Chicago Anarchists on Trial: Evidence from the Haymarket Affair, 1886-1887
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Historical Issue-Analysis and Decision-Making
Illinois vs. August Spies et al. trial evidence book.
The Haymarket massacre: the charge of the police after
the explosion of the bomb.
Review the events leading up to the Haymarket riot and evaluate alternative courses of action that might have been taken to avoid the violent confrontation. Assume the role of different civic and labor leaders and propose a plan of action to defuse the escalating tensions in Chicago. Begin by searching on eight-hour and reading articles from Arbeiter-Zeitung and The Alarm that reflect the labor tensions in Chicago in the months leading up to the May 1 eight-hour workday protest.
- What factors contributed to labor tensions in Chicago in the months leading up to May 1886?
- What could have been done to alleviate these tensions?
- How could civic, business, and labor leaders have worked together to defuse the situation in Chicago prior to the May 1 eight-hour workday?
- What would have been necessary to get these groups to agree to a plan?
- What would have been necessary to defuse the situation in Chicago after the eight-hour workday protest? What would have been necessary after the McCormick riot?
Analyze the interests of various factions in Chicago on the eve of the violence at Haymarket Square and assess the decisions by anarchists to call the meeting and by police to disperse the meeting.
- Why do you think that the anarchists assembled at Grief's Hall decided to call the meeting on May 4? Why might they have chosen Haymarket Square as the location?
- What were the possible consequences of these decisions?
- Would any other actions have achieved the same objectives?
- Why do you think that Inspector Bonfield decided to disperse the meeting near Haymarket Square?
- What were the possible consequences of this decision?
- Would any other actions have achieved the same objectives?
- What legal measures could have been taken to prevent the outbreak of violence?
- What restrictions, if any, could have legally been placed on demonstrations?
- What measures could have been taken to restrict police activity?