Chicago Anarchists on Trial: Evidence from the Haymarket Affair, 1886-1887
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American Literature: William Dean Howells and the Haymarket Affair
At first, support for the eight defendants in the Haymarket trial came mainly from members of the anarchist and socialist communities, who arranged for a legal defense. After the defendants received their sentence, however, they began to garner more widespread support. Nevertheless, the country's journalists and other writers remained unsympathetic, with the exception of novelist, William Dean Howells. America's leading man of letters, Howells risked his reputation by publicly denouncing the Haymarket verdict and calling for clemency.
Howells followed the Haymarket affair closely in the press and it made a profound impression on him. In a private letter, he remarked that the trial and execution of the anarchists was an "atrocious piece of frenzy and cruelty for which we should be ashamed." Do research to find out more about Howells's position on the Haymarket affair. Read a synopsis of one of Howells's social novels, The Minister's Charge (1887), Annie Kilburn (1888), A Hazard of New Fortunes (1890), or A Traveler from Altruria, (1894) which were influenced by the Haymarket affair as well as by the writings of Leo Tolstoy.
- What influence do prominent writers have on public perceptions of historic events? How are their opinions perceived by the public and why?
- How did the characters in Howells' novels convey his views on labor organizations and American Socialism?
- How does knowing about the history of the Haymarket affair enrich your appreciation of Howells' work?