The Haymarket Affair and American Labor Unrest (1886–1896)

1. Unions set May 1, 1886 eight-hour deadline

   Oct 1, 1884Labels: National Labor, Eight-Hour Movement

   • Haymarket Oct 1884
   • Haymarket Affair

2. Nationwide May Day strikes demand eight-hour day

   May 1, 1886Labels: May Day, Chicago Labor

   • Haymarket May 1

3. Police kill strikers at McCormick works

   May 3, 1886Labels: McCormick Works, Chicago Police

   • Britannica Haymarket
   • Gilder Lehrman

4. Haymarket Square rally ends in bombing and gunfire

   May 4, 1886Labels: Haymarket Rally, Bombing

   • Britannica Haymarket
   • Gilder Lehrman

5. Haymarket conspiracy trial begins in Chicago

   Jun 21, 1886Labels: Haymarket Trial, Illinois Prosecutors

   • Haymarket trial
   • UMKC Trials

6. Jury convicts “Chicago Eight” in Haymarket case

   Aug 20, 1886Labels: Chicago Eight, Verdict

   • UMKC Ill Supreme
   • Encyclopedia com

7. AFL forms as unions reorganize after Haymarket

   Dec 8, 1886Labels: American Federation, Samuel Gompers

   • AFL formation
   • Britannica Gompers

8. Illinois Supreme Court upholds Haymarket convictions

   Sep 14, 1887Labels: Illinois Supreme, Haymarket Appeals

   • UMKC Ill Supreme

9. Governor commutes two death sentences; Lingg dies

   Nov 10, 1887Labels: Governor Oglesby, Louis Lingg

   • Illinois Archives
   • Haymarket Nov 1887

10. Four Haymarket defendants executed by hanging

    Nov 11, 1887Labels: Executed Defendants, Public Executions

    • Britannica Haymarket
    • Haymarket executions

11. Second International links May Day to Haymarket legacy

    Jan 1, 1889Labels: Second International, May Day

    • Britannica Haymarket
    • TIME May Day

12. Homestead Strike erupts in violent steel labor conflict

    Jul 6, 1892Labels: Homestead Strike, Carnegie Steel

    • Britannica Homestead

13. Altgeld pardons surviving Haymarket prisoners

    Jun 26, 1893Labels: Governor Altgeld, Pardons

    • UMKC Pardon
    • Britannica Haymarket

14. Pullman Strike spreads; federal injunction used to break it

    May 11, 1894Labels: Pullman Strike, Federal Injunction

    • Britannica Pullman
    • Britannica Injunction

15. Congress makes Labor Day a national holiday

    Jun 28, 1894Labels: Congress, Labor Day

    • U S Labor
    • Britannica Pullman

16. Debs arrested for contempt; Supreme Court later upholds injunction power

    May 27, 1895Labels: Eugene V, In re

    • GovInfo Debs
    • Britannica Injunction