July 2021

1850s Today in Labor History July 25, 1853: Joaquin Murrieta, the famous Californio bandit known as the “Robin Hood of El Dorado”, was supposedly killed. However, many disputed the news of his death. And people continued to claim to have seen him long after his death. According to legend, Murrieta was a 49er gold miner and a vaquero from Sonora. White men […]

The Great Upheaval Today in Labor History July 22, 1877: A General Strike began in St. Louis, as part of the national Great Upheaval. The St. Louis strike was the first General Strike in U.S. history. The communist Workingman’s Party was the main organizer. In addition to joining in solidarity with striking rail workers, thousands in

The Great Upheaval Today in Labor History July 21, 1877: 30,000 Chicago workers rallied on Market Street during the Great Upheaval wave of strikes occurring throughout the country. Future anarchist and Haymarket martyr Albert Parsons spoke to the crowd. He advocated the use of the ballot to obtain “state control of the means of production.”

Kett’s Rebellion Today in Labor History July 20, 1549: Kett’s Rebellion against the enclosures began. Insurgents began destroying enclosures in Morley St. Botolph on July 6. When they attacked the estate of John Flowerdew, on July 20, he tried to bribe them into attacking the estate of Robert Kett, instead. However, the plan backfired when

Today in Indigenous History July 19, 1817: Georg Anton Schäffer failed in his attempt to conquer the Kingdom of Hawaii for the Russian-American Company. The attack lasted 2 years, but Native Hawaiians fiercely resisted. Ultimately they forced him to concede defeat and flee Kauai. As a result, the company lost 200,000 rubles. 1840s Today in Women’s History, July 19, 1848: The famous