Today in Labor History November 16, 1849: Russian authorities gave a death sentence to author Fyodor Dostoevsky for anti-government activities linked to a radical intellectual group. He and his colleagues were lined up before the firing squad. At the last minute, a cart arrived with a letter from the Tsar, commuting their sentence. He still […]
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Today in Labor History November 15, 1881: The “Federation of Organized Trades and Labor Unions” (FOTLU), a precursor to the American Federation of Labor (AFL) was founded on this date. November 15, 1919: The main headquarters of the New York City Wobblies (IWW) was ransacked and destroyed by agents acting under the US Attorney General Palmer. The
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Today in Labor History November 14, 1903: The National Women’s Trade Union League formed in Boston. They fought to get more women unionized and to end sweat shops. They supported many of the major strikes of the 1900s-1910s and helped pave the way for the ILGWU and ACWA. They were influenced by the settlement house
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Today in Labor History November 13, 1839: The first American Anti-slavery party (Liberty Party) was founded. It believed the Constitution was an anti-slavery document and promoted working within the system to change it. James Birney was their presidential candidate in 1840. The American Anti-Slavery Society, led by William Lloyd Garrison, believed that the Constitution was
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Today in Labor History November 11, 1647: The first American compulsory school law was passed in Massachusetts. November 11, 1831: American slave rebellion leader Nat Turner was hanged, Jerusalem, Virginia. Three months prior, Turner had led a bloody slave revolt. He started with the execution of his owner Joseph Travis and his family. Within the
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