Bill Haywood's book

23 cm, 368 pages

Published Jan. 1, 1977 by International Publishers.

ISBN:
978-0-313-23842-0
Copied ISBN!
5 stars (1 review)

This is William D. Haywood's own story, written during the last year of his life. A heroic giant of the American labor movement during its most turbulent years, "Big Bill" was a Socialist and a founder and leader of the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW). Born in Salt Lake City, he went into the Nevada metal mines at the age of 15 and joined the Western Federation of Miners in 1896 at 27. At 31, he was Secretary-Treasurer of the WFM and led its epic struggles against the mining trusts He became the storm center of many other great labor struggles on the eve of the first World War, including the strikes of textile workers in Lawrence, Mass., and in Paterson, N.J. He also led the militant Wobbly "Free Speech" fights, and was prosecuted for opposing U.S. entry into World War I. His story, a swift moving narrative as …

4 editions

A working class hero in his own words

5 stars

Big Bill Haywood was raised in Salt Lake City, because that's where his family was forced to deboard the train headed to the California Gold Rush as they realized his younger brother wasn't with them. His father passed not long after getting established in Utah. Bill had to be the man of the house since a young age. He has his first strike when he was 11 years old after her mother lent him out to a distant uncle for farm work, and the uncle wouldn't even give him a water break. By the time he is 15 he's out of school and working as a miner full time. Living in the bunk house with everyone else.

He's introducted to the ideals of socialism by an old member of the Knights of Labor and clings to it for the rest of his life.

What I found most surprising is how …

Subjects

  • Biography
  • History
  • Industrial Workers of the World
  • Labor and laboring classes
  • Labor leaders
  • Labor movement
  • Labor unions
  • Officials and employees
  • Working class
  • Trade-unions