Labor History

Today in Labor History November 23, 1644: At the height of the English Civil War, John Milton published an anti-censorship pamphlet, “Areopagitica.” The authorities had censored several times, particularly for his attempts to defend divorce, a radical idea in those days. He anonymously published “The Doctrine and Discipline of Divorce” (1643). The Puritan clergy condemned it as heretical and supportive of […]

1830w Today in Labor History November 22, 1831: The revolt of the silk workers continued in Lyon, France. Workers seized arms and fought the military. Approximately 100 died, 69 of them civilians. And the wounded over 260 soldiers. 1890s Today in Labor History November 22, 1891: Dr. Edward L. Bernays was born in Vienna, Austria. Many

Today in Labor History November 21, 1831: Silk workers went on strike in Lyon, France. However, when the National Guard killed several workers, the entire city soon rose up in an insurrection known as the First Canut Revolt. Workers captured the police barracks and stole the weapons. They set up barricades and hoisted the black

Today in Labor History November 20, 1695: Zumbí, leader of the Quilombo de Palmares, was assassinated on this date. Palmares was the largest and longest lasting Quilombo (independent community of freed slaves) in Brazil. Estimates range from 11,000 to more than 20,000 inhabitants lived in Palmares during its height. The community lasted for more than

Today in Labor History November 19, 1904: 6,000 members of the United Garment Workers of America struck at 27 wholesale houses in Chicago, which were then members of the National Wholesale Tailors’ Association.  November 19, 1915: Joe Hill, IWW organizer and song writer was executed by a Utah firing squad after being convicted of murder on trumped-up