MikeDunnAuthorToday in Labor History November 23, 1903: Army troops were sent to Cripple Creek, Colorado to put down a rebellion by striking coal miners. 600 union members were thrown into a military bullpen, and held for weeks without charges. When a lawyer arrived with a writ of habeas corpus, General Bell, who led the repression, responded "Habeas corpus, hell! We'll give 'em post mortems!” The Pinkertons were heavily involved in the Colorado Labor Wars, as agent provocateurs, spies, and armed thugs operating for the mine owners. The strike was led by Big Bill Haywood and the Western Federation of Miners, which, at the time, was one of the most militant unions in the country, calling for revolution and abolition of the wage system. A year and a half later, Haywood would go on to cofound the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW), along with Mother Jones, Lucy Parsons, Eugene Debs, James Connolly, Ralph Chaplin, and others.
You can read my full-length article on the Western Federation of Miners here:
https://michaeldunnauthor.com/2021/05/13/the-western-federation-of-miners/
You can read my full-length article on the Pinkertons here: https://michaeldunnauthor.com/2024/04/04/union-busting-by-the-pinkertons/
#workingclass #LaborHistory #mining #coal #union #strike #freespeech #freepress #revolution #prison #police #policebrutality #rebellion #colorado #cripplecreek
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