Wednesday, July 11, 2012

Today in Labor History—July 11


13th Century Illustration of the Battle of the Spurs
July 11, 1302 – Flemish weavers defeated the Flemish cavalry and the French in the Battle of the Spurs (the Battle of Kortrijk). The French were attempting to subdue the County of Flanders. The French had kidnapped the Count of Flanders, angering members of the Flemish guilds. In response, the citizens of Bruges went on to murder every Frenchmen they could find. (From the Daily Bleed and Wikipedia)

July 11, 1892Frisco Mine was dynamited by striking Coeur D’Alene miners after they discovered they had been infiltrated by Pinkertons and after one of their members had been shot. Prior to this, the mine owners had increased work hours, decreased pay and brought in a bunch of scabs to replace striking workers. Ultimately, over 600 striking miners were imprisoned without charge by the military in order to crush the strike. (Sources: Wikipedia, Fire in the Hole, and the Daily Bleed)

July 11, 1905 – The Niagara Movement, (precursor to the NAACP), was founded on this date. W.E.B. Du Bois was among its founders. (From the Daily Bleed)
(Image from the Daily Bleed)
(Image from the Daily Bleed)
 July 11, 1917 – The Bisbee deportation began on this date, with vigilantes and goons forcibly shipping over 1,200 striking members of the IWW (Industrial Workers of the World) from Bisbee into the Sonoran desert. One IWW member (Wobbly), James Brew, was killed in the deportation today. (From the Daily Bleed)

July 11, 1947 – Eight black prisoners were killed in Brunswick, Georgia, for refusing to work in a snake infested swamp without boots. (From the Daily Bleed)

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