On May 1 of each year, International Workers’ Day is commemorated. The date pays tribute to the Martyrs of Chicago, anarchist trade unionists who were executed in the United States for participating in the days of struggle for the achievement of the eight-hour work schedule, which had its origin in the strike that began on May 1, 1886, and its high point 3 days later, on May 4, in the Haymarket Riot.
The commemoration has been used habitually to make different social and labor demands in favor of the working classes, fundamentally, of the anarchist and communist movements. It is a national holiday in most countries of the world.
The events that led to this commemoration are contextualized at the dawn of the Industrial Revolution in the United States. At the end of the 19th century, Chicago was the second-largest city in the United States. Thousands of unemployed ranchers arrived by rail each year from the west and southeast, creating the first humble villages that housed hundreds of thousands of workers. In addition, these urban centers welcomed emigrants from all over the world throughout the 19th century.
