On May 4, 1886 the Haymarket Square riot occurred. A bomb exploded near a group of policemen as they tried to take charge of a violent and dangerous labor rally in Haymarket Square. The bomb explosion injured 70 people and killed seven policemen. This event was covered nation wide and received much attention, and only hurt the labor movements cause. This hurt the people as it made it harder for workers to receive the compensation they deserved as they were portrayed as animals in this vicious act. These people being portrayed as animals were only people trying to secure better living conditions for their families which is why this riot that got out of hand was very bad for the side of the laborers. After the riot during a trial for the murders of the seven policemen, eight men were found guilty for conspiracy to instigate the man who threw the bomb. Four of these men were hung and killed and one of the men committed suicide in prison. The other three men were pardoned by John Altgeld, the Illinois Governor at the time saying that they did not receive a fair trial. This event was one of catastrophic measures for the laborers and only created setbacks for laborers trying to move forward and have better working conditions.
"Haymarket Square riot." American History. ABC-CLIO, 2010. Web. 31 Jan. 2010. http://www.americanhistory.abc-clio.com/.
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wow very interesting... informative..way to be the best you can be
ReplyDeleteThis was a horrible incident for laborers. but do you think anything good could have come out of this? I believe that this directly led to the Pullman Strike which gave many workers rights.
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