The Documentary Film & Discussion Series meets at the Ashland Library, Community Room, every 2nd Thursday of the month, 7:00–9:00 pm. The moderated discussions are often lively and thought provoking. All points of view are welcome. Admission is free. The films are sponsored by the Friends of the Ashland Library. For more information, call the library at 508-881-0134, or visit www.friendsoftheapl.com.

Resistance and Repression: Origins of U.S. Capitalism (Part 2 of 3)
September 14th at 7:00pm

Part II examines the surprising strong populist, socialist and anarchist movements of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with broad support across the Midwest and southern and eastern states. Oklahoma, Illinois, Texas and even Rhode Island were hotbeds of radical thought and activism.

The film explores Eugene Debs, Emma Goldman, Frank Little, Ben Reitman, Elizabeth Gurley Flynn, the IWW (Industrial Workers of the World), Samuel Gompers and the AFL (the American Federation of Labor). Throughout, the roles of racism, women’s suffrage, child labor, private police forces and corporate and state violence against workers are examined. Workers during this period are fighting for relief from 10-hour work days, seven days a week, for starvation wages, in harsh, dangerous conditions. For their resistance, they are attacked, beaten, imprisoned, hanged, deported and murdered. Government forces, both federal and state, intervene on behalf of corporations.