1880's:
Haymarket Riot
By: Lisa Machado
Factual Questions
1) What point were the
rioters of the Haymarket
affair trying to get
across?
2) Who were the main
contributors to the riot?
3) Where did the riot
take place and how did it
start?
Critical Thinking Questions
1) What effects did the riot
have on society?
2) Was it really worth all
the commotion for the
people to fight for their
rights?
3) How does it relate to
our society today?
Thesis:
The Haymarket riot was a
destructive affair of the 1880s that
affected many people on both
sides of the controversy and was a
wrong decision on both of their
parts.
Basic Information
- The Haymarket riot started off as a rally, but later turned into much
more.
- They begun by forming unions, most importantly the Knights of
Labor.
- The affair began because workingmen wanted to have the right to
their 8 hour work day during a time where 60 hour work weeks were
common.
- Workers struck at the McCormick Harvesting Machine Company in
Chicago.
More Info
- On May 1st, a May Day
Parade was held outside the
McCormick Company, and 2
days later, someone was killed
during a protest.
- A public meeting was held on
May 4th at the Haymarket
Square to address police
brutality. It was supposed to be
peaceful.
- Anarchists spoke in front of a
crowd of around 1,500 people.
- Someone anonymously set off a bomb when
the police were coming to try to stop the
meeting.
- 7 police officers were killed, likely not even
from the bomb itself but from policemen
shooting at the massive crowd of people.
- 4 civilians were also killed, and many others
were injured.
People Put to Blame
- The Knights of Labor were blamed for the riot because they were the largest labor
union in the U.S.
- Anarchists in general were also accused for the riot, even ones that were innocent.
- Eight anarchists were accused of murder, 7 of them were convicted.
- 4 of them were hung, 2
replaced death with life in
prison, and 1 man committed
suicide while he was in prison.
- Even after all the trials that
went on in court, the one person
who set off the bomb was not
identified.
Example Testimony
The Aftermath
- The new governor in 1892,
John Peter Altgeld gave the
anarchists mercy and declared
that their trial was unfair.
- It affected his political career
because people then thought he
was biased toward the
anarchists.
Affect on their Society
- The Haymarket riot caused huge commotion in Chicago.
- Critics of the labor unions, after the riot, associated all unions with fighting
and massive meetings getting out of control.
- They simply made assumptions that all unions were going to be violent.
- Membership of the Knights of Labor almost vanished and reputation of the
riot stayed for years after.
- Although most of the affects of the riot turned out poorly, the workingmen
involved in these mass meetings thought they deserved their 8 hour work
day.
- Even though they got their point across to the authorities, it was wrong for
someone to set off a bomb for the police, and was also not beneficial for the
policemen to shoot back abruptly.
Relation to our Society
- The Haymarket affair relates to
the situation we have going on
today: the OCCUPY movement.
- These people are on strike
against economic and social
inequality. The first one started on
Wall Street, but now the
movement has caught on all over
the world.
- This shows that people on strike
won't give up until they see the
results that they want: from the
1880s to 2011.
Bibliography
Primary Sources:
1) "Attention Workingmen." Illinois vs. August Spies 4 May 1886: n. pag. Chicago
History Society. Web. 15 Nov. 2011. <http://www.chicagohistory.org/hadc/
transcript/exhibits/X000-050/X0050.htm>.
2) Bonfield, John. "Testimony of John Bonfield." Interview by Mr. Grinnell.
Chicago Historical Society. Haymarket Affair Digital Collection, 16 July
1888. Web. 20 Nov. 2011. <http://www.chicagohistory.org/hadc/transcript/
volumei/000-050/I019-052.htm>.
3) Tyrell, Frank P. "Parade banner of Veterans of the Haymarket Riot." Chicago
Historical Society. N.p., 1895. Web. 17 Nov. 2011.
<http://www.chicagohistory.org/hadc/visuals/artifact/001A020.htm>.
4) Waller, Godfried. "Testimony of Godfried Waller." Interview by Mr. Ingham.
Chicago Historical Society. Haymarket Affair Digital Collection, 17 July
1886. Web. 21 Nov. 2011. <http://www.chicagohistory.org/hadc/transcript/
volumei/101-150/I101-140.htm>.
Secondary Sources:
1) Bienen, Leigh. "The Haymarket Riot." Homoside in Chicago 1870-1930. Northwestern
University School of Law, 2008. Web. 15 Nov. 2011.
<http://homicide.northwestern.edu/context/movements/haymarket1/>.
2) Boyer, Paul S. "Haymarket Affair." The Oxford Companion to United States History
. encyclopedia.com, 2001. Web. 15 Nov. 2011.
<http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O119-HaymarketAffair.html>.
3) H., David, and Aurich P. "Haymarkey Square Riot." Questia Online Library. N.p.,
2004. Web. 20 Nov. 2011. <http://www.questia.com/library/encyclopedia/
haymarket_square_riot.jsp#journal>.
4) "The Haymarket Square Riot." History.com. A&E Television Networks, LLC,
1996-2011. Web. 21 Nov. 2011. <http://www.history.com/
this-day-in-history/the-haymarket-square-riot>.
5) "Knights of Labor." American History. ABC-CLIO, 2011. Web. 21 Nov. 2011.
<http://americanhistory.abc-clio.com/Search/Display/
253496?terms=Haymarket+riot>.
Thank you!
We can answer questions now!
1)
What point were the
rioters of the Haymarket
affair trying to get across?
1)
What effects did the
riot have on society?
2) Who were the main
contributors to the riot?
2) Was it really worth all
the commotion for the
people to fight for their
rights?
3) Where did the riot take
place and how did it start?
3)
How does it relate
to our society today?