Galveston's Hidden Labor Rebellion
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Galveston's Hidden Labor Rebellion
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About this listen
Galveston's longshoremen, both Black and white, fought against exploitation and dangerous working conditions in one of America's most important port cities, culminating in violent strikes and an unprecedented five-month military occupation.
• Cotton was king and Galveston was Texas' gateway to the world in the mid-19th century
• Longshoremen and screwmen performed grueling, dangerous work loading ships for minimal pay
• Unusual interracial cooperation between segregated unions challenged Jim Crow norms
• The 1898 strike turned deadly when police fired into crowds, killing three workers
• Companies deliberately inflamed racial tensions to break worker solidarity
• Governor William Hobby declared martial law during the 1920 strike
• National Guard occupied Galveston for five months—one of the longest peacetime military occupations in US history
• These forgotten labor struggles helped shape Texas' strong right-to-work laws
• Longshore unions continue operating in Galveston today, carrying on a 150-year legacy
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