The Virden, Illinois Race Riot was an example of the combination of labor and racial violence in the late 19th and early 20th century United States. Following a United Mine Workers (UMW) national coal strike in 1897, a new 40-cents-per-ton rate was agreed on by all Illinois coal companies and the Illinois district of the UMW in January 1898. Then, the Chicago-Virden Coal Company abrogated … Continue reading Revisit: VIRDEN, ILLINOIS RACE RIOT (1898)