • Word Count: 7067
  • Approx Pages: 28
  • Grade Level: Undergraduate

4. Unions

... that was the rising conflicts between the trades and the Knights. The conflict between Cowardly and Samuel Gompers who represented the trade was probably the most significant blow against the knights and was one of the main reasons for their abolishment. Both organizations had the same goals, but it seemed they just had different viewpoints in reaching them. The final blow against the nights was the Haymarket Square incident that took place in 1886. On ... May 1, many workers struck for shorter hours. A group of radicals and anarchists became involved in this campaign. Powerdly opposed ...

  • Word Count: 2512
  • Approx Pages: 10
  • Has Bibliography
  • Grade Level: High School

5. Union Development

... (Labor). Rioting and destruction of several cities surfaced with the efforts to stop the strike. Federal troops had to be sent in at several locations to end the strike such as Baltimore, Maryland; Chicago, Illinois; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; Buffalo, New York; and San Francisco, California (An). The Haymarket Square incident took place nine years later in 1886. On May 1, many ... workers struck for shorter hours. A group of radicals and anarchists became involved in this campaign. Two days later, a death occurred from shooting during a riot in the McCormick Harvester plant in Chicago wh...

  • Word Count: 2529
  • Approx Pages: 10
  • Has Bibliography
  • Grade Level: High School

6. Labor Unions

... fell apart in 1886. After involvement in the Haymarket Square rebellion, the union (open to all members of the working class) became associated with anarchism. The Knights of Labor was further weakened by the formation of the American Federation of Labor (comprised only of skilled workers) because the skilled workers in the Knights of Labor flocked to the American Federation of Labor, leaving the Knights of Labor shriveled in numbers and therefore powerless. The American Federation of Labor, like the National Labor Union ... money or hitmen to pressure politicians. If they did decide to...

  • Word Count: 1494
  • Approx Pages: 6
  • Grade Level: Undergraduate

7. 19th Century History

... Nativist Party, set up a platform in a district of nearly 100% Irish people, claimed that the Irish and immigrants in general were trying to get the constitution of the United States and sell it to foreign powers, the crowd began to tear down the platform. (Fitzgerald) Other riots among the two divided groups included, one in The Haymarket in 1886 in Chicago Illinois. This riot ultimately led nativists to be enraged with foreign ... born extremists, especially Catholics and minorities. (Grant) A similar riot occurred in New Orleans in 1891, when ... ...

  • Word Count: 1884
  • Approx Pages: 8
  • Grade Level: Undergraduate

8. Immigration In America

... jobs, had political and religious differences, and brought diseases back with them. These factors are what caused the formation of many chauvinistic groups, whose main purpose is to put a stop on the flow of immigrants so it would be a safer place to live. One can see the argument where halting immigration would cause a mass improvement in America's society by making valuable resources more ... into America, with their different clothing and odd skin tones, racism was the immediate reaction of the nativists. Groups such as the Ku Klux Klan or the KKK would walk the streets burning down c...

  • Word Count: 649
  • Approx Pages: 3
  • Grade Level: Undergraduate

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