Industry and Labor
The 18th Century
Journal Entry of Mr. Patrick Kennedy, 1773
- This journal entry tracks Mr. Kennedy's expeditions into the head water of the Illinois River in search of a copper mine.
- Citation: Hutchins, Thomas. "A Topographical Description of Virginia, Pennsylvania, Maryland, and North Carolina: Reprinted from the Original Edition of 1778." ed. by Frederick Charles Hicks. Cleveland, OH: The Arthur H. Clark Company, 1904.
The 19th Century
The Late 19th Century
Invitation to a Southern Commercial Convention, 16 August 1869 / Typed Transcription
- Citation: Bailey, Robert E. and Elaine Shemoney Evans. Early Chicago, 1833-1871 A Selection of City Council Proceedings Files. Springfield: Illinois State Archives, 1999. Used by permission of the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency.
Request for the Sale of Brick and Iron from Burned Public Buildings, 23 October 1871 / Typed Transcription
- Citation: Bailey, Robert E. and Elaine Shemoney Evans. Early Chicago, 1833-1871 A Selection of City Council Proceedings Files. Springfield: Illinois State Archives, 1999. Used by permission of the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency.
Law Concerning Warehouses, 1871
- This act regulated public warehouses and the housing and inspection of grain. It was considered to be part of the Grange Movement that became fairly influential after the Civil War. It is also connected with the Railroad and Warehouse Commission Act included on the Transportation page under the railroad section. It was approved on 25 April 1871.
- Citation: Gross, Eugene L. and William L. Gross. The Statutes of Illinois: An Analytical Digest of All the General Laws of the State in Force at the Present Time, Second Volume: Acts of 1871 and 1872. Springfield: E. L. & W. L. Gross, 1872.
Law Concerning Warehouses, 1873
- This act, passed two years later, revised the laws concerning the state’s regulation of warehouses passed in 1871. It was approved on 15 April 1873.
- Citation: Gross, William L., ed. The Statutes of Illinois: An Analytical Compliation of All the General Laws of the State in Force at the Present Time, Volume III: Acts of 1873-4. Riverside: H. O. Houghton & Company, 1874.
Petition of the Ellsworth Zouaves for Compensation for Services Rendered During the Labor Riots, 6 December 1877 / Typed Transcription
- This newspaper article describes complaints brought up by the city of Hyde Park against the Northwestern Fertilizer Company. The company had earlier been given legal permission to erect a factory in the vicinity that would convert animal waste products from Chicago’s meatpacking plants into fertilizer. After several years, however, no factory had been built, but the company continued to transport animal entrails and other waste products by train and dump them in the fields near the originally proposed site. Naturally, the pollution brought about by the abandoned waste raised the ire of Hyde Park’s citizens, who sought legal remonstrance.
- Citation: Chicago Daily Tribune, January 13, 1873, pg. 4.
Law Concerning Warehouses, 1873
- This act, passed two years later, revised the laws concerning the state’s regulation of warehouses passed in 1871. It was approved on 15 April 1873.
- Citation: Gross, William L., ed. The Statutes of Illinois: An Analytical Compliation of All the General Laws of the State in Force at the Present Time, Volume III: Acts of 1873-4. Riverside: H. O. Houghton & Company, 1874.
Law Concerning Warehouses, 1873
- This act, passed two years later, revised the laws concerning the state’s regulation of warehouses passed in 1871. It was approved on 15 April 1873.
- Citation: Gross, William L., ed. The Statutes of Illinois: An Analytical Compliation of All the General Laws of the State in Force at the Present Time, Volume III: Acts of 1873-4. Riverside: H. O. Houghton & Company, 1874.
Resolution to Investigate a Cigar Factory, 1 March 1880 / Typed Transcription
- Citation: Bailey, Robert E. and Elaine Shemoney Evans. From the Ashes, 1872-1900 A Selection of Documents from the Proceedings Files of the Chicago City Council. Springfield: Illinois State Archives, 1990. Used by permission of the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency.
Ordinance Concerning Child Labor, 6 September 1880 / Typed Transcription
- Citation: Bailey, Robert E. and Elaine Shemoney Evans. From the Ashes, 1872-1900 A Selection of Documents from the Proceedings Files of the Chicago City Council. Springfield: Illinois State Archives, 1990. Used by permission of the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency.
Mine Inspection Report, Bureau County, 1880 / Typed Transcription
- In 1879 county boards were required to appoint mine inspectors. These inspectors would visit coal mines to determine their health and safety as well as make notes of each mine’s physical, operational, and financial conditions. If a serious accident occurred the inspector would be called in to determine the cause of the situation and fines and prison terms could be imposed on mine operators who failed to observe safety requirements.
- Citation: Turnbaugh, Dr. Roy C. Jr. and Robert E. Bailey. Windows to the Past: A Selection of Illinois County Records from 1818 to 1880. Springfield: Illinois State Archives, 1985. Used by permission of the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency.
Petition from Labor Groups to Close City Offices on May 1 to Observe an Eight-Hour Demonstration, 19 April 1891 / Typed Transcription
- Citation: Bailey, Robert E. and Elaine Shemoney Evans. From the Ashes, 1872-1900 A Selection of Documents from the Proceedings Files of the Chicago City Council. Springfield: Illinois State Archives, 1990. Used by permission of the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency.
Memorial of the Chicago Teamsters Union No. 1 for the City to Contract Exclusively with Union Members, 6 February 1893 / Typed Transcription
- Citation: Bailey, Robert E. and Elaine Shemoney Evans. From the Ashes, 1872-1900 A Selection of Documents from the Proceedings Files of the Chicago City Council. Springfield: Illinois State Archives, 1990. Used by permission of the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency.
Haymarket Riot, 1886
"Revenge" Circular, 3-4 May 1886
- This circular hoped to arose the passions of workingmen against the police for violence that occurred the day before Haymarket.
- Citation: Michael J. Schaack. Anarchy and Anarchists. Chicago: F. J. Schulte & Company, 1889.
Call for the Haymarket Meeting, Version One, 4 May 1886
- The initial version of the Haymarket flyer featured the line "Workingmen Arm Yourselves and Appear in Full Force!"
- Citation: Michael J. Schaack. Anarchy and Anarchists. Chicago: F. J. Schulte & Company, 1889.
Call for the Haymarket Meeting, Version Two, 4 May 1886
The second version of the Haymarket flyer removed the line "Workingmen Arm Yourselves and Appear in Full Force!"
Citation: Michael J. Schaack. Anarchy and Anarchists. Chicago: F. J. Schulte & Company, 1889.
- Account of the battle between police and strikers at the McCormick Works.
- Newspaper article account of the events of the Haymarket Riot which emphasizes the violence of the confrontation.
Chicago Inter Ocean, 5 May 1886
- First-person newspaper article account of the events of the Haymarket Riot. The author blamed August Spies for inciting the riot.
Chicago Evening Journal, 5 May 1886
- Newspaper account of Inspector Bonfield meeting with striking freight-handlers. The workers pledged to denounce violent resistance.
- Newspaper article denouncing the Socialist agitators of the Haymarket Riot.
Chicago Inter Ocean, 6 May 1886
- Newspaper article account of a police raid on a beer saloon.
- Newspaper article account of the arrest of George Engel.
Chicago Inter Ocean, 8 May 1886
- Newspaper article account on the arrest of Rudolph Schauboldt and pursuit of Albert and Lucy Parsons.
- Newspaper article mocking the response of the Arbeiter Zeitung to the Haymarket Riot.
Chicago Daily News, 15 May 1886
- Newspaper article account of the violent arrest of Louis Lingg.
Excerpt from the Opening Address of State Attorney, 15 July 1886
- State Attorney Julius S. Grinnell led the prosecution in the trial resulting from the Haymarket Riot.
Excerpt of Writing by Michael Schwab, 1887
- Michael Schwab writes about the injustice of the trial and defends the anarchist point of view.
- Citation: Albert R. Parsons. Anarchism: Its Philosophy and Scientific Basis, as Defined by Some of Its Apostles. Chicago, 1887.
Drawing of the Suicide Attempt by Louis Lingg, 1887
- On 10 November 1887, Louis Lingg committed suicide by exploding a dynamite cap in his mouth, one day before Neebe, Fielden, and Schwab were hung.
- Citation: Michael J. Schaack. Anarchy and Anarchists. Chicago: F. J. Schulte & Company, 1889.
Excerpt of a Letter to The Alarm by Albert R. Parsons, 11 August 1888
- Parsons claimed to be innocent of any crime at Haymarket, but believed that his political and social opinions had led to his conviction during the trial.
Communication from the Trade and Labor Assembly Concerning Compulsory Education, 16 December 1888 / Typed Transcription
- Citation: Bailey, Robert E. and Elaine Shemoney Evans. From the Ashes, 1872-1900 A Selection of Documents from the Proceedings Files of the Chicago City Council. Springfield: Illinois State Archives, 1990. Used by permission of the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency.
Collage of Drawings of Weapons Related to Louis Lingg, 1889
- Drawings detailing equipment related to Louis Lingg.
- Citation: Michael J. Schaack. Anarchy and Anarchists. Chicago: F. J. Schulte & Company, 1889.
Diagram of Haymarket Area, 1889
- Drawing shows where the bomb was thrown, where the bomb exploded, and Zepf's Hall.
- Citation: Lucy E. Parsons. Life of Albert Parsons with Brief History of the Labor Movement in America. Chicago: Mrs. Lucy E. Parsons, 1889.
Drawing of Police Arriving at Haymarket, Version One, 1889
- The police arrive at Haymarket in a loosely organized formation.
- Citation: Lucy E. Parsons. Life of Albert Parsons with Brief History of the Labor Movement in America. Chicago: Mrs. Lucy E. Parsons, 1889.
Drawing of Police Arriving at Haymarket, Version Two, 1889
- The police arrive at Haymarket in a tightly organized formation.
- Citation: Michael J. Schaack. Anarchy and Anarchists. Chicago: F. J. Schulte & Company, 1889.
Communication from the Illinois Woman's Alliance Concerning Child Labor, 16 April 1890 / Typed Transcription
- Citation: Bailey, Robert E. and Elaine Shemoney Evans. From the Ashes, 1872-1900 A Selection of Documents from the Proceedings Files of the Chicago City Council. Springfield: Illinois State Archives, 1990. Used by permission of the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency.
Excerpt from Thirty Years of Labor, 1859-1889 by Terence V. Powderly, 1890 (link)
- Powderly, the leader of the Knights of Labor, addresses the issue of extremists in the labor movement. The section relevant to the Haymarket lesson plan is on pages 553-554; from the last paragraph on page 553 beginning "Our greatest trouble..." until "...had been performed" on page 554.
- Source: http://books.google.com
Excerpt from Seventy Years of Life and Labor by Samuel Gompers, 1925
- Samuel Gompers, the leader of the AFL-CIO, remembers the Haymarket incident and trial. If using the Haymarket Lesson Plan, note pages 178-9 until the block quote, the paragraph that bridges pages 180-181, and the first paragraph of page 182. The Past Tracker copyright license for this document is six months; it will remain posted until 13 June 2008.
- Credit: From SEVENTY YEARS OF LIFE AND LABOR by Samuel Gompers, copyright 1925 by Samuel Gompers, renewed (c) 1953 by Gertrude Gleaves Gompers. Used by permission of Dutton, a division of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.
- For online information about other Penguin Group (USA) books and authors, see the Internet website at: http://www.penguin.com
Virden Mine Conflict, 1898
"Wanted! 175 Colored Miners!" Flyer, 1898
- Flyer created by the owners of the Chicago-Virden Coal Company, in Virden, IL, which was distributed in Birmingham, Alabama, to advertise jobs for African-American miners in the Virden mine. The labor dispute occurring at Virden is not mentioned in the flier. When the African-American miners arrived via train, a shoot-out took place between the Illinois miners and hired guards on the train. This document is cross-referenced with the African-Americans and Race Relations page.
- Credit: This image is courtesy of Dr. Rosemary Feurer, professor of history at Northern Illinois University.
"Battle to the Death at Virden," 13 October 1898
- This Chicago Tribune article lists the casualties at Virden, gives an account of the battle, and notes the arrival of troops.
- Citation: Chicago Tribune, 13 October 1898.
"Aiding the Virden Miners," 15 October 1898
- This New York Times article gives an account of Wednesday's battle and notes that the company might try to bring the African-American miners in again.
- Citation: New York Times, 15 October 1898.
Coal Report Illinois, 1898 / Summary by page
- This 17-page report describes the state of Illinois' assessment of the labor problems plaguing mines and the condition of the mining industry. View the Summary by page link for a breakdown of the document.
- Citation: Seventeenth Annual Report of the State Bureau of Labor Statistics Concerning Coal in Illinois 1898 Containing the Fifteenth Annual Reports of the State Inspectors of Mines. Springfield: Phillips Bros., State Printers, 1899.
The 20th Century
The Early 20th Century
Ordinance Concerning Work Hours and Wages, 19 February 1900 / Typed Transcription
- Citation: Bailey, Robert E. and Elaine Shemoney Evans. From the Ashes, 1872-1900 A Selection of Documents from the Proceedings Files of the Chicago City Council. Springfield: Illinois State Archives, 1990. Used by permission of the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency.
The Jungle by Upton Sinclair: Packinghouse Tour, 1906
- Upton Sinclair's "muckraking" novel, published in 1906, exposed the appalling conditions in the meatpacking industry. The public outcry pushed the United States government to pass the Pure Food and Drug Act of 1906, which established the Food and Drug Administration. The Jungle tells the tale of Lithuanian immigrant Jurgis, who comes to live and work in the "jungle" of the Chicago stockyards. In this excerpt, Jurgis tours the facilities of a Packinghouse.
- Citation: Upton Sinclair. The Jungle. New York: Grosset & Dunlap, 1906.
The Jungle by Upton Sinclair: Pollution, 1906
- Incredible pollution was caused by the stockyards. This paragraph describes "Bubbly Creek," used as drainage for the grease and chemicals produced by the packinghouses.
- Citation: Upton Sinclair. The Jungle. New York: Grosset & Dunlap, 1906.
The Jungle by Upton Sinclair: Inspections, 1906
- The United States laws and the corrupt management of the packinghouses contributed to the packing and selling of tainted meat. This passage describes both contributors to the unsanitary food eaten by Americans, and particularly by residents of Illinois.
- Citation: Upton Sinclair. The Jungle. New York: Grosset & Dunlap, 1906.
The Jungle by Upton Sinclair: Fertilizer Plant, 1906
- Jurgis is reduced to taking the worst job in Packingtown - the fertilizer plant. Waste products were processed into fertilizer here, and thus all parts of the animals were used. Working conditions were especially terrible in the fertilizer plant, as Jurgis soon learns.
- Citation: Upton Sinclair. The Jungle. New York: Grosset & Dunlap, 1906.
The Jungle by Upton Sinclair: Pickling and Sausage, 1906
- This is one of The Jungle's famously nauseating passages, describing the methods used to pickle meat and make sausage.
- Citation: Upton Sinclair. The Jungle. New York: Grosset & Dunlap, 1906.
Mother Jones on Employee Picnics, 7 August 1915
- "Mother" Mary Harris Jones advocated for workers' rights all over the United States in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. She worked in Chicago as a seamstress and is buried in Mt. Olive, Illinois. This is her commentary on Chicago electric manufacturers forcing employees to attend a picnic in their honor - on their own dime. This excerpt is from a speech she delivered at Pittsburg, Kansas, on 7 August 1915.
- Citation: Mary Harris Jones. Speech at a public meeting in the Labor Temple, Pittsburg, Kansas. 7 August 1915. Printed copy in the Western History Collection, Denver Public Library.
Mother Jones and Illinois Children, 20 January 1916
- "Mother" Mary Harris Jones was also known for her concern for children's rights. In this speech, Jones commented on working children, child abuse, and juvenile incarceration in Chicago and Illinois. This is an excerpt from a speech she delivered in Indianapolis, Indiana, on 20 January 1916. This document is also featured on the Children and Family page.
- Citation: Mary Harris Jones. Speech at a convention of the United Mine Workers of America, Indianapolis, Indiana. 20 January 1916. Published in UMWA Proceedings (Indianapolis: Bookwalter-Ball Printing Co., 1916), pp. 311-18.
World War I
"Arrests Foil I.W.W. Slacker Plot in Mills," 12 October 1918
- Congress and President Wilson passed the Sedition Act in 1918, which criminalized written or spoken statements which could be construed as condemning the government or advocating interference with the war effort. This article, published in the Chicago Tribune on 12 October 1918, describes the arrest of two men accused of leading the International Workers of the World (an anarchist labor organization) in a plot to spread opposition of the war and support for German among the steel workers of Joliet. This document is cross-listed on the War and the Military and Immigration and Naturalization pages.
- Citation: Chicago Tribune, 12 October 1918.
"Debs' Sentence Confirmed by Supreme Court," 11 March 1919
- In 1917, Congress and President Wilson passed the Espionage Act, prohibiting spying, interfering with the draft, and making "false statements" that might impede military success. Eugene V. Debs, leader of the Socialist Party and five-time candidate for President in the early 20th century, was convicted under the Espionage Act for statements he made in June 1918, which allegedly obstructed recruitment and enlistment in the armed forces. Debs remained imprisoned until 1921, when he was pardoned by President Harding. This document is cross-listed on the War and the Military page.
- Citation: Chicago Tribune. 11 March 1919.
The Roaring Twenties
"A Special Request to the Miners of Mt. Olive, Illinois," 12 November 1923
- "Mother" Mary Harris Jones made Mt. Olive, the burial place of the miners killed at the 1898 "Virden massacre," a favorite stopping place during her time as a labor organizer in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. She admired these martyrs of labor so much that she requested to be buried with them. In this, her request to buried at the Union Miners Cemetery in Mt. Oliver, Mother Jones calls Illinois "the best organized labor state in America."
- Citation: Macoupin County Misc. Records, Vol. 332, p. 292.
The Great Depression
- Citation: Bailey, Robert and Elaine Shemoney Evans. Hard Times In Illinois: 1930-1940. Springfield: Illinois State Archives, 2002. Used by permission of the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency.
Letter From the Moweaqua Coal Corporation Concerning Operations, 28 July 1932
- The Moweaqua Coal Corporation requested financial aid from the state of Illinois. The governor at the time, L. L. Emmerson, suggested contacting the U.S. Reconstruction Finance Corporation to see about qualification for the federal aid application.
- Citation: Bailey, Robert and Elaine Shemoney Evans. Hard Times In Illinois: 1930-1940. Springfield: Illinois State Archives, 2002. Used by permission of the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency.
Letter Concerning the Depressed Livestock Industry, 5 March 1935
- The Great Depression caused many businesses to have to downsize, reduce wages, and sometimes close. The livestock industry was no exception.
- Citation: Bailey, Robert and Elaine Shemoney Evans. Hard Times In Illinois: 1930-1940. Springfield: Illinois State Archives, 2002. Used by permission of the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency.
Boys-Are You Interested in a Job?, WPA Poster, 1936-37
- This is a poster for the Illinois branch of the National Youth Administration (NYA) promoting educational opportunities for young men seeking training for employment. It shows a young man admiring his work.
- Citation: “Boys – Are You Interested in a Job?: Find Out What an Occupation Has to Offer You in Pay, Employment, Security, and Promotion: Free Classes in Occupations,” Illinois: Federal Art Project, 1936-1937, accessed through "By the People, For the People: Posters from the WPA, 1936-1943." Prints and Photographs Division, Library of Congress. http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/wpaposters/.
Girls-Are You Interested in a Job? WPA Poster, 1936-37
- This poster advertises for the Illinois branch of the National Youth Administration (NYA) promoting educational opportunities for young women seeking training for employment. It depicts four women engaged in various job pursuits.
- Citation: “Girls – Are You Interested in a Job?: Find Out What an Occupation Has to Offer You in Pay, Employment, Security, and Promotion: Free Classes in Occupations,” Illinois: Federal Art Project, 1936-1937, accessed through "By the People, For the People: Posters from the WPA, 1936-1943." Prints and Photographs Division, Library of Congress. http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/wpaposters/.
Careers Ahead, WPA Poster, 1936-39
- This poster, designed by Beard, promotes career opportunities in drafting and design. It shows drafting tools and an abstract design.
- Citation: “Careers Ahead / Beard,” Illinois: Federal Art Project, 1936-1939, accessed through "By the People, For the People: Posters from the WPA, 1936-1943." Prints and Photographs Division, Library of Congress. http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/wpaposters/.
Jobs for Girls & Women, WPA Poster, 1936-41
- Designed by Albert M. Bender, this poster for the Illinois State Employment Service promotes jobs for women as domestics offering "good pay, good meals, good surroundings, [and] good working conditions." It depicts a smiling woman washing dishes.
- Citation: “Jobs for Girls & Women: If You Want a Good Job in Household Employment Apply at – or Write to Illinois State Employment Service,” Chicago: Illinois WPA Art Project, 1936-1941, accessed through "By the People, For the People: Posters from the WPA, 1936-1943." Prints and Photographs Division, Library of Congress. http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/wpaposters/.
- Edward Parker was arrested after leading a group to occupy the local relief office in Cairo, Illinois. His decision to occupy the office was due to the fact that relief workers, who helped build the levee on the Ohio River to block from flooding the city, had not been paid after two months.
- Citation: Bailey, Robert and Elaine Shemoney Evans. Hard Times In Illinois: 1930-1940. Springfield: Illinois State Archives, 2002. Used by permission of the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency.
Ready to Serve - Trained Efficient Workers, WPA Poster, 1939
- Designed by Cleo Sara, this poster for the Household Service Demonstration Project, shows a maid carrying a tray.
- Citation: “Ready to Serve – Trained, Efficient Workers – Household Service Demonstration Project, W.P.A. / Cleo,” Chicago: Federal Art Project, 1939, accessed through "By the People, For the People: Posters from the WPA, 1936-1943." Prints and Photographs Division, Library of Congress. http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/wpaposters/.
Workers Service Program, WPA Poster, 1941
- This poster for the Workers Service Program in Rockford juxtaposes factories and farm buildings.
- Citation: “Workers Service Program … Rockford, Illinois,” Chicago: Illinois WPA Art Project, 1941, accessed through "By the People, For the People: Posters from the WPA, 1936-1943." Prints and Photographs Division, Library of Congress. http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/wpaposters/.
A Young Man's Opportunity, WPA Poster, 1941
- Designed by Albert M. Bender, this poster promotes the U.S. Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) through the Illinois Emergency Relief Commission. It shows a young man with a pickaxe.
- Citation: “A Young Man’s Opportunity for Work, Play, Study & Health / Bender,” Chicago: Illinois WPA Art Project, 1941, accessed through "By the People, For the People: Posters from the WPA, 1936-1943." Prints and Photographs Division, Library of Congress. http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/wpaposters/.
Jobs - Get the Facts About Occupations, WPA Poster, 1941
- This poster for the National Youth Administration (NYA) of Illinois promotes free job training classes. It shows a young woman holding books and a young man holding machine parts, with factories and a city skyline below.
- Citation: “Jobs – Get the Facts About Occupations – Free Classes for Young Men and Women 16 to 25 Yrs. – National Youth Administration of Illinois / Dusek,” Illinois: Federal Art Project, 1941, accessed through "By the People, For the People: Posters from the WPA, 1936-1943." Prints and Photographs Division, Library of Congress. http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/wpaposters/.
World War II
Mechanic's Suit Description and Illustration, 1942
- Citation: Bailey, Robert E. and Elaine Shemoney Evans. Illinois at War, 1941-1945. Springfield: Illinois State Archives, 1994. Used by permission of the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency.
