James H. Walsh
Encyclopedia
James H. Walsh was an American
labor organizer and a prominent Wobbly.
that drove Daniel DeLeon out of the Chicago IWW.
In 1909, Walsh led a free speech fight
in Spokane, Washington
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
labor organizer and a prominent Wobbly.
Biography
James Walsh was the leader of the overalls brigade, a group of Wobblies who referred to themselves as "red blooded working stiffs." They rode the rails from Portland to the IWW convention in Chicago in 1908. They held propaganda meetings at each stop, singing IWW songs and selling literature to finance their trip. They traveled over 2,500 miles in their "Red Special" cattle car, ate in hobo jungles, and preached revolution in prairie towns. While at the convention, they were primarily responsible for the splitIndustrial Workers of the World organizational evolution
The Industrial Workers of the World is a union of wage workers which was formed in Chicago in 1905. The IWW experienced a number of divisions and splits during its early history....
that drove Daniel DeLeon out of the Chicago IWW.
In 1909, Walsh led a free speech fight
Free speech fights
Free speech fights are conflicts over the right to speak freely, particularly involving the Industrial Workers of the World efforts in the early twentieth century to organize workers and publicly speak about labor issues...
in Spokane, Washington
Spokane, Washington
Spokane is a city located in the Northwestern United States in the state of Washington. It is the largest city of Spokane County of which it is also the county seat, and the metropolitan center of the Inland Northwest region...
.