Textile Workers’ Strike, Lawrence, Mass., 1912

William E. Trautmann Papers

abarker — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 16:35:34 -0400

A founding member and organizer for the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW), William Trautmann served as secretary-treasurer and on the first IWW executive board. As an IWW organizer, Mr. Trautmann led the 1909 McKees Rocks, Pa. Pressed Steel Car Company Strike and the Lawrence, Mass. textile workers strike of 1912. Mr. Trautmann’s papers include a portion of an unpublished autobiography manuscript describing his experiences with the IWW and his involvement in various factional disputes.

Mary Heaton Vorse Papers

drice — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 11:37:50 -0500

Literary manuscripts and related papers, correspondence, daily notes and journals, reference and research material, notes, clippings, pamphlets, personal and family papers, and memorabilia, collected by Mrs. Vorse, writer, labor journalist, and social critic of the U.S. She also covered strikes, civil and labor disturbances, wars, revolutions, and political upheavals in other parts of the world. From the textile strike in Lawrence, Massachusetts (1912) to the textile strike in Henderson, North Carolina (1959), her writings and activities include the International Women Suffrage Convention (1913); the IWW; child labor; Consumers League; the organization of the Provincetown Players (1915); mining strikes in Michigan and Minnesota (1916); the rise of Hitler; invasion of Poland; postwar conditions in Europe after both world wars; the Scottsboro case; the steel strikes of 1919 and 1936-37; organizational drive of the Amalgamated Clothing Workers (1920-21); the Sacco-Vanzetti case (1920); Palmer raids and criminal syndicalist cases (1921-23); textile strikes in Passaie (1926) and Gastonia (1929); Farmers Holiday Association (1932); migrant workers; automobile sit-down strikes (1936-37); UNRRA (1945-47); the Sinarquistas in Mexico (1949); crime on the New York-New Jersey waterfronts (1950-54). Correspondents include John Dewey, John DosPassos, Dave Dubinsky, John Edelman, Elizabeth Gurley Flynn, William 2. Foster, John F. Kennedy, John L. Lewis, Sinclair Lewis, Robert E. Peary, Walter Reuther, Theodore Roosevelt, Lincoln Steffens, and many other prominent persons in the labor, literary, and political fields.

The Lawrence Textile Strike

eclemens — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 14:18:57 -0500

January 2012 marks the 100th anniversary of a watershed moment in American labor history: the Lawrence Textile Strike. Commonly referred to as the "Bread and Roses Strike," workers fought to not only earn enough to feed their families, but to also be afforded basic human dignity. For this reason, many consider the event’s significance as a social revolution to be equally as important as its impact on working conditions. read more »

(396) Lawrence Strike, Strikers, 1912

eclemens — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 13:43:47 -0500

Textile mill workers and their supporters lead a demonstration down an unidentified street during the Lawrence Textile Strike.

(397) Lawrence Strike, Strikers, 1912

eclemens — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 11:12:46 -0500

A man carries a sign that reads "The Fight is on- Join the IWW and Stay with US" as a demonstration makes its way around the mills during the Lawrence Textile Strike.

(398) Lawrence Strike, Strikers, 1912

eclemens — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 13:56:18 -0500

Massachusetts State Militia (National Guardsmen), armed with fixed bayonets, confront striking textile workers during the Lawrence Textile Strike.

(4965) Lawrence Strike, State Militia, National Guard, 1912

eclemens — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 11:21:57 -0500

Changing of the guard at a silk mill during the Lawrence Textile Strike of 1912. According to a notation on the back of the photograph this happened "every two hours."

(4968) Lawrence Strike, Strikers, 1912

eclemens — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 10:45:16 -0500

Textile workers, mostly women and children, stand outside of an unidentified mill during the Lawrence Textile Strike.

(4979) Lawrence Strike, National Guard, 1912

eclemens — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 13:39:33 -0500

National Guardsmen, stationed in Lawrence, MA. during the Lawrence Textile Strike, gather for song during some down time.

(26674) Lawrence Strike, Children, Organizers, 1912

eclemens — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 11:07:41 -0500

From the back of the photograph: “These seven children are part of the party of thirteen who were sent by the Lawrence textile mill strikers to tell their side of the story to Congress. The tall man in the group is William “Bill” Haywood.”

(27804) Lawrence Strike, Strikers, 1912

eclemens — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 10:57:01 -0500

The back of the photograph reads: "Types of foreign girl strikers.”

Nearly half of the textile workers in Lawrence were women or children, many of whom were recent immigrants from areas such as Eastern Europe, Italy, Portrugal, Ireland, Germany, Syria and French Canada.

(27805) IWW, Lawrence Strike, Demonstration, Ettor, Giovannitti, 1912

eclemens — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 14:52:55 -0500

Demonstration at the trial of Ettor and Giovannitti. Women hold aloft newspapers whose headlines talk about the trial, including "Solidarity," "Il Proletario," "The Free Press," and "The National Rip-Saw." Location is assumed to be Lawrence, MA.