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History Daily

1185: The Boston Police Strike

History Daily

History Daily

History

4.42.1K Ratings

🗓️ 9 September 2025

⏱️ 18 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

September 9, 1919. Unrest breaks out in Boston, Massachusetts after the city’s police force goes on strike for better pay and conditions.


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Transcript

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0:00.0

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0:04.1

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0:10.6

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0:30.7

Thank you. It's just before midnight on September 9th, 1919 in downtown Boston.

0:35.6

A 20-year-old Harvard student discreetly sidesteps into a dimly lit alley,

0:37.8

melting into the shadows as a group of raucous men heads his way. On a normal night, the city center buzzes with college kids looking

0:42.9

for a good time. But tonight, this young student is no reveler. It's his job to keep the peace.

0:49.4

Earlier today, Boston's entire police force walked off the job, going on strike for fair pay and better

0:55.8

working conditions. In response, there was a call for volunteers to help maintain order,

1:01.4

and this Harvard student is one of the hundreds of classmates who've signed up. But now,

1:06.3

alone and crouching in the dark, it hits the young student that he's hopelessly unprepared for the task.

1:12.8

He peers around the corner. The men have stopped outside a storefront, and one of them picks up a rock

1:18.2

and hurls it through the glass. The student tightens his grip on the baton he's been issued,

1:24.2

his only equipment. He knows he should intervene, but he also knows that he's

1:28.5

outnumbered. Before he can work up the courage to emerge from his hiding place, the vandal

1:33.4

scatter, laughing. Finally, the student takes a deep breath, steadies himself, and steps out into the street,

1:40.6

broken glass crackling under his feet. A firebell rings somewhere in the distance.

1:45.7

Then a crack of gunfire echoes off the brick buildings. The student glances at the fleeing

1:51.2

vandals, then the baton in his hand, beginning to wonder, is he going to survive the night?

2:00.2

Over the next few days, Boston will spiral out of control.

2:04.7

Nine people will die as the streets become a playground for criminals, thugs, and opportunists.

...

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