Haymarket Affair
Domestic violence.
Violent confrontation between Chicago police, anarchists, laborers, and labor activists on May 4, 1886 at which 19 people died and over 60 were wounded. Began with a rally from 7:30PM-about 10:30PM. At that point, numerous police officers arrived and ordered the crowds to disperse. A bomb was thrown into the police and killed several officers creating chaos. No one is quite sure who actually threw the bomb, but Louis Lingg, was accused of constructing it and later convicted for his part. Differing sources report different specific events, but violence erupted and police began emptying their revolvers into the crowd of mixed protester and police, killing and wounding laborers and police alike. The aftermath led to the trial of 8 and execution of 4 anarchists and labor activists and divided public opinion on the fairness of the trial and the acceptance of labor unions. The labor activists executed on November 11, 1887 were August Spies, Albert Parsons, and Samuel Fielden who were arrested for speaking at the rally. Adolph Fischer was executed but only attended the event. Louis Lingg, the alleged bomb-maker, was sentenced to death but committed suicide before his execution.
Federation of Organized Trades and Labor Unions
Federation of Organized Trades and Labor Unions
May 4, 1886
November 11, 1887
Stephen Petrie
Albert Parsons
Haymarket Riot Monument
August Spies
Adolph Fischer
Louis Lingg
Samuel Fielden
Event
English
German
Rally
Domestic violence
Haymarket Riot
Haymarket Massacre
May 4, 1886
Chicago Theatre
Designed by Cornelius Rapp and George Rapp, the Chicago theater was built in 1921 as on of a chain of movie houses owned by the Balaban and Katz theatre chain.
Photograph of the Chicago Theatre
Daniel Schwen
June 11, 2010
Creative Commons--share and share alike.
Photograph