Today in Labor History February 9, 1886: President Cleveland declared martial law in Seattle because of anti-Chinese violence instigated by the Knights of Labor. The union, which was one of the first to organize workers of different ethnicities, as well as women, was notorious for their anti-Chinese sentiment. They participated in numerous other anti-Chinese riots and supported the xenophobic Chinese Exclusion Act.
1900s
February 9, 1907: Over 3,000 women marched in London for women’s suffrage. Later, people called it the Mud March because of the incessant rain, which left the women splattered in mud. The march came in the wake of several years of direct action, led by Emmeline Pankhurst’s WSPU (AKA the suffragettes). It was the largest suffrage march to date in England and garnered considerable publicity. Emmeline Pankhurst was the mother of Sylvia Pankhurst, a left (council) communist and follower of Anton Pannekoek.
Today in Labor History February 9,1950s
Today in Labor History February 9, 1950: Senator Joseph McCarthy accused the U.S. State Department of being filled with Communists. The Tydings Committee’s final report concluded that no one on McCarthy’s list was Communist, nor even pro-communist.
February 9, 1951: The 2-day long Geochang massacre began when the 11th Division of the South Korean Army killed 719 unarmed citizens. 385 of the victims were children. Many others were senior citizens. Two days earlier, the same division committed the Hamyang massacre, killing 705 unarmed civilians.
Today in Labor History February 9, 2000s
Today in Labor History February 9, 2000: Over 100,000 students, parents and unionists demonstrated in Mexico City. They were demanding the release of students arrested during a nine-month student strike.