Ludlow massacre

The Ludlow massacre was a violent reaction to a strike by Colorado miners in 1914. The miners were protesting dangerous conditions in the mines, in addition to low pay and maltreatment by management. They refused to work, and were evicted from company-owned housing. The union members set up tent towns around the mines in order to continue the strike.

The National Guard was called in to keep peace, but took the side of the mine owners. They surrounded and opened fire on the Ludlow camp, slaughtering the protesters. They then burned down the Ludlow camp, killing women and children hiding inside. Following the massacre, the Federal government sent soldiers to end the violence, and the strike ended.

Background

The Ludlow massacre was a part of the coalfield war of 1913–1914, a period during which violent conflict erupted between laborers and mine owners. It was borne from tensions between the laboring class and the wealthy that had been growing for decades. In the nineteenth century, American laborers began to organize into unions. Unions were large groups of workers that banded together to utilize collective bargaining tactics. If one worker at a company demanded a change, the company could easily replace that worker. However, if all of the workers united and demanded change, they could force the company to cease production until demands were met.

Large companies commonly opposed unions. If the laborers at a company managed to successfully form a union, it was likely that the company would have to pay for higher wages and increased safety standards. This reduced the amount that the company could profit from their labor.

The strike that resulted in the Ludlow massacre was inspired by numerous large protests that had taken place over the previous decades. These included the Great Upheaval of 1877, during which railroad workers spanning several states refused to work unless their employers were willing to meet their demands. Like the Ludlow massacre, this strike gradually devolved into violence. The Haymarket Riot followed in 1886, during which labor activist rioters threw a bomb at police officers, damaging relations between labor activists and the public. Other famous strikes included the Mine War in Idaho, during which unionized labor activists rioted against the mining company and the National Guard was needed to restore order; as well as the Pullman Strike of 1894, which severely disrupted railroad traffic across the Midwest.

Overview

After Colorado was industrialized in the late nineteenth century and early twentieth century, coal mining quickly grew into a massive industry that employed large numbers of Colorado citizens. People in Colorado consumed large amounts of coal each year, and the coal mining industry was both wealthy and powerful. Coal was utilized in heating homes and powering the construction, manufacturing, and railroad industries.

Mining coal was a difficult and dangerous endeavor. Coal miners commonly faced the risk of toxic fumes, explosions, and mine cave-ins. Additionally, they were expected to perform hard labor for long shifts in dark, cramped tunnels. Miners consistently lobbied their employers for better pay and safer working conditions, but were routinely denied. Colorado miners began to come together to use collective bargaining in the 1880s, and numerous small and large strikes took place over the coming decades. By the early twentieth century, an adversarial relationship had developed between the mining companies and their employees.

On September 13, 1913, roughly ten thousand Colorado miners went on strike. The miners belonged to the United Mine Workers of America, a powerful mining union. The United Mine Workers of America claimed that the mining conditions in Colorado were exceptionally unsafe, putting the lives of the miners at risk. They also argued that the average miner's pay was far too low for the difficulty and risk inherent in coal mining. By striking, meaning intentionally refusing to work, the mine employees were hurting the company's production until the company was willing to negotiate.

Many of the miners were housed in company-owned towns. In response to the strike, the miners were evicted from their homes. However, the miners were not willing to give up on the strike. Thousands of miners set up tent towns near the mines, continuing to interfere with the mine's functions. This irritated the mine company, which decided to hire new workers instead of negotiating with its former employees.

Both the mining company and the state government feared for the safety of the new employees, who would be labeled strike breakers for accepting the job. The state deployed the National Guard to the scene of the strike, escorting the new employees into the mine. Additionally, the mine owners paid detective agencies to harass and intimidate the striking miners. The National Guard took the side of the mine owners, and often chose to overlook the actions of the detective agencies.

By April 1914, maintaining a National Guard presence around the mine had grown expensive, and the number of soldiers stationed at the location was reduced. Violence in the area rapidly increased, and the National Guard began to encircle the tent camp. They quickly deployed a machine gun above the camp, which intimidated the strikers.

At some point, the National Guard opened fire on the union members, who then returned fire. However, the strikers were badly outmatched, and several union leaders were captured and killed. Many union members fled to the area surrounding the mines as they ran out of ammunition. The wives and children of the strikers hid in tents and in underground rooms. After the fighting union members had retreated, the National Guard set fire to the camp, killing several women and children. In total, twenty-five people were killed during the battle, including three National Guardsmen.

Union members all over the area were incensed by the Ludlow massacre, and retaliated with violence. Fifty more people died during reprisals for the National Guard's attack. President Woodrow Wilson sent impartial federal soldiers to restore peace, and both the unions and the mine owners returned to the negotiating table. A deal was struck, and the strike ended.

Bibliography

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