May Day's History Of Protest

By Pete Springer

Portland, OR  April 30, 2008 3:52 p.m.

Thursday is May Day and in Portland, as in other cities, anti-war marches, pro-immigrant rallies, and even a university education event are planned.  Pete Springer reports on the history of May Day.

May Day dates back thousands of years, says Brian Kassof, a history and humanities professor at Reed College.

Brian Kassof: “There were a lot of pre-Christian rituals that were celebrated around May 1st which the church later co-opted largely into Easter.  But during the end of the 19th century, the working class was trying to develop its own traditions -- its own holidays.”

The working class found its holiday on May 1st in 1886.  That's when a bomb exploded in Chicago’s Haymarket Square during a rally to support striking workers.

The event became symbolic with workers worldwide.  It went on to become a day when Soviets expressed opposition to capitalism.

Elsewhere, laborers began to treat the day as a working class holiday, especially in Europe and the U.S.

Organizers of May Day events in Portland this year say their message is to stop the war on working people -- at home and abroad.

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