The Centralia Tragedy of 1919

The Centralia Tragedy of 1919
Author :
Publisher : University of Washington Press
Total Pages : 262
Release :
ISBN-10 : 9780295800677
ISBN-13 : 0295800674
Rating : 4/5 (674 Downloads)

Book Synopsis The Centralia Tragedy of 1919 by : Tom Copeland

Download or read book The Centralia Tragedy of 1919 written by Tom Copeland and published by University of Washington Press. This book was released on 2011-07-01 with total page 262 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 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 Related Books

The Centralia Tragedy of 1919
Language: en
Pages: 262
Authors: Tom Copeland
Categories: History
Type: BOOK - Published: 2011-07-01 - Publisher: University of Washington Press

GET EBOOK

On November 11, 1919, the citizens of Centralia, Washington, gathered to watch former servicemen, local Boy Scouts, and other community groups march in the Arms
The Centralia Conspiracy
Language: en
Pages: 148
Authors: Ralph Chaplin
Categories: Centralia (Wash.)
Type: BOOK - Published: 1924 - Publisher:

GET EBOOK

Fire Underground
Language: en
Pages: 313
Authors: David Dekok
Categories: History
Type: BOOK - Published: 2009-10-01 - Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield

GET EBOOK

How a modern-day mine disaster has turned a Pennsylvania community into a ghost town * For much of its history, Centralia, Pennsylvania, had a population of aro
The Red Coast
Language: en
Pages: 236
Authors: Aaron Goings
Categories: Labor movement
Type: BOOK - Published: 2019 - Publisher:

GET EBOOK

"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 Washin
The Seattle General Strike
Language: en
Pages: 295
Authors: Robert Friedheim
Categories: History
Type: BOOK - Published: 2018-11-06 - Publisher: University of Washington Press

GET EBOOK

“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 thro