Recovered from FSRN’s earlier site via the Internet Archive Wayback Machine. Originally published April 27, 2012.
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Whether among New York City’s car washers or workers in cities across the country, the gap between labor and bosses, workers and those who own the means of production continues today. But its origin goes back to the 18th century when workers started demanding a more reasonable ten-hour day. That fight continued into the next century, when more workers called for an eight-hour day. The momentum grew in the Midwest, culminating in massive strikes in May 1886. One of the central locations was Chicago, where the events at Haymarket Square changed the labor movement. FSRN’s Linda Perry Barr looks back on how May Day began.
