Today in Labor History May 31

1810s

_{Whitman and Peter Doyle, one of the men with whom Whitman was believed to have had an intimate relationship. By M. P. Rice. Pub Dom}

Today in Labor History May 31, 1819: Poet Walt Whitman was born. Whitman published his first and most famous collection of poems, Leaves of Grass, in 1855, using his own money. Critics called it obscene for its sensuality (and probably also because of the rumors of his homosexuality). Indeed, many believe Whitman was gay or bisexual, based on his writings. However, some historians disputed this claim. Oscar Wilde met Whitman in 1882. He told homosexual-rights activist George Cecil Ives that Whitman’s sexual orientation was beyond question. “I have the kiss of Walt Whitman still on my lips.” Whitman has been called Americas first and greatest poet. He inspired many who came after him, including Ezra Pound, Langston Hughes, Kerouac, Ginsberg, Ferlinghetti, Gary Snyder and June Jordan.

1830s

_{Scene at Bossenden Wood drawn by an eyewitness, expressly for the Penny Satirist. Pub Dom}

Today in Labor History May 31, 1838: Kentish peasants clashed with British troops in the Battle of Bosendon Wood. Sir William Courtenay led the uprising. Courtenay built up a large local following in the previous four years with his millenarian preaching and demonstrations against the New Poor Law of 1834. On May 29, 1838, he led a march through town, with a loaf of bread on a pole (a local symbol of protest). They continued protesting for the next two days, alarming the town’s wealthy elites. When the authorities tried to arrest Courtenay, he shot and killed a constable. The authorities quickly mustered a small army. Courtenay had a gun and a sword, but his followers had only sticks. Courtenay managed to kill a Lieutenant in the ensuing battle, but was promptly killed by other soldiers, who also killed eight of his followers.

Johnstown Flood

_{1889 view of debris field; the Stone Bridge is at left center. By Langill & Darling. Pub Dom}

_{View of lower Johnstown three days after the flood. By NPS Photo. Pub Dom}

Today in Labor History May 31, 1889: The Johnstown Flood. 2,209 people died when a dam holding back a private resort lake burst upstream from Johnstown, Pennsylvania. It was the deadliest U.S. disaster to date. Bodies were found as far away as Cincinnati. It caused $17 million of damage (about $490 million in 2020 dollars).

_{House skewered by a huge tree. Pub Dom}

Wealthy industrialists, like Andrew Carnegie and Henry Clay Frick owned and patronized the resort. They had built cottages and a clubhouse and created the South Fork Fishing and Hunting Club, an exclusive and private mountain retreat. They had also lowered the dam to build a road across it and installed a fish screen in the spillway that tended to trap debris. Investigators believe these alterations contributed to the disaster. Yet none of the members of the South Fork Fishing and Hunting Club were found guilty of any crimes. Furthermore, survivors repeatedly lost court cases in their attempts to recover damages due to the club members’ wealth and expensive legal team. However, public outrage did prompt changes in American law leading to one of strict liability in future cases.

Two Attempts at Regicide Exactly Two Years Apart

_{The bombing. By Eugenio Mesonero Romanos. First published in Blanco y Negro. Pub Dom}

Today in Labor History May 31, 1905: The Spanish anarchist Alexander Farras threw a bomb into a procession headed by French President Loubet and the King Alphonso XIII of Spain. The leaders were not hurt, though several people were wounded. Farras was never caught. Four other anarchists were arrested, tried and acquitted. Then, the following year, again on May 31, anarchist Mateo Morral made another attempt on King Alphonso XIII. He hid a bomb in a bunch of flowers and threw it at the King during his royal wedding. Because he worked in Modern School’s publishing house and was a friend of Francisco Ferrer (the founder of the first Modern Schools), Ferrer was later arrested and imprisoned as an accomplice.

IWW Dockers

Today in Labor History May 31, 1913: The IWW Marine Transport Workers strike against United Fruit ships in New Orleans spread up the Atlantic coast. The Sailors Union of the Atlantic (AFL) joined them in New Orleans. On June 13, 1913, police officers and private security guards opened fire on the strikers, killing two and wounding several.

Tulsa Race Riot

_{Smoldering ruins of African-American homes following the massacre. By Alvin C. Krupnick Co. – LOC, Public Domain}

Today in Labor History May 31, 1921: The Tulsa Race Riot. From May 31 through June 1, deputized whites killed more than 300 African Americans in the worst race riot in U.S. history. The violence began in response to a false report in the Tulsa Tribune accusing a black man of attacking a white girl in an elevator. The headline made the front page. However, there was an accompanying editorial that called for a lynching. White Tulsans went to the African American community of Greenwood (the Black Wall Street) and started shooting black people. They looted and burned 40 square blocks, destroying over 1,400 African American homes, hospitals, schools, and churches. Ten thousand became homeless and had to spend the winter of 1921 living in tents.

_{Homes and businesses burned in Greenwood. By evening public ledger. Pub Dom}

Many African American residents fought back, including veterans of World War One. This attempt at self-preservation prompted the deputized whites and National Guardsmen to arrest 6,000 black residents. Furthermore, they bombarded the community from the air in what was likely the first aerial bombardment of mainland U.S. residents. At least a dozen planes, some carrying police, circled the community and dropped burning balls of turpentine. They also shot at residents from the air. Many of the whites were members of the Klan, such as W. Tate Brady, who had also participated in the tarring and feathering of members of the Industrial Workers of the World in 1917.

1920s-1940s: More Klan, More Racism

Today in Labor History May 31, 1927: Fred Trump, father Donald Trump, was arrested at a Ku Klux Klan rally in Queens, New York. The Long Island Daily Press reported that all the arrestees, including Trump, were wearing Klan robes. During his presidential campaign, Journalists asked Donald Trump about his father’s arrest. He claimed “it never happened.”

Today in Labor History May 31, 1943: 25,000 white autoworkers walked off the job at a Detroit Packard Motor Car Company plant when three black workers were allowed to work on a previously all-white assembly line. The company gave in to the racist demands and relocated the black workers.

1960s

Today in Labor History May 31, 1961: A U.S. sponsored coup in the Dominican Republic led to the killing of Dictator Rafael Leónidas Trujillo. Dominicans then voted in Juan Bosch, who incensed the military and the ruling elite by refusing to buy military airplanes, announcing agrarian reforms, legalizing divorce, and increasing workers’ wages. Within seven months there was another coup by Generals Imbert and Wessin y Wessin. Both were alumni from School of the Americas.

Today in Labor History May 31, 1968: Student protests occurred in Vienna, Denmark and Buenos Aires. Thousands of students went on strike in Brazil on June 6, followed by protests in Geneva and Turkey.

1980s-1990s

Today in Labor History May 31, 1986: The Tiananmen Square demonstration entered its 18th day, with 100,000 filling the Square.

Today in Labor History May 31, 1997: Rose Will Monroe, popularly known as Rosie the Riveter, died in Clarksville, Indiana.

2000s-2010s

Today in Labor History May 31, 2000: Protesting teachers burned pamphlets at a fence around the Los Pinos presidential residence in Mexico City, as riot police tried to protect the building. Teachers throughout the country had been protesting for better wages and education reform since May 15.

_{The INS Nitzachon at Haifa naval base}

Today in Labor History May 31, 2010: Israeli commandos boarded the Gaza Freedom Flotilla while it was in international waters and killed nine Turkish civilians.