Labor History Educational Posters
for the social studies and literature classrooms, homeschoolers, & office decor.

Images on this page include Samuel Gompers, James Hoffa, John L. Lewis, and Walter Reuther TIME Magazine covers; Charlie Chaplin Modern Times and Norma Rae movie posters, medieval peasants revolt, John Ball, Bartolome de las Casas, Luddites, Tolpuddle Martyrs, Chartists, May Day, Rosie the Riveter, and Upton Sinclair prints.

Labor Day is a legal holiday observed in the United States, Puerto Rico, the Canal Zone, and the Virgin Islands. The holiday in honor of the working class was initiated in the U.S. in 1882 by the Knights of Labor, and the first Labor Day holiday was celebrated in New York City, in accordance with the plans of the Central Labor Union. The second Labor Day holiday just a year later in 1883 and in 1884 the first Monday in September was selected as the date. The Central Labor Union urged similar organizations in other cities to follow their example of a “workingmen’s holiday”. The idea spread with the growth of labor organizations and in 1885 Labor Day was celebrated in many industrial centers of the country.
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The English peasants revolt of 1381 was a major event in the medieval history of England, marking the beginning of the end of serfdom. The English King, Richard II, was only 14 years old at the time of the revolt, and "negiotiated the peace". [Did you know that the first literary mention of "Robin Hood" was in the allegorical narrative "Piers Plowman", written c. 1380?]

John Ball, one of the leaders of the revolt, was a roving preacher expounding the doctrines of John Wycliffe and insisting on social equality.

A contemporary of Richard II was poet Geoffrey Chaucer; Richard II was also the title character in Shakespeare's 1595 play, Richard II.

Bartolome de las Casas
b. 8-24-1484; Spain
d. 7-17-1566; Madrid

Bartolome de las Casas, Dominican priest and the first resident Bishop of Chiapas came to the defense of the indigenous peoples after witnessing the slavery, torture and genocide of the Native Americans by the Spanish colonists.

• In Defense of the Indians: The Defense of the Most Reverend Lord, Don Fray Bartolome de las Casas, of the Order of Preachers, Late Bishop of Chiapa

The name Luddite refers to those who destroyed stocking machines that were eliminating jobs and traditional pricing practices for skilled textile workers c 1811, and has come to refer to anyone who is opposed to technological change.

Four of the Six Tolpuddle Martyrs Transported to Australia for Forming a Trade Union, Giclee Print

The Tolpuddle Martyrs were a group of 19th century British labourers who were arrested and convicted for swearing a secret oath as members of the Friendly Society of Agricultural Labourers.

The Chartists were possibly the first working class movement in the world, taking their name from the People's Charter of 1838 that called for six reform measures:

A Garland for May Day • 1895 Dedicated to the Workers by Walter Crane, was the cover of The Clarion, a penny Socialist weekly.

The artist Walter Crane was closely associated with the Socialist movement and did as much as his colleague William Morris, to bring art into the daily life of all classes.

His "cartoon" features "a female figure holding a large wreath of flowers tied with scrolls of inscribed with socialistic mottoes in the spirit of 'Merrie England'" -

"No people can be free while dependent for their bread." • The plough is a better backbone than the factory." • No child Toilers." • Production for use, not for profit." • Solidarity of Labour." • "The cause of Labour is the Hope of the World." • Socialism means the most helpful, hopeful Life for All." • "A Commonwealth when Wealth is Common." • "Art and Enjoyment for All." • "Hope in Work & Joy in Leisure."; Cooperation & Emulation, not Competition." • "Shorten working Day and Lengthen Life." • "England should feed her own People." • "The Land for the People."

Labor Day Posters

"The strictest law oft becomes the severest injustice."

• Autumn Holidays & Observances Theme Posters

Rosie the Riveter

• WWII posters
• Library of Congress Webcast

Samuel Gompers
b. 1-26-1850; England
d. 12-13-1924; Texas

American labor and political leader, Gompers was founder of the American Federation of Labor (AFL) .

James Hoffa
b. 2-14-1913; Brazil, IN
d. 7-30-1975; Michigan

President of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters trade union from the mid-1950s to the mid-1960s, Hoffa is also infamous for his illegal activies and mysterious disappearance.

An important figure in the history of coal mining, Lewis served as president of the United Mine Workers of America (UMWA) from 1920 to 1960. He was also the driving force behind the founding of the Congress of Industrial Organizations (CIO).

Walter Reuther
b. 9-1-1907; Wheeling, WV
d. 5-10-1970; plane crash, MI

American labor union leader who made the United Automobile Workers (UAW) a major force in the auto industry and the Democratic party in the mid 20th century. He was a supporter of the New Deal coalition.

Modern Times (1936)

Charlie Chaplin has his famous Little Tramp character struggling to survive in the modern, industrialized world with the desperate employment and fiscal conditions many people faced during the Great Depression. "Modern Times" is one of the movies featuring a dog as Chaplin's faithful companion.

Upton Sinclair / TIME Cover: October 22, 1934, TIME Magazine
b. 9-20-1878, Maryland
d. 11-25-1968

American author Upton Sinclair achieved much popularity in the first half of the 20th century for his investigations of social conditions, and notariety for his advocacy of socialist views and anarchist causes, such as his arrest for reading the First Amendment (free speech) at a labor rally in 1923. He gained particular fame for his novel, The Jungle, which dealt with conditions in the U.S. meat packing industry and caused a public uproar that contributed to the passage of the Pure Food and Drug Act and the Meat Inspection Act in 1906.

• Sinclair in Writers Who Changed the World posters

A Nation of Immigrants:
Eastern Europe-

. . . But most immigrants did not find an easy life in the New World. Some worked in the "sweatshops" and factories of New York and other large cities. Others went to the coal mines of Pennsylvania. . . .
and worked in factories. Many found work in the clothing industry. When unions began to organize in the early 1900s, Jewish immigrants were often at the forefront of the labor movement.

• America: A Land of Immigrants Educational History posters