Today in Labor History February 27, 1812: Poet Lord Byron gave his first address as a member of the House of Lords. In his speech, he spoke out in support of Luddite violence against industrialism in his home county of Nottinghamshire. He spoke specifically against the Frame Breaking Act, which gave the death penalty to anyone guilty of breaking a machine. The state hanged 60-70 Luddites during the time the law was on the books. However, most of the time, the courts used other laws to convict them.

#workingclass #LaborHistory #deathpenalty #hanging #luddites #lordbyron #poet #poetry #books #writer #author #industrialism #technology @bookstadon

Today in Labor History February 27, 1812: Poet Lord Byron gave his first address as a member of the House of Lords. In his speech, he spoke out in support of Luddite violence against industrialism in his home county of Nottinghamshire. He spoke specifically against the Frame Breaking Act, which gave the death penalty to anyone guilty of breaking a machine. The state hanged 60-70 Luddites during the time the law was on the books. However, most of the time, the courts used other laws to convict them.

#workingclass #LaborHistory #deathpenalty #hanging #luddites #lordbyron #poet #poetry #books #writer #author #industrialism #technology @bookstadon

Today in Labor History August 24, 1922: Howard Zinn, American historian, author, teacher and activist was born on this day. Zinn has written over 20 books, including his most well-known book, “A People's History of the United States” (1980). He has described himself as an anarchist and as a democratic socialist. He was initially opposed to U.S. involvement in WWII, but later enlisted to help fight fascism. However, after napalm-bombing a town in France, he later learned that over 1,000 civilians had been killed. This experience reinforced the anti-war stance he would maintain for the rest of his life. In the 1960s, he was heavily involved in the SNCC and Freedom Summer. Zinn has mentored many famous activists and writers, including Alice Walker and Marian Wright Edelman. In 2008, the Zinn Education Project launched to support teachers using “A People’s History” in their curriculum. He died in 2010 from an apparent heart attack.

Be sure to come to the annual Howard Zinn Book fair this December 7, 2025, (10am-6pm) at San Francisco City College, Mission Campus. There will be lots of great writers and workshops. This year’s theme is “Fight Supremacy: Actions Against Authoritarianism.” I will be hosting a working-class writers panel with San Francisco Poet Laureate and activist Tongo Eisen-Martin, poet Daphne Gottlieb, educator and author Jenny Worley, and possibly more tbd.

https://www.zinnbookfair.org/2025

#workingclass #LaborHistory#howardzinn#peopleshistory #anarchism #socialism #sncc #historian #civilrights #antiwar #author #writer #books#poet @bookstadon

Today in Labor History August 24, 1922: Howard Zinn, American historian, author, teacher and activist was born on this day. Zinn has written over 20 books, including his most well-known book, “A People's History of the United States” (1980). He has described himself as an anarchist and as a democratic socialist. He was initially opposed to U.S. involvement in WWII, but later enlisted to help fight fascism. However, after napalm-bombing a town in France, he later learned that over 1,000 civilians had been killed. This experience reinforced the anti-war stance he would maintain for the rest of his life. In the 1960s, he was heavily involved in the SNCC and Freedom Summer. Zinn has mentored many famous activists and writers, including Alice Walker and Marian Wright Edelman. In 2008, the Zinn Education Project launched to support teachers using “A People’s History” in their curriculum. He died in 2010 from an apparent heart attack.

Be sure to come to the annual Howard Zinn Book fair this December 7, 2025, (10am-6pm) at San Francisco City College, Mission Campus. There will be lots of great writers and workshops. This year’s theme is “Fight Supremacy: Actions Against Authoritarianism.” I will be hosting a working-class writers panel with San Francisco Poet Laureate and activist Tongo Eisen-Martin, poet Daphne Gottlieb, educator and author Jenny Worley, and possibly more tbd.

https://www.zinnbookfair.org/2025

#workingclass #LaborHistory#howardzinn#peopleshistory #anarchism #socialism #sncc #historian #civilrights #antiwar #author #writer #books#poet @bookstadon

Today in Labor History August 16, 1819: Police attacked unemployed workers demonstrating in St. Peter's Field, Manchester, England. When the cavalry charged, at least 18 people died and over 600 were injured. The event became known as the Peterloo Massacre, named for the Battle of Waterloo, where many of the massacre victims had fought just four years earlier. Following the Napoleonic Wars there was an acute economic slump, terrible unemployment and crop failures, all worsened by the Corn Laws, which kept bread prices high. Only 11% of adult males had the vote. Radical reformers tried to mobilize the masses to force the government to back down. The movement was particularly strong in the north-west, where the Manchester Patriotic Union organized the mass rally for Peter’s Field. As soon as the meeting began, local magistrates tried to arrest working class radical, Henry Hunt, and several others. Hunt inspired the Chartist movement, which came shortly after Peterloo.

John Lees, who later died from wounds he received at the massacre, had been present at the Battle of Waterloo. Before his death, he said that he had never been in such danger as at Peterloo: "At Waterloo there was man to man, but there it was downright murder." In the wake of the massacre, the government passed the Six Acts, to suppress any further attempts at radical reform. The event also led indirectly to the founding of the Manchester Guardian newspaper.

Percy Bysshe Shelley wrote about the massacre in his poem, “The Masque of Anarchy.” The authorities censored it until 1832, ten years after his death. Mike Leigh’s 2018 film Peterloo is an excellent portrayal of the massacre, and the events leading up to it. Many writers have written novels about Peterloo, including the relatively recent “Song of Peterloo,” by Carolyn O'Brien, and “All the People,” Jeff Kaye. However, perhaps the most important is Isabella Banks's 1876 novel, “The Manchester Man,” since she was there when it happened and included testimonies from people who were involved.

#workingclass #LaborHistory#peterloo #waterloo #unemployed #poverty #freespeech #massacre #anarchism #novel #poetry#literature #books#poet #author #writer #fiction @bookstadon

Today in Labor History August 16, 1819: Police attacked unemployed workers demonstrating in St. Peter's Field, Manchester, England. When the cavalry charged, at least 18 people died and over 600 were injured. The event became known as the Peterloo Massacre, named for the Battle of Waterloo, where many of the massacre victims had fought just four years earlier. Following the Napoleonic Wars there was an acute economic slump, terrible unemployment and crop failures, all worsened by the Corn Laws, which kept bread prices high. Only 11% of adult males had the vote. Radical reformers tried to mobilize the masses to force the government to back down. The movement was particularly strong in the north-west, where the Manchester Patriotic Union organized the mass rally for Peter’s Field. As soon as the meeting began, local magistrates tried to arrest working class radical, Henry Hunt, and several others. Hunt inspired the Chartist movement, which came shortly after Peterloo.

John Lees, who later died from wounds he received at the massacre, had been present at the Battle of Waterloo. Before his death, he said that he had never been in such danger as at Peterloo: "At Waterloo there was man to man, but there it was downright murder." In the wake of the massacre, the government passed the Six Acts, to suppress any further attempts at radical reform. The event also led indirectly to the founding of the Manchester Guardian newspaper.

Percy Bysshe Shelley wrote about the massacre in his poem, “The Masque of Anarchy.” The authorities censored it until 1832, ten years after his death. Mike Leigh’s 2018 film Peterloo is an excellent portrayal of the massacre, and the events leading up to it. Many writers have written novels about Peterloo, including the relatively recent “Song of Peterloo,” by Carolyn O'Brien, and “All the People,” Jeff Kaye. However, perhaps the most important is Isabella Banks's 1876 novel, “The Manchester Man,” since she was there when it happened and included testimonies from people who were involved.

#workingclass #LaborHistory#peterloo #waterloo #unemployed #poverty #freespeech #massacre #anarchism #novel #poetry#literature #books#poet #author #writer #fiction @bookstadon