Bread and Roses: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 08:30, 9 July 2004

Revision as of 00:26, 2 September 2004

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The slogan "'''"Bread and Roses"'''" originated in the [[strike action|strike]] of women textile workers in [[Lawrence, Massachusetts]] in [[1912]]. The [[Lawrence textile strike]] was unprecedented in two ways: it was led primarily by women and it was the first important strike in the [[United States]] to bring together working people of 25 different nationalities in a struggle for better wages and working conditions.

During a protest march, some of the women carried a sign that said, "We Want Bread And Roses Too!" The slogan was generally picked up, and the Lawrence action became known as the Bread and Roses strike.

==The poem "Bread and Roses"==

A poem written at the time by [[James Oppenheim]] to commemorate the strike was set to music in [[1976]] by [[Mimi Fariña]] and has been recorded by various artists, including [[Judy Collins]].

:As we go marching, marching, in the beauty of the day,

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:hearts starve as well as bodies; bread and roses, bread and roses.

== External links ==

* [http://www.iww.org/culture/chronology/chronology2.shtml Industrial Workers of the World chronology]

[[Category:English phrases]]