Labor History in 2:00

On this day in Labor History the year was 1860. That was the day that Abraham Lincoln was elected sixteenth President of the United States. When Lincoln came to office the nation was deeply divided on the question of slavery. By December 20, South Carolina had seceded from the United States.  

On this day in Labor History the year was 1855. That was the day that Eugene Debs was born in Terre Haute, Indiana.  Debs was forced to leave school when he was just fourteen.  He worked as a railroad fireman.  

Got milk?  If you lived in Neillsville, Wisconsin the answer might have been NO. On this day in labor history the year was 1933.  Wisconsin is known as the dairy state.

On this day in Labor History the year was 1921. That was the day the New York Times headline proclaimed:  “Striker Rioting All Over the City, Dump Thousands of Gallons of Milk; Hylan Threatens to Seize plants.”  Hylan referred to New York City Mayor John Francis Hylan.  

On this day in Labor History the year was 1928. That was the day that police shot at protesting union workers at Prince’s Pier in Melbourne Australia. Three union workers were injured, one fatally. 

On this day in Labor History the year was 1835. That was the day that workers in Philadelphia organized what was the first general strike in North America. There call was for a ten-hour workday. 

On this day in Labor History the year was 1941. That was the day that the completed Mount Rushmore monument was dedicated in the Black Hills of South Dakota. The monument portrays massive sculptures of U.S. Presidents George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, and Theodore Roosevelt hewn into the side of a mountain.  

On this day in Labor History the year was 1986. That was the day that Edward Meese, gave a speech to the US Chamber of Commerce. Meese was serving as Attorney General under President Ronald Reagan. During the speech, Meese encouraged bosses to spy on their employees, in order to determine if they were using drugs.  

On this day in Labor History the year was 1929. That bleak day is now known as “Black Tuesday,” the day of the Stock Market crash that marked the start of the Great Depression. During the optimistic Roaring Twenties investments in the Stock Market soared.  

On this day in Labor History the year was 1965. That was the day that the St. Louis Gateway arch was completed in St. Louis. The project was the result of a nation-wide design competition.