US Labor History
1800s
- 1800
- Gabriel Prosser leads a slave revolt in Virginia
-
- 1805
- A journeymen cordwainers' union in New York City includes a closed-shop
clause in its
- constitution
-
- 1806
- Philadelphia showmakers found guilty of criminal conspiracy after
striking for higher wages
-
- 1819
- Depression begins
-
- 1822
- Denmark Vesey leads a slave rebellion in South Carolina
-
- 1824
- Pawtucket, Rhode Island, Textile Strike
-
- 1825
- The United Tailoresses of New York, a trade union organization for
women, organized in New
- York City.
-
- 1827
- The Mechanics Union of Trade Associations, made up of skilled craftsmen
in different trades,
- formed in Philadelphia - first city central federation.
- Philadelphia Carpenters' Strike
-
- 1828
- Depression begins
- The Workingmen's Party formed in Philadelphia
- Paterson, New Jersey, Textile Strike
-
- 1829
- The Workingmen's Party of New York formed
- Carpenter Ebenezer Ford becomes the first trade unionist elected
to public office in New York
-
- 1831
- New England Association of Farmers, Mechanics and other Workingmen
formed
- Nat Turner leads a slave rebellion in Virginia
- Lynn, Massachusetts, Shoebinders' Protest
-
- 1832
- Boston Ship Carpenters' Ten Hour Strike
-
- 1833
- Lynn, Massachusetts, Shoebinders' Protest begins.
- Manayunk, Pennsylvania, Textile Strike
- New York City Carpenters' Strike
-
- 1834
- National Trades Union, first attempt at a national labor federation,
formed in New York
- Lowell, Massachusetts, Mill Women's Strike
- Manayunk, Pennsylvania, Textile Strike
-
- 1835
- Ten-Hour Movement among skilled workers
-
- 1835
- Paterson, New Jersey, Textile Strike.
-
- 1836
- National Cooperative Association of Cordwainers, the first national
union of a specific craft, formed
- in New York City
- Lowell, Massachusetts, Mill Women's Strike
- New York City Tailors' Strike
- Philadelphia Bookbinders' Strike
-
- 1837
- Depression begins
-
- 1840
- President Martin Van Buren establishes the ten-hour day for employees
on federal public works
- projects.
-
- 1842
- Massachusetts Supreme Court, in Commonwealth v. Hunt, rules that
labor unions, as such, are not
- illegal conspiracies.
- Anthracite Coal Strike
-
- 1844
- Lowell Female Labor Reform Association formed.
-
- 1847
- New Hampshire passes first state law fixing ten hours as the legal
workday.
-
- 1848
- Pennsylvania's child labor law makes twelve the minimum age for
workers in commercial
- occupations.
-
- 1850
- New York City Tailors' Strike.
-
- 1852
- Typographical Union founded - first national union of workers to
endure to present day
-
- 1855
- Eugene V. Debs , US labor leader, is born
-
- 1859
- Iron Molders' International Union founded
-
- 1860
- New England Shoemakers' Strike
-
- 1861
- Civil War Begins
- American Miners' Association , the first national coal miners' union,
is formed in St. Louis, Mo.
-
- 1862
- Congress Passes the Homestead Act
-
- 1863
- Emancipation Proclamation frees the slaves
- Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers founded
-
- 1864
- Cigar Makers' Union founded
-
- 1865
- Sixteenth Amendment ratified, abolishing slavery in the United States
-
- 1866
- National Labor Union founded - an attempt at creating a national
federation of unions
- Molders' Lockout
-
- 1867
- Knights of St. Crispin founded - a union of factory workers in the
shoe industry
-
- 1868
- First federal eight-hour law passed - applied only to laborers,
workmen, and mechanics employed
- by the government
- Anthracite Coal Strike
-
- 1869
- Colored National Labor Union founded
- Knights of Labor organized in Philadelphia
- Troy, New York, Collar Laundresses' Strike
-
- 1870
- First written contract between coal operators and coal miners signed
-
- 1872
- National Labor Reform Party formed
-
- 1873
- Depression begins
- Miners' National Association formed
-
- 1874
- Tompkins Square Riot in New York City
-
- 1875
- Conviction of Molly Maguires for anthracite coalfield murders -
twenty are eventually hanged
- Anthracite Coal Strike
-
- 1876
- Amalgamated Association of Iron, Steel, and Tin Workers founded
- Workingmen's Party founded - first Marxist party in the United States.
Later becomes Socialist
- Labor Party
- Greenback Party formed
-
- 1877
- Federal and state troops are called out to crush the first nationwide
strike in US history when
- railroad workers walk off their jobs
- Cigarmakers' Strike
- San Francisco Anti-Chinese Riots
- Members of the militant Molly Maguires, a rank and file anthracite
coal miners' organization, are
- hanged after being framed by a Pinkerton spy
-
- 1878
- Socialist Labor Party founded
-
- 1878
- Greenback Labor Party organized
- International Labor Union founded
-
- 1879
- Miners in Springhill, Nova Scotia, form Canada's first labor union
- the Provincial Workingmen's
- Association
- Joe Hill, IWW organizer, songwriter and poet, born in Gavle, Sweden
-
- 1881
- Federation of Organized Trades and Labor Unions of the United States
and Canada founded -
- predecessor of the American Federation of Labor
- Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners founded
- Revolutionary Socialist Labor Party formed
-
- 1882
- First Labor Day celebration held in New York City
- Congress passes Chinese Exclusion Act
- Cohoes, New York, Cotton Mill Strike
-
- 1883
- International Working People's Association (anarchist) formed
- Cowboy Strike
- Lynchburg, Virginia, Tobacco Workers' Strike
- Molders' Lockout begins
-
- 1884
- Federal Bureau of Labor established in the Department of the Interior
- Fall River, Massachusettsm Textile Strike
- Union Pacific Railroad Strike
-
- 1885
- Congress passes Foran Acti to forbid immigration of laborers on
contract
- Anti-Chinese Riots in the West
- Cloakmakers' General Strike
- McCormick Harvesting Machine Company Strike
- Southwest Railroad Strike
- Yonkers, New York, Carpet Weavers' Strike
-
- 1886
- In Chicago, 350,000 workers demonstrate for the eight-hour workday,
founding May Day as an
- international workers' holiday
- Eight-hour-day movement fails
- "Haymarket Massacre" Police attack Haymarket Square labor
rally in Chicago, sparking violence
- and the frame up of eight labor leaders
- American Federation of Labor founded with Samuel Gompers as first
president
- Anti-Chinese riots
- Augusta, Georgia, Textile Strike.
- Cowboy Strike
- Eight-Hour Day Strikes
- McCormick Harvesting Machine Company Strike
- Southwest Railroad Strike
- Troy, New York, Collar Laundresses' Strike
-
- 1887
- Seven anarchists sentenced to death for the Haymarket bombing (five
eventually executed).
- Port of New York Longshoremen's Strike
-
- 1888
- First federal labor relations law enacted - applied only to railroads
- International Association of Machinists founded
- Burlington Railroad Strike
- Cincinnati Shoemakers' Lockout
-
- 1889
- Baseball Players' Revolt begins
- Fall River, Massachusetts, Textile Strike
- A. Philip Randolph, labor and civil rights leader, born
-
- 1890
- United Mine Workers of America founded in Columbus, Ohio
- Carpenters' Strike for the Eight-Hour Day
-
- 1891
- People's (Populist) Party formed
- Savannah, Georgia, Black Laborers' Strike
- Tennessee Miners' Strike
-