Benjamin F. Alexander

During the bitter depression that began in 1893 Jacob Coxey proposed a public works program to put the unemployed to work. To draw attention to what was a novel idea at the time, he called for a march on Washington, DC to demonstrate support for what man considered a radical program. This is an historical overview of what came to be known as "Coxey's Army." There was not one single army; instead, groups marched from different locations, taking different routes, with different results. There were lots of workers, Catholics, and populists in the army who enjoyed the support of local populations who fed the marchers along the way. While Coxey's Army was very orderly, others were quite disorganized.… (meer)