In the early morning hours of August 1, 1917, six masked men dragged IWW executive board member Frank Little from his Butte, Montana boarding house, tied him to the rear bumper of an automobile, dragged him through the streets, and hanged him from a railroad trestle. A note pinned to his body read …
Frank LittleIndustrial Workers of the World (IWW)Anaconda Copper Mining CompanyButte vigilanteslabor-suppressioncorporate-violenceiwwprogressive-eramining+1 more
At dawn on July 12, 1917, a sheriff’s posse organized by Phelps Dodge copper company rounded up approximately 1,300 striking miners, labor organizers, and bystanders in Bisbee, Arizona, loaded them into cattle cars, and deported them to the New Mexico desert without food or water. The mass …
Phelps Dodge CorporationWalter DouglasSheriff Harry WheelerIndustrial Workers of the World (IWW)Cochise County Loyalty Leaguelabor-suppressioncorporate-violenceiwwprogressive-eramining+1 more
President Woodrow Wilson signed the Espionage Act into law, prohibiting interference with military operations or recruitment, preventing insubordination in the military, and preventing support of U.S. enemies during wartime. The Wilson administration, knowing many Americans were conflicted about …
President Woodrow WilsonIndustrial Workers of the World (IWW)Eugene V. DebsVictor L. BergerEmma Goldman+1 morelabor-suppressionfree-speechworld-war-iiwwstate-repression
On June 8, 1917, a fire broke out 2,400 feet underground in Butte, Montana’s Speculator Mine when an assistant foreman’s carbide lamp ignited the frayed insulation on an electrical cable. The fire spread rapidly through the mine’s timber supports and ventilation system, trapping …
Anaconda Copper Mining CompanyIndustrial Workers of the World (IWW)Metal Mine Workers' UnionMontana National Guardlabor-suppressionmining-safetyiwwprogressive-eracorporate-negligence
On November 5, 1916, an armed posse of business owners and deputized vigilantes opened fire on a boatload of IWW members attempting to land at Everett, Washington’s city dock, killing at least five Wobblies and two deputies in what became known as the Everett Massacre or “Bloody …
Industrial Workers of the World (IWW)Everett Commercial ClubSheriff Donald McRaeWeyerhaeuser Companylabor-suppressioncorporate-violenceiwwprogressive-eralumber-industry
On August 3, 1913, a confrontation between migrant hop pickers and armed deputies at the Durst Ranch in Wheatland, California left four people dead and triggered a massive crackdown on the IWW across California. The violence erupted after workers organized to protest abysmal conditions: no drinking …
Industrial Workers of the World (IWW)Blackie FordHerman SuhrRalph DurstCalifornia National Guardlabor-suppressioniwwprogressive-eraagricultural-labormigrant-workers
Approximately 25,000 silk workers in Paterson, New Jersey walked out on February 25, 1913, beginning one of the most significant industrial conflicts of the Progressive Era. The IWW-led strike united diverse immigrant workers - Italian, Jewish, German, and native-born - demanding the eight-hour day, …
Industrial Workers of the World (IWW)Big Bill HaywoodElizabeth Gurley FlynnCarlo TrescaJohn Reed+1 morelabor-suppressioniwwprogressive-eratextile-industrystrike
Polish women textile workers at the Everett Mill in Lawrence, Massachusetts walked out after discovering their employer had reduced wages by $0.32 when Massachusetts enforced a law cutting mill workers’ hours from 56 to 54 per week. The strike spread rapidly to more than 20,000 workers …
Industrial Workers of the World (IWW)Joseph EttorArturo GiovannittiAmerican Woolen Companylabor-organizingprogressive-eraimmigrant-rightscorporate-poweriww