1700s-1800s Today in Labor History August 31, 1798: Irish rebels, with French assistance, established the short-lived Republic of Connacht during the Irish Rebellion of 1798. On September 8, 1798 the British army defeated the new Republic at the Battle of Ballinamuck. The British army then spread out into the rebel-held Province of Connacht, slaughtering people and burning […]
Today in Labor History August 31 Read More »
Today in History August 30, 1797: Mary Shelley, English novelist and playwright was born. She is most famous for her novel, “Frankenstein.” However, Shelley wrote several other novels. She was also a political radical throughout her life. Shelley married the romantic poet, Percy Bysshe Shelly. Her father was the early anarchist philosopher, William Godwin. And her
Today in Labor History August 30 Read More »
Today in Labor History July 17, 1913: Seattle’s Potlatch Riots began, when soldiers and sailors brawled with members of the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) during Seattle’s Potlatch Festival. Alden Blethen, publisher of the “Seattle Times,” who hated free speech and feared “radical elements,” had been fanning the flames of reaction against the IWW and local
Today in Labor History July 17 Read More »
Today in Labor History August 29, 1786: Shays’ Rebellion began in Massachusetts. It was an armed uprising of farmers and tradesmen in response to a debt crisis among the citizenry and in opposition to the state government’s increased efforts to collect taxes both on individuals and their trades. Revolutionary War veteran Daniel Shays led four thousand rebels (called Shaysites) in a protest against
Today in Labor History August 29 Read More »
Today in Labor History August 28, 1749: Johann Wolfgang von Goethe was born. Ralph Waldo Emerson considered Goethe to be one of the greatest writers of all time. Goethe was an early participant in the Sturm und Drang literary movement. He was friends with the philosopher Friedrich Schiller. His most celebrated drama was “Faust.” However, German philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer named Goethe’s novel, “Wilhelm Meister’s
Today in Labor History August 28 Read More »