1500s
Today in Labor History December 23, 1598: During the Arauco War, Chief Pelantaru led the Mapuches in the Battle of Curalaba. During the battle, they killed Martín García Óñez de Loyola, Governor of Chile, as well as nearly every other person fighting with the Spaniards. The victory led to a general Mapuche uprising that resulted in the Destruction of the Seven Cities and the end of the era of conquest. For the Spanish, it also meant the loss of the main gold mining centers in the south and the loss of their main source of indigenous labor. From then on, they heavily colonized and exploited the central part of Chile, creating a military border between themselves and the Mapuches to the south.
1600s
Today in Labor History December 23, 1617: America’s first penal colony was established in Virginia, creating a “safe, humane home” [sic] for the nascent country’s future class war prisoners. Between 1615 and 1699, English courts sent 2,300 convicts to American colonies, mostly in Maryland and Virginia. Some were as young as nine and ten. They were cheaper than white indentured slaves and black chattel slaves. Many worked on tobacco plantations.
1910s-1920s
Today in Labor History December 23, 1919: The UK enacted the Sex Disqualification (Removal) Act 1919. The law gave women the right to join professional bodies, be jurors and obtain degrees. It was a compromise to avoid having to enact the more radical Women’s Emancipation Bill. Consequently, women had to wait until 1928 for equal franchise, and until 1958 to be able to sit in the House or Lords as Life Peers. A 2016 study found the act had little effect on conviction rates, except for sex offenses, for which conviction rates rose dramatically.
Today in Labor History December 23, 1921: President Warren Harding issued a “Christmas amnesty,” freeing Eugene V. Debs and 23 other political prisoners who had been imprisoned for their opposition to World War I.
1930s
Today in Labor History December 23, 1936: The Spanish Republic legalized the Regional Defense Council of Aragon (CRDA). The council was the first autonomous government of Aragon since 1707. Anarchists within Confederación Nacional del Trabajo (CNT) created the council during the Spanish Revolution and Civil War. It eventually included representatives from all the antifascist forces of the Popular Front. However, in less than a year the Communist Party, which was allied with the USSR, destroyed the council. At the time, Aragon was divided, with the western side occupied by the fascists and the eastern side by Republican and anarchist militias.
Today in Labor History December 23, 1938: Franco’s forces launched an assault on Catalonia, capturing Barcelona on January 26. Between 400,000 and 500,000 civilians and Republicans fled across the border into France, where the authorities imprisoned them in internment camps. Tens of thousands ultimately made it to the USSR, U.S. and Latin America. Over 30,000 went to Mexico. The total number of deaths from the assault is unknown. However, over 10,000 were wounded and over 60,000 Republican soldiers were captured. The Republican forces were already weakened by the time of the assault. However, the USSR had promised them 250 planes, 250 tanks and 650 cannons which didn’t reach France until January 15. Very little of it made it into Spain. Virtually no other countries supported Spain’s antifascist militias. Consequently, they were isolated and, at this point, starving.
1940s
Today in Labor History December 23, 1947: Truman pardoned 1,523 WWII draft resistors. However, he let the remaining 14,282 war resisters continue to rot in prison. John Wayne was one of the most famous World War II draft dodgers. However, he never served time. On the contrary, while other leading men, like Clark Gable, were fighting to protect the interests of Capital, Wayne was busily scooping up their roles and making a name for himself in Hollywood.
1970s
Today in Labor History December 23, 1972: A 6.5 magnitude earthquake hit Managua, Nicaragua, killing over 10,000. When I was there in the early 1990s, the destruction was still visible. The interior of the old cathedral was still in shambles and drug addicts were squatting there. When you asked for directions, people sometimes referred to buildings that were no longer there.
Today in Labor History December 23, 1972: The 16 survivors of the Andes flight disaster were rescued after 73 days, surviving by cannibalism. It originally had 45 passengers and crew, including 19 members of the Old Christians Club rugby union team. 3 crew members and 8 passengers died immediately; several more died soon after. As the weather improved, 2 survivors, Nando Parrado and Roberto Canessa, climbed a 4,650-metre (15,260 ft) peak without gear and hiked for 10 days to seek help, traveling 38 miles (61 km).