Haymarket Memorial - Haymarket Massacre Monument

As one of three monuments in the city that honor the Haymarket Affair of May 4, 1886, this bronze figurative group memorializes one of labor history's most tragic moments. Found at the corner of Randolph and Desplaines Streets, the monument marks the spot where a crowd of policemen and protesters were bombed by an unknown individuals. Seven policemen died and many in the crowd were injured. Over the years, the site of the Haymarket bombing became a symbol and meeting place for a variety of groups involved in social and political activism. “Its significance touches on the issues of free speech, the right of public assembly, organized labor, the fight for the eight-hour workday, law enforcement, justice, anarchy, and the right of every human being to pursue an equitable and prosperous life.”

The Haymarket Affair is considered a watershed moment for American labor history, at a time when fears about the loyalties and activities of immigrants, anarchists, and laborers became linked in the minds of many Americans.

 On May 3, 1886, unarmed strikers clashed with police at Chicago’s McCormick Reaper Works factory. The deaths of six workers became a call for direct action, and a public rally was called for the following day to be held in Haymarket Square. Again, the police and the strikers clashed, but this time a bomb was thrown, resulting in the death of seven policemen and many in the crowd were injured. The police, uncertain about the source of the bomb, fired into the crowd, killing four of the demonstrators.

The identity of the bomb thrower is still a mystery, but eight men were indicted on charges of conspiracy to commit the act. All eight were convicted of the conspiracy charge even though it was understood none had made or thrown the bomb. August Spies, a German anarchist, laborer, and activist, and Albert Parsons, a socialist laborer, activist, and former Confederate soldier from Texas, had been among the fiery and well-known speakers at the rally. Spies and Parsons, along with Adolph Fischer and George Engel, were executed by hanging. Louis Lingg, the fifth condemned to die, managed to commit suicide while awaiting his sentence by biting down on a blasting cap in his cell. Three other defendants, Samuel Fielden, Oscar Neebe, and Michael Schwab, were sentenced to prison terms, but were pardoned in 1893.

http://www.chicagohistory.org/hadc/index.html