Levellers and Diggers Today in Labor History April 26, 1649: The English authorities sentenced Robert Lockier to be shot for leading a mutiny. Cromwell’s New Model Army had just defeated Charles I in the English Civil War. However, the Army failed to negotiate a settlement with the King. As a result, a conflict arose between monarchists, […]

Today in Labor History April 25, 1792: Claude Joseph Rouget de Lisle wrote the “Marseillaise” on this day. It became the rallying call to the French Revolution. Because of its revolutionary associations, Napoleon and Louis the XVIII banned it. 1800s April 25, 1886: The New York Times called the eight-hour workday movement “un-American.” and blamed the “labor

Today in Labor History April 24, 1704: The first domestic newspaper was published in colonial America, “The Boston News-Letter.” John Campbell, a postmaster, published the paper, which ran until 1776. 1800s April 24, 1800: President John Adams established the Library of Congress. He allocated $5,000 to purchase “such books as may be necessary for the

Captain Jack was a Modoc. His real name was Kintpuash. He was a warrior and a chief, who grew up near Tule Lake, on the California-Oregon border. It was not the richest land, though it was enough to sustain his small tribe. It certainly wasn’t rich enough to support the Modocs and the white settlers

Today in Labor History April 23, 1343: The Saint George’s Night Uprising began in the Duchy of Estonia. Native Estonians tried to expel their Danish and German landlords and rulers. They also wanted to restore their pre-Christian religion. Initially, the Estonians prevailed. But the Teutonic Order eventually invaded and put down the uprising. During the