From The American Left History Archives-Reflections On May Day 2015
From The Pen Of Fritz Jasper
The following was a short presentation by Bart Webber to his fellow members of the Smedley Butler Brigade of Veterans for Peace in Boston at a monthly meeting of that organization when during a discussion of whether to support the local May Day events in the Boston, an afternoon rally on Boston Common and a later in the day march and rally of immigrant communities, a number of members pleaded ignorance about the beginnings of the May Day traditions in America. Brother Webber was delegated by the Chapter Coordinator to do some research and give the report.
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Most of us older vets in VFP when we think of May Day, officially known as International Workers’ Day, probably think back to the times in our younger years when that day was associated with the Soviet Union showing off its military hardware in Red Square. Many may not realize that although May Day has never been an official American labor holiday, a day when working people celebrate international solidarity as workers, that tradition actually started in America in 1886 as result of some serious labor agitation and actions by the organized labor movement of the time struggling for the eight hour work day. There is a certain irony today that in many working class and poor households where both parents work or work two, or more, jobs that demand for an eight-hour day is still in play. The labor actions, strikes, rallies and demonstrations started in 1886 later got picked up by the organized international socialist and anarchist organizations and still later the communists and their off-shoots who carried on that tradition.
The start though was on May 1, 1886 when more than 300,000 workers in some 13,000 businesses across the United States walked off their jobs in the first May Day celebration in history. In Chicago, a key center in the struggle for the 8-hour day and home to many labor militants, socialists and homegrown anarchists agitators 40,000 went out on strike.
The story of the Haymarket Martyrs which is closely associated with the establishment of May Day resulted from the aftermath of a bombing that took place at a labor demonstration on Tuesday May 4, 1886, at Haymarket Square in Chicago. It began as a peaceful rally in support of workers striking for an eight hour day and in reaction to the killing of several workers the previous day by the police. An unknown person threw a dynamite bomb at police as they acted to disperse the public meeting. The bomb blast and ensuing gunfire resulted in the deaths of seven police officers and at least four civilians.
In the internationally publicized legal proceedings that followed, eight anarchists were convicted of conspiracy, Albert Parsons, Adolph Fischer, George Engel, Louis Lingg, Michael Schwab, Samuel Fielden, and Oscar Neebe. The evidence provided by the prosecution at court was that one of the defendants may have built the bomb, although no evidence was elicited that any defendant on trial had thrown it. Seven were sentenced to death and one to a term of 15 years in prison. The other four were hanged on November 11, 1887. (Those still alive and in jail had their sentences commuted in 1893 by a later Illinois governor.)
May 1st was chosen to be International Workers' Day in order to commemorate the May 4, 1886 Haymarket events in Chicago. In 1889 at a meeting of the first congress of the Second International in Paris a resolution was voted on calling for international demonstrations on the 1890 anniversary of the Chicago protests. May Day was formally recognized as an annual event at the International's second congress in 1891.
Although May Day was never officially a labor holiday in America for many years after the 1880s in various working class cities or cities with substantial histories of left-wing activity, rallies, marches or other events usually led by left-wing organizations, socialists, communists and anarchists have occurred. For many years up through the mid-1940s New York City had large marches through the streets of the city but with the Cold War and the red scare which older members are all too familiar with these events were either broken up or were discontinued in public. Today in America only in places like San Francisco does the organized labor movement at least honor the day by a commemoration.
Several years ago, around 2006, May Day for a short period, reflecting a different labor tradition in Latin countries and elsewhere the day symbolized for the immigrant community the struggle for citizenship and witnessed many large demonstrations. That tradition in much attenuated form now still exists in the Latino communities in places like East Boston, Chelsea and Everett. As for a more specifically left-wing celebration, involving socialists, communists and anarchists as I and some other members who attended witnessed last week on Boston Common, only the remnants of those organizations around town still keep the tradition alive.
From The Pen Of Fritz Jasper
The following was a short presentation by Bart Webber to his fellow members of the Smedley Butler Brigade of Veterans for Peace in Boston at a monthly meeting of that organization when during a discussion of whether to support the local May Day events in the Boston, an afternoon rally on Boston Common and a later in the day march and rally of immigrant communities, a number of members pleaded ignorance about the beginnings of the May Day traditions in America. Brother Webber was delegated by the Chapter Coordinator to do some research and give the report.
****
Most of us older vets in VFP when we think of May Day, officially known as International Workers’ Day, probably think back to the times in our younger years when that day was associated with the Soviet Union showing off its military hardware in Red Square. Many may not realize that although May Day has never been an official American labor holiday, a day when working people celebrate international solidarity as workers, that tradition actually started in America in 1886 as result of some serious labor agitation and actions by the organized labor movement of the time struggling for the eight hour work day. There is a certain irony today that in many working class and poor households where both parents work or work two, or more, jobs that demand for an eight-hour day is still in play. The labor actions, strikes, rallies and demonstrations started in 1886 later got picked up by the organized international socialist and anarchist organizations and still later the communists and their off-shoots who carried on that tradition.
The start though was on May 1, 1886 when more than 300,000 workers in some 13,000 businesses across the United States walked off their jobs in the first May Day celebration in history. In Chicago, a key center in the struggle for the 8-hour day and home to many labor militants, socialists and homegrown anarchists agitators 40,000 went out on strike.
The story of the Haymarket Martyrs which is closely associated with the establishment of May Day resulted from the aftermath of a bombing that took place at a labor demonstration on Tuesday May 4, 1886, at Haymarket Square in Chicago. It began as a peaceful rally in support of workers striking for an eight hour day and in reaction to the killing of several workers the previous day by the police. An unknown person threw a dynamite bomb at police as they acted to disperse the public meeting. The bomb blast and ensuing gunfire resulted in the deaths of seven police officers and at least four civilians.
In the internationally publicized legal proceedings that followed, eight anarchists were convicted of conspiracy, Albert Parsons, Adolph Fischer, George Engel, Louis Lingg, Michael Schwab, Samuel Fielden, and Oscar Neebe. The evidence provided by the prosecution at court was that one of the defendants may have built the bomb, although no evidence was elicited that any defendant on trial had thrown it. Seven were sentenced to death and one to a term of 15 years in prison. The other four were hanged on November 11, 1887. (Those still alive and in jail had their sentences commuted in 1893 by a later Illinois governor.)
May 1st was chosen to be International Workers' Day in order to commemorate the May 4, 1886 Haymarket events in Chicago. In 1889 at a meeting of the first congress of the Second International in Paris a resolution was voted on calling for international demonstrations on the 1890 anniversary of the Chicago protests. May Day was formally recognized as an annual event at the International's second congress in 1891.
Although May Day was never officially a labor holiday in America for many years after the 1880s in various working class cities or cities with substantial histories of left-wing activity, rallies, marches or other events usually led by left-wing organizations, socialists, communists and anarchists have occurred. For many years up through the mid-1940s New York City had large marches through the streets of the city but with the Cold War and the red scare which older members are all too familiar with these events were either broken up or were discontinued in public. Today in America only in places like San Francisco does the organized labor movement at least honor the day by a commemoration.
Several years ago, around 2006, May Day for a short period, reflecting a different labor tradition in Latin countries and elsewhere the day symbolized for the immigrant community the struggle for citizenship and witnessed many large demonstrations. That tradition in much attenuated form now still exists in the Latino communities in places like East Boston, Chelsea and Everett. As for a more specifically left-wing celebration, involving socialists, communists and anarchists as I and some other members who attended witnessed last week on Boston Common, only the remnants of those organizations around town still keep the tradition alive.
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