Haymarket Affair

Setting the scene

The Haymarket Affair occurred on May 4, 1886, in Chicago during a labor rally supporting an eight-hour workday. The movement had gained momentum after a nationwide strike on May 1, 1886. On May 3, police killed two strikers at the McCormick Harvesting Machine plant. Anarchists called for a protest at Haymarket Square on May 4. About 1,500 people attended the peaceful rally, which was winding down when police arrived to disperse the crowd. As police advanced, someone threw a dynamite bomb, killing seven officers and wounding 60.

What happened

Police opened fire, killing at least four workers and wounding many. The bomber was never identified, but authorities arrested eight anarchists, most of whom were not present at the bombing. In a highly prejudicial trial, all eight were convicted of conspiracy—seven sentenced to death, one to 15 years. Four were hanged on November 11, 1887 (August Spies, Albert Parsons, George Engel, Adolph Fischer), one committed suicide, and three were later pardoned by Governor John Altgeld in 1893, who declared the trial a miscarriage of justice.

Why it still matters

The Haymarket Affair became a defining event in labor history. It crushed the Knights of Labor and set back the eight-hour movement, but created martyrs for the labor cause. May 1 was chosen as International Workers' Day in 1889 to commemorate Haymarket. The affair also triggered the first Red Scare in America, associating labor activism with anarchism and violence. It remains controversial—whether the trial was a frame-up or whether the defendants, as anarchists advocating violence, bore responsibility. The Haymarket Martyrs' Monument in Chicago is a National Historic Landmark.

Background

Labor radicalism faced fierce backlash.