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- 1IWW's first free speech fight marked 115 years on●The first of the great # FreeSpeechFights of the # IWW was on # ThisDayInHistory in 1909, in # Missoula , # Montana , to
On this day in 1909, the Industrial Workers of the World launched its first major free speech fight in Missoula, Montana, in response to local ordinances banning public speaking by union members. Members deliberately lined up to speak, were arrested in large numbers, and filled the jails until the laws were changed. The tactic became a model for later free speech campaigns across the American West, and the anniversary is being commemorated by labor historians and activists.