1810s-1870s Today in Labor History May 27, 1819: Poet, author and activist Julia Ward Howe was born. She composed the lyrics to the Battle Hymn of the Republic. She also wrote the pacifist Mother’s Day Proclamation, which led to the creation of Mother’s Day. Today in Labor History May 27, 1871: Today was the end […]
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The French Robin Hood Today in Labor History May 26, 1755: The French authorities caught and executed Louis Mandrin, the French Robin Hood. He had led an army of 300 smugglers in a rebellion against the Fermiers, or tax collectors. This made him incredibly popular with the masses because the Fermiers would tax them far more than
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Today in Labor History May 25, 1805: The authorities arrested striking shoemakers (cordwainers) in Philadelphia. The authorities charged them with criminal conspiracy for violating an English common law that barred schemes aimed at forcing wage increases. In 1794, the Federal Society of Journeymen Cordwainers organized around protecting wages and blocking scabs from taking their jobs at
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Irish Rebellion of 1798 Today in Labor History May 24, 1798: The Irish Rebellion of 1798 began. The uprising was organized by the United Irishmen, a Republican revolutionary group that was influenced by both the American and French Revolutions. They were fighting for independence from Britain. The United Irishmen was started primarily by Protestant Dissenters
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1820s-1830s Today in Labor History May 23, 1827: The first American nursery school was established in New York City. It was created in order to “relieve parents of the laboring classes” and offer their children “protection from idleness” and other evils that typically infected the rabble. May 23, 1832: The authorities executed Jamaican national hero
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