California: A History By: Kevin Starr Ch. 8: Making it Happen

2.  The Great Depression hit California later
than the rest of the country because of
the state's diversified agricultural,
industrial, entertainment, tourist, and
service sectors.
 Those residents who remained in the
service economy during this time did
extremely well.
 In the 1860s, the unionist movement
gained strength, and set the stage for
violence and turmoil in the 1870's.
 The Chinese immigrants were seen as a
special threat.
 On May 4, 1886, during a rally for an
eight-hour workday, a bomb exploded.
 In 1893 the labor movement
experienced a setback when a
depression struck.
 A citywide San Francisco labor council
was organized in December 1892

3.  During the course of a strike for the
metal trades, the headquarters of the
Times was bombed on the morning
of October 1, 1910.
 This severely impeded the union
movement in Los Angeles for the
next quarter of a century.
 On April 30, 1919, the Criminal
Syndicalism Act was passed
◦ It was made a felony punishable by 1-
14 years in prison to in any way
advocate violence as a means of trying
to accomplish a change in industrial
ownership or control effecting any
political changes.
 In 1927 the Mexican American field
workers organized the Confederation
of Mexican Workers.
 It was a Union.
 The organization submitted a list of
demands for wages and working
conditions in May 1928