Coxey's Army: How they shaped the American history
Towards the end of the 19th century, America was undergoing massive rate of inflation, courtesy its civil rights movements. As a result, there were widespread labour struggles as well as high scale unemployment. There was a lack of safety net for the working class as their financial condition kept worsening with each passing day. To protest against this growing socio-economic crisis, American working class organised a country wide protest. Their sole intention was to make the federal government aware of their plight and reform the economic policies accordingly. This group of people who took part in the protest march came to be known as Coxey’s Army, known to be America’s most impactful labour union.
Coxey’s Army: Who were they?
In the year 1894, a protest march was organised by a group of labourers in Washington D.C. and was led by a businessman called Jacob S. Coxey. This is why, the group of protestors came to be known as Coxey’s Army. This was a response to the largescale economic crisis caused by 1893 inflation (also called Panic of 1893) that crashed the stock market and resulted in loss of jobs and business shutdowns.
What did the Coxey’s Army actually do?
Coxey, after uniting his army of around 400 protestors (unemployed workers), planned to commence the march from his hometown Massillon in Ohio on the auspicious occasion of Easter Sunday in 1894. His goal was simple: His army would march to the U.S. Capitol in Washington D.C. and confront the Congress. The intention was to push for proper legislation and create largescale job opportunities.
What started as a protest march across the states of Ohio and Washington soon spread across other US states such a s Maryland and Pennsylvania. This garnered a national level press coverage. The protestors were also supported by local residents who even let them camp near their homes.
Coxey’s Army had continued their march for an extended period of five weeks, after which they reached the Capitol building in Washington D.C. on 1st May 1894. Tens of thousands of spectators and supporters had joined the march. When the police were asked to intervene by the government, Coxey’s Army dared to trespass the Capitol lawn for which they were arrested.
The impact of Coxey’s Army
Although the US government rejected all the proposals and legislative goals of Coxey’s Army, the protest march that they had carried out became a foundation for later day labour unions and workers’ movements. It had also created a lasting impact on public opinion. Later, with the turn of the century, Coxey’s economic and legislative ideas started to gain widespread acceptance.