The Centralia Tragedy of 1919

The Centralia Tragedy of 1919 PDF Author: Tom Copeland
Publisher: University of Washington Press
ISBN: 0295800674
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 262

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Book Description
On November 11, 1919, the citizens of Centralia, Washington, gathered to watch former servicemen, local Boy Scouts, and other community groups march in the Armstice Day parade. When the marchers swung past the meeting hall of the Industrial Workers of the World, a group of veterans broke ranks, charged the hall, and were met by gunshots. Before the day was over, four of the marchers were dead and one of the Wobblies had been lynched by the mob. Through a wealth of newly available primary source material including previously sealed court documents, FBI records released under the Freedom of Information Act, and interviews with surviving witnesses, Tom Copeland has pieced together the events of that day and has traced the fate of the men who were accused and convicted of murdering the marchers. Copeland focuses on Elmer Smith, the local attorney who advised the Wobblies that they had the right to defend their hall against an anticipated attack. Although he never belonged to the IWW, Smith sympathized with their interests, championing the rights of working people, and speaking on their behalf. He was originally arrested with the Wobbles and then took up their cause in the courts, beginning a life-long struggle to free the men who were charged with murdering the Centralia marchers. Copeland recounts Smith’s disbarment and eventual reinstatement, his run for political office, his speeches throughout the Northwest, and his unyielding support for the workers’ cause. This book is a balanced treatment of the Centalia tragedy and its legal repercussions written by a practicing lawyer. It is also a compelling human drama, centering on the marginal life of an industrial frontier labor lawyer, a study of radical politics of the 1920s, and a depiction of conditions of life in the lumber camps and towns. It is thus biography as well as legal, political, and social history.

The Centralia Tragedy of 1919

The Centralia Tragedy of 1919 PDF Author: Tom Copeland
Publisher: University of Washington Press
ISBN: 0295800674
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 262

Get Book

Book Description
On November 11, 1919, the citizens of Centralia, Washington, gathered to watch former servicemen, local Boy Scouts, and other community groups march in the Armstice Day parade. When the marchers swung past the meeting hall of the Industrial Workers of the World, a group of veterans broke ranks, charged the hall, and were met by gunshots. Before the day was over, four of the marchers were dead and one of the Wobblies had been lynched by the mob. Through a wealth of newly available primary source material including previously sealed court documents, FBI records released under the Freedom of Information Act, and interviews with surviving witnesses, Tom Copeland has pieced together the events of that day and has traced the fate of the men who were accused and convicted of murdering the marchers. Copeland focuses on Elmer Smith, the local attorney who advised the Wobblies that they had the right to defend their hall against an anticipated attack. Although he never belonged to the IWW, Smith sympathized with their interests, championing the rights of working people, and speaking on their behalf. He was originally arrested with the Wobbles and then took up their cause in the courts, beginning a life-long struggle to free the men who were charged with murdering the Centralia marchers. Copeland recounts Smith’s disbarment and eventual reinstatement, his run for political office, his speeches throughout the Northwest, and his unyielding support for the workers’ cause. This book is a balanced treatment of the Centalia tragedy and its legal repercussions written by a practicing lawyer. It is also a compelling human drama, centering on the marginal life of an industrial frontier labor lawyer, a study of radical politics of the 1920s, and a depiction of conditions of life in the lumber camps and towns. It is thus biography as well as legal, political, and social history.

The Centralia Conspiracy

The Centralia Conspiracy PDF Author: Ralph Chaplin
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Centralia (Wash.)
Languages : en
Pages : 148

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The Centralia Case

The Centralia Case PDF Author: Federal Council of the Churches of Christ in America. Department of Research and Education
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Centralia (Wash.)
Languages : en
Pages : 58

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The Red Coast

The Red Coast PDF Author: Aaron Goings
Publisher:
ISBN: 9780870719684
Category : Labor movement
Languages : en
Pages : 236

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Book Description
"The Red Coast is a lively and readable informal history of the labor, left-wing, and progressive activists who lived, worked, and organized in southwest Washington State from the late nineteenth century until World War II. The book serves as a hidden history for a region frequently identified with conservatism, rescuing these working-class activists from obscurity and placing them at the center of southwest Washington's history."--Back cover.

The Seattle General Strike

The Seattle General Strike PDF Author: Robert L. Friedheim
Publisher: University of Washington Press
ISBN: 0295744618
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 288

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Book Description
�We are undertaking the most tremendous move ever made by LABOR in this country, a move which will lead�NO ONE KNOWS WHERE!� With these words echoing throughout the city, on February 6, 1919, 65,000 Seattle workers began one of the most important general strikes in US history. For six tense yet nonviolent days, the Central Labor Council negotiated with federal and local authorities on behalf of the shipyard workers whose grievances initiated the citywide walkout. Meanwhile, strikers organized to provide essential services such as delivering supplies to hospitals and markets, as well as feeding thousands at union-run dining facilities. Robert L. Friedheim�s classic account of the dramatic events of 1919, first published in 1964 and now enhanced with a new introduction, afterword, and photo essay by James N. Gregory, vividly details what happened and why. Overturning conventional understandings of the American Federation of Labor as a conservative labor organization devoted to pure and simple unionism, Friedheim shows the influence of socialists and the IWW in the city�s labor movement. While Seattle�s strike ended in disappointment, it led to massive strikes across the country that determined the direction of labor, capital, and government for decades. The Seattle General Strike is an exciting portrait of a Seattle long gone and of events that shaped the city�s reputation for left-leaning activism into the twenty-first century.

Wobbly War

Wobbly War PDF Author: John M. McClelland (Jr.)
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 278

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The Centralia Case

The Centralia Case PDF Author: Federal Council of the Churches of Christ in America. Department of Research and Education
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Centralia (Wash.)
Languages : en
Pages : 48

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Book Description


Centralia, Tragedy and Trial

Centralia, Tragedy and Trial PDF Author: Ben Hur Lampman
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Centralia (Wash.)
Languages : en
Pages : 88

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The Centralia Conspiracy

The Centralia Conspiracy PDF Author: Ralph Chaplin
Publisher: Good Press
ISBN:
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 117

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Book Description
By Ralph Chaplin: In "The Centralia Conspiracy," Chaplin provides a detailed account of the Centralia Massacre of 1919, a pivotal event in labor history. Through meticulous research, he paints a vivid picture of the societal tensions, labor struggles, and the rise of the lumber trade in early 20th-century America. The narrative not only delves into the events of the massacre but also explores its profound implications on the labor movement.

Centralia Tragedy and Trial

Centralia Tragedy and Trial PDF Author: Ben H. Lampman
Publisher:
ISBN: 9780846600688
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 79

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Book Description