Louise Michel, anarchist revolutionary, was born today, May 29, 1830, in Vroncourt, France. Also known as The Red Virgin, Michel was a leader of the Paris Commune. After her return from exile, she became a leading anarchist organizer and speaker. She is believed to be the first person to use the black flag as an […]
The Conspiracy of Equals Today in Labor History May 28, 1797: French authorities executed proto-anarchist revolutionary Gracchus Babeuf. Babeuf formed a secret society, known as the Conspiracy of the Equals, that plotted to overthrow the revolutionary government, with one that was truer to Jacobin ideals. The group included Sylvain Maréchal, Jacques Roux, Jean Varlet and
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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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