Tuesday, May 01, 2007

May 1st



Be proud, fellow midwesterners: it all started here in Chicago on May 1, 1886. The start of the 8-hour day movement, now observed all over the world as International Workers Day.

Today's a good day to visit the Haymarket martyrs monument in Forest Home Cemetery if you've got the time.

7 comments:

Dino said...

I don't think midwestern can lay claim to it itself - the socialist celebrated it as as Tag der Arbeiter

I remember going on the parades it was fun

Johnny Yen said...

Great day! The story is a very important one-- remember the words of August Spies? "The day will come when our silence will be more powerful than the voices you are throttling today." I'll be posting about it later today.

Joe said...

Johnny, excellent. I was going to do a follow-up post on the 4th, but you'll probably say everything I would've said, better.

Katy, no disrespect intended, but all those celebrations started in observation of the original marches in Chicago. If it's any consolation, most of our best labor activists were German immigrants back then.

Barbara Bruederlin said...

Well done Chicagoans. Now it's time to lobby for the 5 hour work day.

Splotchy said...

Great minds think alike. I posted a (tiny) bit about Haymarket today as well.

But you're wrong about it starting in Chicago.

Also, punk music was invented in the UK.

Why do I say these things? Because I can.

Tenacious S said...

I think we may need to start another movement to get back the 8 hour work day. Hardly anyone I know works an 8 hour day anymore.

Anonymous said...

Also known as books I need to steal from mom before dad notices.

Thanks!