HAYMARKET CHICAGO 1886 LABOR MASSACRE TOKEN WITH PIECE OF THE BOMB EMBEDDED AS A RELIC.
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End Date:
Tuesday, July 30, 2024 9:00:00 PM (20 Minute Clock Begins At Tuesday, July 30, 2024 9:00:00 PM)
Item Description
1" brass w/fragment of the metal bomb casing inset on the reverse above an illustration of the deadly explosion w/text "Anarchist Bomb Exploded May 4, '86" on the rim edge. The opposite side reads "Souvenir Haymarket Massacre Chicago/Copyrighted." Light wear from limited use w/sharp details. Exc. The infamous labor event memorialized on this token ignited the first red scare in the US. Many workers suspected that agents of the notorious Pinkerton detective agency, known for its violent strikebreaking efforts, were responsible for the bombing. A subsequent trial of eight anarchists on charges of conspiracy, including August Spies, produced seven sentences of death by hanging. Spies last words were 'The Time Will Come When Our Silence Will Be More Powerful Than The Voices You Strangle Today.' No actual bomber was ever brought to trial and bomber's identity remains a mystery to this day. While the initial moments after the Haymarket Affair set the 8-hour-work movement back, in the face of repression, laborers united across nationalities and political backgrounds. The Knights Of Labor nearly doubled membership in the summer of 1886. By 1889 Samuel Gompers and the AFL rallied international support for a single day of demonstration for the 8-hour workday and chose May 1 in part to commemorate the workers who lost their lives at the Haymarket. One of three we've offered in our 57 years with the last exceeding $4,000.00.
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