Today in Labor History May 6

Incas rebelled against Spaniards in Cuzco. — _{By Felipe Guaman Poma de Ayala. Public Domain}

Today in Labor History May 6, 1536: Inca forces tried to retake the city of Cuzco from the Spanish. The Siege of Cuzco lasted ten months. However, the Incas ultimately lost. But the Inca did kill Pizarro during the siege.

1870s

Presumed photo of Crazy Horse. — _{Possibly photo of Crazy Horse. By Unknown author. Public Domain}

Today in Labor History May 6, 1877: Chief Crazy Horse surrendered to US troops. Crazy Horse was a Lakota warrior. He won a victory at Little Bighorn, in 1876, toward the beginning of the Great Sioux War. He fought his last major battle of that war in January, 1877. However, he didn’t actually surrender until May 6. While he was living at the Red Cloud Agency, a band of Nez Perce broke free from their reservation. The U.S. army asked Crazy Horse to join them in their fight against the Nez Perce. Crazy Horse said he’d fight until all the Nez Perce were dead. But a translator misinterpreted it as, “he’d fight until every white man was dead.” As a result, they tried to arrest him. But in the struggle, they bayoneted him and he died.

1880s-1890s

May 6, 1882: Congress passed the first Chinese Exclusion Act. The law barred Chinese laborers from entering the U.S. for the next 10 years. It also denied citizenship to those already here. Congress extended the Act in 1902, and again in 1904. As a result, Chinese immigration was effectively shut down for the next 60 years.

Racists anti-Irish cartoon published after the Phoenix Park Massacre, May 6, 1882 — _{Racist cartoon of Irish monster, Punch Magazine. By John Tenniel. Pub Dom}

Today in Labor History May 6, 1882: Fenian assassins killed Thomas Henry Burke and Lord Frederick Cavendish in Phoenix Park, Dublin.

Today in Labor History May 6-10, 1898: Bread riots occurred in Milano, Italy. They lasted four days. Soldiers shot at the crowd, killing at least 80 civilians and wounded 450.

1900s-1910s

May 6, 1902: Bret Harte, American author and poet, died on this day.

Today in Labor History May 6, 1915: Orson Welles, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter was born on this day.

May 6, 1916: IWW marine workers won a wage increase after striking in New York City.

1930s

Today in Labor History May 6, 1935: President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed Executive Order 7034, providing $4.8 billion for the Works Progress Administration. As a result, he was able to create millions of jobs building bridges, repairing roads and restoring wetlands.

May 6, 1937: Four hundred black women tobacco stemmers walked off the job at the Vaughan Co. in Richmond, Virginia. It was a spontaneous revolt against poor working conditions and a $3 weekly wage.

1940s

John Steinbeck, 1939. — _{Steinbeck, 1939. By McFadden Publications, Inc. Pub Dom}

Today in Writing History May 6, 1940: John Steinbeck won the Pulitzer Prize for “The Grapes of Wrath.” In 1962, he won the Nobel Prize for Literature.

May 6, 1942; Ariel Dorfman, Argentinian author, playwright, and academic was born.

1960s

Today in Labor History May 6, 1960: In Birmingham, Alabama, police arrested 1000 children and adults. Arrestees included Ella Baker, Dave Dellinger, James Forman, Dick Gregory and Joan Baez. Eisenhower ordered the Alabama National Guard to be placed under Federal control.

May 6, 1968: The Paris uprising was now in full swing. Students shut down Parisian Universities. Demonstrations broke out with violent confrontations with the police. The ‘Nanterre 8’ passed through a police cordon singing the ‘Internationale,’ on their way to appear before the University Discipline Committee. However, when students returned from their discipline hearings, the police savagely attacked them. In response, students started ripping up paving stones and flipping cars to form barricades. The police wounded over 900 people and arrested 422.

1970s

Student protests erupted across the country in the days following the Kent State Massacre. — CC-2.0

Today in Labor History May 6-20, 1970: Students struck across the U.S. 1-4 million students participated, disrupting 448 U.S. colleges. There were 1,200 demonstrations against sending troops to Cambodia. 75 campuses remained closed for the rest of the school year.

Today in Labor History May 6, 1973; The FBI attacked Native Americans at Wounded Knee. — _{AIM flag. By Tripodero – Own work, CC0}

May 6, 1973; The FBI attacked Native Americans at Wounded Knee. On February 27, FBI and U.S. marshals surrounded the town of Wounded Knee. Members of the American Indian Movement (AIM) had gone there for a meeting, but were immediately locked in by FBI. Members who tried to leave were arrested. They were opposing the autocratic and corrupt rule of Oglala Tribal Chairman Dick Wilson. Throughout the 3 months of occupation, gunfire was repeatedly traded between the two sides.