Take a look at the following photographs. They come from the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire of 1911. The first looks unexceptional, perhaps. A building is on fire. But the second show the rest of the story—the bodies you see are young women who had to jump from the building to escape the flames. This is […]
Category: Labor History
Killing For Coal – Rob’s Review
The book Killing for Coal is a nonfiction work by Colorado historian Thomas Andrews. It bills itself as the story of America’s deadliest labor war. Killing for Coal qualifies as environmental history and seeks to explain the causes of the 1914 Ludlow Massacre. The Ludlow Massacre will feature in an upcoming novel of mine, so […]
Labor Day, the Ugly Duckling of American Holidays
On holidays, especially ones like Memorial Day and Veterans Day, I see Facebook filled with memes and statements honoring soldiers and their sacrifices. Which is fine. I appreciate their sacrifices, too. But have you ever seen one asking people to honor the sacrifices of the labor movement on Labor Day? I’ll bet not. And if […]