Coal Shuts Down.

The five-month-long Anthracite Coal Strike nearly crippled America. Led by John Mitchell, president of the United Mine Workers, nearly 150,000 miners began their strike on 12 May 1902 after a breakdown in ongoing negotiations that had begun in the aftermath of a brief strike of the year before. The issues of contention included the miners' demands for a reduced workday, better pay, and union recognition.

The "Divine Right" Letter.

In July a letter written by a photographer from Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, was sent to George F. Baer, president of the Reading Railroad and spokesman for the mine operators. The letter writer, who asked the Holy Spirit to send "reason to [Baer's] heart," requested that the strike be settled. Baer's response, written on Reading Railroad letterhead and dated 17 July 1902, has come to be known as the "divine right" letter. It clearly revealed the mine operators' contempt...