The Haymarket Square Riot & The Fight For Workers Rights

LESSON PLANS for this episode:

The story behind the Haymarket Square Riot and the Knights of Labor's rise and fall is explored in this episode. The labor movement in America and the fight for workers rights is taught to put the Haymarket Square Riot into context. It covers why workers were protesting, the demand for an eight hour work day and the right to unionize, and how at that protest, a bomb was thrown that killed seven police officers and injured many more. This led to a trial that found eight anarchists, mostly immigrants, guilty despite the lack of evidence they were to blame. However, the struggle for workers rights continued and students are left considering the importance of remembering Labor Day and what it has given us.

Like all History For Humans episodes, this teaches students in a way they understand and actually learn- through story and with visual supports for diverse learners.

For teachers and homeschool parents, I have resources that go with this lesson that include interactive notesheets, a quick quiz, and an extension lesson that has students analyze a series of primary sources looking for bias in how they present the events at the Haymarket