This seminar offers an overview of Chicago labor history from the mid-nineteenth century into the twentieth century. It will highlight violent flashpoints between protesters, police, and industrialists like the Battle of the Viaduct, Haymarket Affair, and Memorial Day Massacre, as well as lesser-known events like the 1910 Chicago garment workers' strike and 1948 Packinghouse Workers' strike. It will consider how each conflict reflected its given historical moment and explore how collective action among Chicagoans ultimately shaped the direction of labor rights in the United States.
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