May Day, also called International Workers’ Day, started in Chicago in 1886.
Today, Chicago is the second largest city in the United States after New York. It is on the shore of Lake Michigan. About one in four people in Chicago is African American.
Chicago is an important industrial city. It has many factories, a big port on the Great Lakes, and a large railway center. Many machines are made there.
Like New York and other big cities, Chicago has different parts. In the center there are tall buildings and rich houses near the lake. In other areas, working families live in old houses.
The fight for an eight-hour working day began in the United States in the 1860s. At that time, many people worked very long hours every day. On May 1, 1886, thousands of workers in Chicago stopped work to ask for shorter hours. About 400,000 workers joined the strike. During one protest, six workers were killed by the police. A few days later, on May 4, there was another meeting in the city. Someone threw a bomb, and several people were killed or hurt. After this, eight organizers were arrested, and four of them were later executed.
After these events, workers’ groups around the world began to celebrate May 1 every year as a day to support fair and safe working conditions for everyone.
