What the Luddites can teach us about today’s AI fears
Today, we’re seeing the first signs of resistance. Not in the streets — yet — but in trade journals, opinion pieces, and union halls. Writers. Photographers, Illustrators, Lawyers. Teachers. Programmers. Professionals who once felt safe from automation are now raising alarms. They fear being replaced by tools they never asked for. Sound familiar?
In 1812, the British government deployed more troops to fight textile workers in Yorkshire than were battling Napoleon in Spain. Their enemy? A shadowy force calling itself the Luddites.
We remember them as technophobes. But the truth is more human, more complex — and more relevant than ever.
“Blood for blood” — the price of ignoring working professionals
When Parliament passed a law making machine-breaking a capital offence, a letter arrived at 10 Downing Street:
“If one man’s life is sacrificed, blood for blood.”
Signed by “General Ludd,” the anonymous writer warned of retaliation. It wasn’t idle.
Two months later, a Yorkshire mill owner named William Horsfall was shot dead. His crime? Installing new shearing frames and bragging he would “ride up to his saddle in Luddite blood.”
Three men were arrested for the killing. All were executed. Horsfall’s name became a rallying cry — for both sides.
Not anti-tech. Anti-poverty.
Luddites weren’t against machines.
They were against how the machines were used. Skilled workers were being undercut, wages slashed, standards ignored.
Their anonymous letters demanded only one thing: that technology serve the common good.
“We will destroy nothing but what hurts us.”
These weren’t riots. They were organized strikes with hammers.
This was professional protectionism, gone rogue.
One weaver even wrote that he hoped Napoleon might invade Britain and restore fair governance.
“We hope for assistance from the French emperor… Then we will be governed by a just republic.”
It wasn’t just a fight for jobs. It was a fight for dignity.
“Now, lads!” — the women who led a mill-burning
At Westhoughton near Bolton, two teenage sisters, Mary and Lydia Molyneux, led the destruction of a steam-powered mill. Witnesses said they smashed windows and shouted:
“Set fire to it! Now, lads!”
The mill was burned to the ground. The sisters were arrested — and acquitted. Four men were hanged. One was just 12 years old.
Hartley’s daughter
At York, 17 Luddites were hanged in a single week. William Hartley was one of them. The night before his execution, his teenage daughter begged to see him.
“A scene took place which we will not attempt to describe.”
Hartley wept. He left behind seven children. His last wish? That the press report how many depended on him.
Technology had changed. The law had changed. But the people had not. They still had families. Rent. Pride.
Why it matters now
Today, AI is creeping into skilled professions. Coders. Designers. Writers. Lawyers. Like in 1812, technology is moving faster than society can adapt.
Then, the response was secrecy, sabotage, and violence.
Let’s hope we’ve learned something since.
Progress without protection is still a recipe for revolt.
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