Step back to one of the key events in American labor history.
1/21/2002
On the evening of May 4, 1886, a bomb exploded at a labor protest rally in Chicago, Illinois, killing several policemen. Known as the 'Haymarket Affair,' this event marked the culmination of the growing tension and escalating violence between business owners and labor that characterized late-nineteenth-century American business and industry. Northwestern University and the Chicago Historical Society have collaborated to produce a fascinating Web site, "The Drama of Haymarket," that focuses on the causes and results of this key event including lengthy historical essays accompanied by drawings, manuscripts, artifacts, and other materials from the extensive Haymarket collection held at the Chicago Historical Society. To further draw the viewer into the feeling and drama of the time, the site offers many special features including virtual tours of the Haymarket area, and period labor songs.