Today in Labor History December 2, 1766: Swedish parliament approved the Swedish Freedom of the Press Act, making it the first country in the world with freedom of speech.
Today in Labor History December 2, 1823: In a State of the Union message, U.S. President James Monroe proclaimed American neutrality in future European conflicts, and warned European powers not to interfere in the Americas. The Monroe Doctrine paved the way for two centuries of U.S. imperialism and military interventions throughout the Americas.
Today in Labor History December 2, 1845: In a State of the Union message, U.S. President James K. Polk proposed that it was U.S. destiny to expand west across all of North America. Manifest destiny paved the way for continued warfare and genocide against the indigenous populations living there.
Today in Labor History December 2, 1859: The authorities hanged abolitionist John Brown in Charleston, Virginia for his leadership of a plot to incite a slave rebellion. Victor Hugo, who was living in exile on Guernsey, tried to obtain a pardon for him. His open letter was published by the press on both sides of the Atlantic. His plea failed, of course. On the day of his execution, John Brown rode in a furniture wagon, on top of his own coffin, through a crowd of 2,000 soldiers, to the gallows. The soldiers included future Confederate general Stonewall Jackson and John Wilkes Booth. Walt Whitman described the execution in “Year of Meteors.”
Today in Labor History December 2, 1867: British author Charles Dickens gave his first public reading in the United States at Tremont Temple in Boston. He described his impressions of the U.S. in a travelogue, “American Notes for General Circulation.” In Notes, he condemned slavery and correlated the emancipation of the poor in England with the abolition of slavery abroad. Despite his abolitionist sentiments, some modern commentators have criticized him for not condemning Britain’s harsh crackdown during the 1860s Morant Bay rebellion in Jamaica. During his American visit, he also spent a month in New York, giving lectures, and arguing for international copyright laws and against the pirating of his work in America. The press ridiculed him, saying he should be grateful for his popularity here.
Today in Labor History December 2, 1899: A 60-man Filipino rear guard commanded by Brigadier General Gregorio del Pilar succumbed to over 500 American soldiers, under Major Peyton C. March, during the Philippine–American War. Despite nearly total annihilation, the Filipinos held off the Americans long enough during The Battle of Tirad Pass for President Aguinaldo to escape.
Today in Labor History December 2, 1942: During the Manhattan Project, Enrico Fermi’s team initiated the first artificial self-sustaining nuclear chain reaction.
Today in Labor History December 2, 1947: Jerusalem Riots. Following the vote in the UN General Assembly in favor of the 1947 UN Partition Plan on 11/29/1947, the Arab Higher Committee declared a three-day General Strike to begin on 2 December 1947. Arab protesters burned many buildings and shops in the city center. Violence continued for two more days, with a number of Jewish neighborhoods being attacked. As a result, the Haganah Jewish paramilitary organization decided to use force to “stop future attacks on Jews”. The Irgun conducted armed attacks against nearby Arab villages and a bombing campaign against Arab civilians.
Today in Labor History December 2, 1956: The Granma reached the shores of Cuba’s Oriente Province. Fidel Castro, Che Guevara and 80 other members of the 26th of July Movement disembarked to initiate the Cuban Revolution.
Today in Labor History December 2, 1980: Four American missionaries were raped and murdered by a Salvadoran death squad. The Salvadoran Civil War began after a 1979 military coup. Catholic activists protested against the junta’s oppression of the poor and working class. Death squads assassinated Óscar Romero, the Archbishop of San Salvador, March 24, 1980. After the four Americans were murdered, U.S. President Jimmy Carter suspended aid to El Salvador. However, succeeding President, Ronald Reagan, promptly authorized increased military aid. He also sent more U.S. military advisers, escalating attacks on civilians. His foreign policy advisor, Jean Kirkpatrick, claimed that “the nuns were not just nuns; they were political activists,” as if this justified their rapes and murders. After the release of declassified documents in the 1990s, New Jersey congressman Robert Torricelli stated that it was “now clear that the Reagan Administration was certifying human rights progress in El Salvador they knew the terrible truth that the Salvadoran military was engaged in a widespread campaign of terror and torture”.
December 2, 1995 – UAW members rejected an offer from Caterpillar, but their central bargaining committee ignored their vote and ended the strike.
Today in Labor History December 2, 2016: Thirty-six people died in a fire at the Ghost Ship, a converted warehouse in Oakland, California, serving as an artist collective. At the time, the warehouse was hosting a concert. However, the warehouse was zoned for industrial purposes. Residential and entertainment uses were illegal. Of the 80 to 100 people attending the concert, 36 died, making it the deadliest fire in the history of Oakland. The authorities arrested Ghost Ship’s master tenant Derick Almena and his assistant Max Harris and charged them with felony involuntary manslaughter. After a series of mistrials, Harris was acquitted. On January 22, 2021, Almena pled guilty to 36 charges of involuntary manslaughter and was sentenced to 12 years in prison. With time served, he was expected to be able to serve his sentence in 18 months of home confinement while wearing an ankle monitor.