Essay On The Haymarket Riot

The Haymarket riot made a big impact all around the world. It drove people to distrust the labor Unions, but also violated the rights of men who were turned into martyrs by the government. This event caused much controversy, and is still argued about passionately to this day. During that time, there was also controversy over the labor unions. Many argued that they were “unAmerican” and unnecessary although the unions did ultimately reach their goals and are still helpful today.
During the peaceful public meeting at Haystack, a bomb was went sailing towards a group of police monitoring the rally. In return, the police attacked the crowd without any knowledge of who did the crime. After the riot, 8 men were put on trial for the bombing. Although
Citizens looked at the riot and said it as an act of violence against public order and “American Values.” In Tribune Newspaper, one article said that labor unions should spend less money on liquor and more on savings. This clearly shows how people were unwilling to work with the union or even take the time to really understand what they were fighting for. I think labor unions are not unAmerican. Anybody deserves to fight for what is right, and that’s what America is about- freedom and justice. Just because your view is unpopular, that doesn't mean it's wrong. The Corporations had so much power they would quickly lockout and blacklist the labor unions. Labor unions were 100% necessary in the 1800’s, and without them people could still be working long hours with low pay! I believe labor unions are still needed today, but this topic is controversial as well. For example, some people believe minimum wage should be higher, and others think people are just milking the system.
No matter what, there will be controversy about what happened at Haystack and whether we still need labor unions today. In fact, I believe there’s controversy to every big decision and fight we have to make. Overall, no matter what it is, we should keep fighting for what is