On May 1st, 1886, Chicago erupted into what would become one of the most pivotal labor demonstrations in American history. The Haymarket Affair began as a peaceful workers' rally advocating for an eight-hour workday, but transformed into a catastrophic confrontation that would reshape labor rights forever.
At the McCormick Harvesting Machine Company, workers were striking for shorter hours. A rally in Haymarket Square drew hundreds of laborers and sympathizers, initially calm and orderly. However, as police approached to disperse the crowd, an unknown individual hurled a dynamite bomb into their ranks.
The explosion killed one policeman instantly and wounded dozens. In the ensuing chaos, police fired indiscriminately into the crowd, killing several workers. The incident became a lightning rod for labor movement tensions, leading to a controversial trial where eight anarchist leaders were prosecuted—despite little evidence connecting them directly to the bombing.
Four men were eventually executed, becoming martyrs for the labor movement. Their trial was widely considered a miscarriage of justice, with prosecutors essentially putting radical political beliefs on trial rather than proving actual culpability for the bombing.
This single day of violence would subsequently inspire international workers' solidarity movements and become a symbolic moment in the struggle for workers' rights, eventually leading to the establishment of May Day as International Workers' Day in many countries worldwide.
This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI
