Notable Strikes in US History
Not many people know about May Day and even fewer know its rich history. This reality is discouraging but not surprising. Struggles waged and battles won against oppression are powerful tools in the hands of those still seeking freedom. It behooves those in power to distort or hide histories that counter the narrative of capitalism as a harmonious system and the end of history. We will never be taught the history of class struggle so long as we live in a class society. Audre Lorde said it best: "The master's tools will never dismantle the master's house."
The battle for history is a battle worth waging, for no theory can be created and tested without reference to past events. Theory needs action, just as much as action needs theory. What follows will be a series of posts detailing major strikes in US history, starting with the New Orleans General Strike of 1892. This is just a taste of history - the history of workers taking power into their own hands - that must guide us into this May Day and every May Day to come, as we struggle for a world in which humanity can finally transcend capitalism and advance into a better future.
The battle for history is a battle worth waging, for no theory can be created and tested without reference to past events. Theory needs action, just as much as action needs theory. What follows will be a series of posts detailing major strikes in US history, starting with the New Orleans General Strike of 1892. This is just a taste of history - the history of workers taking power into their own hands - that must guide us into this May Day and every May Day to come, as we struggle for a world in which humanity can finally transcend capitalism and advance into a better future.
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