Today in Labor History December 6, 1810: Miguel Hidalgo decreed an end to slavery in Mexico. However, slavery continued in parts of Mexico until 1829, when Afro-Mestizo President Vicente Ramon Guerrero banned it again. Between the Spanish conquest of the Aztecs and 1829, over 200,000 enslaved Africans were brought to New Spain, as Mexico was known then. An estimated 1.3 million Mexicans today claim African ancestry. Guerrero had been one of the key strategists and military commanders in Mexico’s war of independence from Spain.
Today in Labor History December 6, 1869: The first national black labor group, the Colored National Labor Convention, met for the first time in Washington, D.C. Roughly 214 delegates attended, sending a petition to Congress requesting direct intervention in the south by subdividing the public lands into 40-acre farms and providing low-interest loans to black farmers.
Today in Labor History December 6, 1888: Heywood Broun, cofounder of the Newspaper Guild, was born in New York City.
Today in Labor History December 6, 1889: The trial of the Chicago Haymarket anarchists began amidst national and international outrage and protest. None of the men on trial had even been at Haymarket Square when the bomb was set off. They were on trial because of their political affiliations and their labor organizing.
Today in Labor History December 6, 1907: A coal mine explosion in Monongah, West Virginia, killed 362 workers. It was the worst mining disaster in U.S. history.
December 6, 1917: A munitions explosion near Halifax, Nova Scotia, killed over 1,900 people, in the largest and deadliest human-made explosion to date. 9,000 were injured. The SS Mont-Blanc, a French cargo ship laden with explosives, collided with the Norwegian ship SS Imo. A fire set off the explosives. Nearly all structures within a half-mile radius, including the town of Richmond, were obliterated. The pressure wave snapped trees, bent iron rails and demolished buildings. It created a local tsunami that destroyed the Mont Blanc and grounded the Imo. The tsunami wiped out the Mi’kmaq First Nation community across the harbor.
Today in Labor History December 6, 1921: British and Irish representatives signed the Anglo-Irish Treaty in London, ending the Irish War of Independence. One year later, the Irish Free State came into existence.
December 6, 1928: The Banana Massacre continued in Cienaga, Columbia, with soldiers opening fire on a peaceful rally of workers. They slaughtered up to 2,000 workers. The workers had been demanding insurance, compensation for work accidents, hygienic dormitories, increased wages, abolition of company stores and payment in coupons. It was the largest labor movement in Columbia up to that time.
Today in Labor History December 6, 1933: U.S. federal judge John Woolsey ruled that “Ulysses,” by James Joyce, was not obscene.
December 6, 1965: Rose Pesotta, anarchist labor organizer, died. She was the only woman on the General Executive Board of the International Lady Garment Workers Union (ILGWU) from 1933-1944.
Today in Labor History December 6, 1969: At the Altamont Free Concert, Hells Angels security guards stabbed to death 18-year-old Meredith Hunter. Two other people were killed in a hit and run car accident at the concert and a fourth person drowned in an irrigation canal while tripping on LSD.
December 6, 1984: Children picketed the Mendiola Bridge in Manila, Philippines, demanding the release of their parents, who were being held as political prisoners by the U.S.-supported Marcos regime. In 1987, soldiers opened fire on protesters on Mendiola Street, killing 13 and injuring hundreds. In 1970, the Battle of Mendiola Bridge occurred when troops opened fire on student protesters, killing 4.