Reflector Propaganda of the Deed (Part 1)
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Feb 6, 2026 Sean Sayers, retired philosophy professor and grandson of Luigi Galleani, offers personal and historical perspective on Galleani's life and influence. The conversation traces 1880s labor unrest, Haymarket and anarchist violence, bomb-making pamphlets, and government crackdowns that birthed the FBI and ACLU. It links past cycles of political violence to modern protest tensions.
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Industrial Chicago Fueled Radicalization
- Late 19th-century Chicago's industrial growth and inequality created fertile ground for radical politics.
- The Haymarket Riot transformed local labor unrest into an international crisis that reshaped policing and politics.
Haymarket Rally Turned Deadly
- Protesters at Haymarket used a wooden cart as a speaker platform and police moved in to break up the rally.
- Someone threw a bomb, killing officers and sparking chaotic gunfire that left officers and strikers dead.
Haymarket Justified Federal Crackdowns
- Authorities used Haymarket to justify federal intervention in strikes, invoking the Insurrection Act during the Pullman strike.
- Federal troop deployments often escalated violence and set a pattern of national intervention in labor conflicts.
