Step Back: The Ludlow Massacre

South of Denver, and just off of one of the last exits on I-25, lies the city of Ludlow, Colorado. In 1914, members of the Ludlow Tent Colony who worked for the Colorado Fuel and Iron Co (CF&I) went on strike for workers' rights, and tens of dozens of them had been hurt in mining accidents. On April 20, 1914, on the orders of labor bosses in an attempt to break up the striking rioters, National Guardsmen set off the bloodiest labor clash in American history.

Close to 90 fatalities would be recorded over the next few weeks as the riotous responses raged on. 19 strikers were killed the first day - 11 of whom suffocated to death inside of a burning tent. One young man, Frank Snyder, was shot and killed while trying to recover his sister's runaway cat.

Who was to blame? The above picture was shoved under the face of company bosses as they testified in court. But, according to the strikers, the death-warrants of those killed were signed by the owner of the CF&I: __________. In one of the most publicized court hearings to date, __________ attempted to right the wrongs and repair the relations of the "Ludlow Massacre".

A year and a half later, on a public-relations tour, __________ actually visited Ludlow with his wife. He made the following speech:

“It seems to me that every man should have the right to decide for himself whether the Company is his best friend and champion or some outside organization. if the company cannot convince the men that it is their best friend, that it will cooperate more zealously with them than any outside organization is safeguarding their interests and well-being and securing them the fullest protection and justice, then the men must and should ally themselves with any organization which they believe gives better assurances of such results.”

What is the main thesis of his speech?

__________ developed his "Plan". Shown below, it was designed to give laborers an avenue for their complaints:

Who is at the "top of the line"? Why is this a good thing for laborers with a complaint?

But did it work? __________ and his "Plan" tried to create a feeling of unity amongst the laborers. They even threw a "Melting Pot Parade" to try to inspire the breaking down of ethnic walls.

But even __________ couldn't solve some of the problems within the labor groups. Sometimes ethnic divisions are too large for a labor boss to solve. Examine the labor sheet below. What are some of the main ethnicities in the camp?

Below is a personnel card of Valente Martinez. What conclusions can you draw from his card before he is "fatally injured"? (NOTE: This might be a cover up for a wrongful death...)

Yes. Ethnicities can divide a camp. But __________'s "Plan" couldn't solve the true problem: the hatred of supposed communists. The International Workers of the World (IWW) started to recruit laborers to join their organization. Below is a picture of supposed IWW loyalists. Why do you think there are numbers on their chests?

Sadly, all of those pictured would be shot and killed in the coming weeks...

When Franklin Roosevelt's "New Deal" takes effect in the 1930s, there are national provisions for labor unions. No longer are laborers scared of joining labor unions, and no longer should they fear executions like the ones experienced in Ludlow. The nation would move on from the "Ludlow Massacre", but up until World War II, Colorado was known for two things: The Sand Creek and Ludlow Massacres.

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