Dakota S.

Boot Biters

History EN ↓ 33 episodes

Boot Biters is a labor history podcast that strongly believes that history isn't boring and work shouldn't suck! We are witnessing an insane surge in labor organizing around the world and, of course, massive backlash to go along with it (and this is why we can't have nice things). Learning about the history of labor organizing is a first step toward understanding how we got here, how we got the protections we do have and how we hold on to them moving forward, and envisioning a world that treats workers with respect and dignity. From the first recorded labor strike in human history in Ancient E...

Author

Dakota S.

Episodes

07: May Day and The Haymarket Riot 01.05.2025 32:59

In this episode we delve into the real history behind May Day, the Haymarket Riot, and explore why exactly it is that we don't celebrate International Worker's Day in the U.S. Find Boot Biters - A Labor History Podcast online: Website and Transcripts: https://rss.com/podcasts/boot-biters/ You can also listen to the pod on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or anywhere you get your podcasts! Instagram and Ti...

06: The Washerwomen Strikes 22.04.2025 27:02

In this episode we talk about the washerwomen in post-civil war Atlanta, Jackson, and Galveston who, in spite of an extremely hostile political environment, weren't afraid to take a risk for better wages and get their hands dirty with laundry strikes! Find Boot Biters - A Labor History Podcast online: Website and Transcripts: https://rss.com/podcasts/boot-biters/ You can also listen to the pod on...

05: The Great Postal Strike of 1970 15.04.2025 23:12

With the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) back in the news, there's never been a better time to learn about the illegal (and successful) wildcat strike that letter carriers undertook in 1970! Find Boot Biters - A Labor History Podcast online: Website and Transcripts: https://rss.com/podcasts/boot-biters/ You can also listen to the pod on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or anywhere you get your podcasts! Instag...

04: The Roots of U.S. Labor Exploitation and Organizing in Slavery - Pt 2 08.04.2025 45:58

In part two of the deep dive into W.E.B. Du Bois' book Black Reconstruction , we talk about the relationship between white and Black workers, the challenging conditions facing Black labor in the reconstruction period, and efforts to improve conditions like the Freedman's Bureau. Find Boot Biters - A Labor History Podcast online: Website and Transcripts: https://rss.com/podcasts/boot-biters/ You ca...

03: The Roots of U.S. Labor Exploitation and Organizing in Slavery - Pt 1 25.03.2025 46:35

In part one of this two-part series, we deep-dive into W.E.B. Du Bois' book Black Reconstruction and explore his General Strike thesis, looking at how enslaved Black workers in the South engaged in intentional and effective resistance and withdrew their forced labor from the plantation economy, ultimately pushing the outcome of the Civil War and their own emancipation. Find Boot Biters - A Labor H...

02: Ancient Strikes - Secessio Plebis and the Servile Wars 18.03.2025 43:26

Plebeians in the Roman Republic weren't playing around! In this episode we cover the first Secessio Plebis when the citizens of Rome abandoned the city in a general strike to get what they wanted. We also talk about the Servile Wars: the series of armed rebellions of enslaved workers in Rome that had the army scrambling. From that city-wide walk out, to fire-breathing magicians, to Spartacus, ther...

01: Ancient Strikes - Deir El Medina 11.03.2025 29:16

Did you know the first recorded labor strike in history happened over 3,000 years ago in Ancient Egypt? Well now you do! In this introductory episode we talk about the Deir El Medina strikes, where artisans working on the tombs in the Valley of the Kings pushed back on not being paid on time...repeatedly. This one has everything from graffiti to grave robbing, tangents about pottery shards, and so...

Trailer: Boot Biters - A Labor History Podcast 11.03.2025 1:20

Trailer for Boot Biters - A Labor History Podcast with your host Dakota! Subscribe and listen wherever you get your podcasts! Or visit the home website at https://rss.com/podcasts/boot-biters/ to listen online and get transcripts for every episode. Follow the pod on socials @bootbiterspod on Instagram and BlueSky. To support the pod or gain access to cool bonus content, check out my patreon at pat...