Bomb Shatters Rally: Haymarket Labor Tragedy Unfolds
A bomb exploded at a labor rally in Chicago's Haymarket Square on May 4, 1886, killing police officer Mathias Degan instantly. Police opened fire on the crowd, killing at least four civilians and wounding dozens. Eight anarchist leaders were prosecuted despite no evidence connecting any of them to the bomb; the prosecution argued their speeches had inspired the unknown bomber. Four were hanged, one committed suicide in prison, and three were eventually pardoned by Governor John Peter Altgeld, who declared the trial a miscarriage of justice. The Haymarket affair devastated the American labor movement for a generation but inspired the international labor movement: the Second International declared May 1 as International Workers' Day in 1889, commemorated in most countries except the United States.
May 4, 1886
140 years ago
Key Figures & Places
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