What Is Martial Law?
5. Colorado Coalfield War 1913
The Colorado Coalfield War was a conflict between coal mine workers and their employers. The workers protested against working conditions imposed upon them by their employers, but their powerful employers, Colorado Fuel and Iron, refused to budge and the workers went on strike.
The Colorado Governor at the time, Governor Ammon, imposed martial law and called in the national guard to try and deal with the rising tensions. The national guard was supposed to be impartial but ultimately took sides with the worker’s powerful employers, resulting in the Ludlow Massacre. The conflict was eventually ended when President Wilson sent in federal troops.
