Labor History

1840s Today in Labor History November 28, 1843: The United Kingdom and France officially recognized the Kingdom of Hawaii as an independent nation. Consequently, Hawaiians now celebrate the date as Ka Lā Hui (Hawaiian Independence Day). In 1795, chief Kamehameha, of Hawaiʻi, conquered and unified the independent islands of Oʻahu, Maui, Molokaʻi and Lānaʻi. The U.S. became its chief trading partner and “protector” to prevent other foreign […]

Today in Labor History November 27, 1835: The British authorities hanged James Pratt and John Smith in London. The British stopped executing people for sodomy after this. Today in Labor History November 27, 1868: Ignoring orders to kill only warriors, an Army contingent, led by General Custer, massacred at least 150 Cheyenne in their sleep, including women

Today in Labor History November 26, 1883: Abolitionist, women’s rights activist and former slave Sojourner Truth died on this date in Battle Creek, Michigan. She escaped slavery in 1826 and then sued her former master in 1828 to win the freedom of her son. She won the lawsuit, making her the first black woman to

1800s Today in Labor History November 25, 1874: Farmers and union workers in the U.S., suffering from the Panic of 1873 established the Greenback Party. The party’s goals included the elimination of foreign capitalists, land speculators, and poverty among laboring men. 1910s Today in Labor History November 25, 1919: A strike for union recognition by 365,000

Today in Labor History November 24, 1859: Charles Darwin‘s Origin of the Species was published. November 24, 1875: The Cigar Makers International Union, Local 144, was chartered with Samuel Gompers as president. Today in Labor History November 24, 1917: A bomb killed nine members of the Milwaukee Police Department, the most police deaths in a single