Follow the Fire in the Hole script and accompanying images to learn how when America entered World War I and loyalty became an issue that compounded labor tensions in 1917.

Narrator:

In July of 1916 the city of San Francisco held a Preparedness Day parade. For two years the nation had managed to stay out of the war raging in Europe. And the nation was split over involvement. Civic and patriotic organizations pushed for the parade to demonstrate support for America's entry into what would be known as World War One. So-called "Liberty Boys" marched as a pledge to join the army should war be declared.

The I.W.W. lashed out at the parade, and argued against the war. Thousands lined the parade route on market street. . .and then the bomb exploded. Ten people died and more than forty were wounded. Captured on early newsreel films, the bloody scenes of a terrorist bombing in San Francisco sickened Americans. Suspicion immediately turned to the Industrial Workers of the World. A film was produced that showed the Wobblies as a sinister force behind the bombing. . .plotting to attack the very heart of the nation. The Wobblies were portrayed as evil and foreign. . .dangerous in the extreme. . .a dagger aimed at the very heart of lady liberty.

In 1917, America entered the war in Europe. It was offered as a determined campaign of good against evil. In sharp contrast, the Wobblies urged opposition to the war effort -- a war effort that needed copper from the mines of the West.