National Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, precursor to IBEW, founded - 1891

In response to an ongoing attempt by coal mine owners to replace miners with convicts leased by the state, a group of miners burn the Tennessee Coal Mining Company stockade in Briceville and seize the Knoxville Iron Company stockade at Coal Creek, freeing over 300 convicts and supplying them with food and civilian clothes.

Tennessee sends in leased convict laborers to break a coal miners strike in Anderson County. The miners revolted, burned the stockades, and sent the captured convicts by train back to Knoxville - 1891