The 1893 nationwide depression threw many Americans out of work. In 1894, the Commonweal of Christ, made up of groups of unemployed people from all over the country, marched to Washington D.C. They wanted the government to create jobs and reform the money system. People called these groups Coxey's Army, after Jacob Coxey, the movement's leader. Congress did not pass the jobs program, and unemployment continued.

In this photo, unemployed men in the Seattle part of Coxey's Army gather on Main Street to begin their cross-country travels. After many transportation problems and other difficulties, some actually made it to the protest in Washington D.C. This was the United States' first national crusade against unemployment and its first protest march on the capital.

Notes: Original photograph: 1894. Copied after 1975 by the Museum of History and Industry.