Chicago Anarchists on Trial: Evidence from the Haymarket Affair, 1886-1887
In a hurry? Save or print these Collection Connections as a single file.
Go directly to the collection, Chicago Anarchists on Trial: Evidence from the Haymarket Affair, 1886-1887, in American Memory, or view a Summary of Resources related to the collection.
Historical Comprehension
The trial of the eight defendants held responsible for the bombing near Haymarket Square included several controversies. The prosecution and defense presented different views on the significance of the anarchist meeting at Grief's Hall, the "Revenge Circular," and Fielden's statement, "We are peaceable." The full transcript of the proceedings from the trial allows readers insight into the controversies debated in court.
For example, the most fundamental controversy was, perhaps, the incendiary nature of the rally held near Haymarket Square on the night of May 4. Read police inspector John Bonfield's report to Frederick Ebersold, General Superintendent of Police, describing the events that took place that evening and compare it with the trial testimony of Carter Harrison, Mayor of Chicago. Bonfield explains the perceived threat that led him to disperse the labor rally, while Mayor Harrison, a witness for the defense, testifies that the rally posed no immediate threat.
- What was Bonfield's view of the nature of the Haymarket rally?
- Why did he order police to disperse the meeting?
- To what extent did Bonfield and Mayor Harrison assess the rally similarly?
- How do their two accounts of the rally differ?
- What might account for the differences in the way Bonfield and Harrison perceived or described the rally?