Background
The riot occurred in the midst of the Panic of 1873, a depression that began in 1873 and lasted for several years. Demonstrators were demanding that Mayor William F. Havemeyer establish a public works program to generate employment opportunities. The group of immigrant workers and Socialists had organized a mass meeting, with a permit approved by the city but then revoked the night before the meeting.
The riot
Over 7,000 workers gathered in Tompkins Square Park anyway on January 13, 1874. This was the largest demonstration that New York City had ever seen. Political leaders viewed the group with suspicion, associating them with communism.The police dispersed the crowd from the park with brutal force, beating people with clubs.
Samuel Gompers described the events and his experiences, "mounted police charged the crowd on Eighth Street, riding them down and attacking men, women, and children without discrimination. It was an orgy of brutality. I was caught in the crowd on the street and barely saved my head from being cracked by jumping down a cellarway.
Aftermath
John Swinton, editor at the New York Sun, described police actions as an "outrage" in statements that were later published as a pamphlet.References
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Last updated on Wednesday March 19, 2008 at 11:17:00 PDT (GMT -0700)
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