The Conspiracy of Equals
Today in Labor History May 28, 1797: French authorities executed proto-anarchist revolutionary Gracchus Babeuf. Babeuf formed a secret society, known as the Conspiracy of the Equals, that plotted to overthrow the revolutionary government, with one that was truer to Jacobin ideals. The group included Sylvain Maréchal, Jacques Roux, Jean Varlet and others. Throughout his life, Babeuf advocated for the poor and for the abolition of private property. He said “Society must be made to operate in such a way that it eradicates once and for all the desire of a man to become richer, or wiser, or more powerful than others.”
The Slave Revolt of Louis Delgres
May 28, 1802: 400 rebellious slaves, led by Louis Delgrès, blew themselves up in In Guadeloupe, rather than submit to Napoleon’s troops. Delgres had fought as an officer for Revolutionary France against Great Britain. The Jacobins had freed the slaves, but Napoleon threatened to reimpose slavery throughout the empire. During his resistance, the French army drove Delgrès and his followers into a fort. When they realized there was no escape, they committed suicide by igniting the gunpowder stores, attempting to kill as many French troops as possible in the process. Much later, the French built a memorial for him opposite that of Toussaint Louverture, the leader of the Haitian revolution. However, the true location of both men’s remains are a mystery.
1830s-1840s
Today in Labor History May 28, 1835: The Ladies Shoe Binders Society formed in New York. The following year, a similar society formed in Philadelphia. In 1860, 20,000 women shoe workers participated in one of the largest strikes to date.
Today in Writing History May 28, 1849: Author Anne Bronte died. She was the youngest, and possibly least famous of the Bronte sisters. She published her first novel, Agnes Grey, in 1847. Many consider her second novel, The Tenant of Wildfell Hall (1848), to be one of the first feminist novels. She died at age 29 of tuberculosis.
1870s-1900s
May 28, 1879: The First American law prohibiting employment of women was passed to prevent women from working in Illinois, in coal mines.
Today in Writing History May 28, 1908: Author Ian Fleming was born. Fleming is most famous for his James Bond novels. However, he also wrote the children’s classic Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.
1910s-1930s
May 28, 1912: Fifteen women were dismissed from their jobs at the Curtis Publishing Company in Philadelphia for dancing the Turkey Trot. They were on their lunch break, but management thought the dance too racy.
Today in Labor History May 28, 1926: The military launched a coup in Portugal to suppress the First Republic. This marked the beginning of 48 years of dictatorship.
May 28, 1937: Petroleum workers struck in Mexico.
Rochester General Strike
Today in Labor History May 28, 1946: A General Strike shut down Rochester, New York. At least 30,000 workers participated in support of municipal workers who had been fired for forming a union. In the days leading up to the General Strike, city workers picketed every DPW station in the city. Other workers refused to cross the picket lines. Garbage collection ceased. Both of the city’s labor councils united and voted to support the strikers. The struggle escalated when the city started arresting picketers. That’s when they called for a city-wide General Strike of all the city’s workers. The General Strike was so effective that officials reached a settlement with labor leaders that same night. They agreed to reinstate all fired workers and drop all legal charges against strikers. They also recognized the right of city workers to form unions.
1960s
May 28, 1967: Schoolteachers returned to work after a 6-day strike.
Today in Labor History May 28, 1968: Students occupied the University of Madrid (still under control of fascist dictator Francisco Franco). Cops raided the campus and removed the occupiers, and then shut down the University. At the time, all political parties had been banned, except the Falange. Franco had banned all protests and labor unions, too. Thousands had been rounded up and tortured, imprisoned or killed. Like much of the world at the time, a New Left movement had formed in Spain, though Spain’s was completely underground due to the repression of the dictatorship. Protests and demonstrations had been occurring for months. Most were met with violent repression and imprisonment.