18 th October

1648 First American labor organization was founded.

176 7 The Mason-Dixon Line was established.

1867 The U. S. officially took ownership of the Alaska territory. (See March 30th entry.)

The Mason-Dixon Line was officially adopted on this day. In 1767, the border between Maryland and Pennsylvania became the border between the northern states and the southern states and it’s been that way ever since.

Both trade associations and labor unions have their roots in the medieval guilds. On this day, in 1648, Boston’s shoemakers, barrelmakers, and tubmakers were given official permission to set up their own guild. They eventually went their separate ways when they no longer shared a common cause. We tend to forget what all crafts-people have in common, emphasizing only their differences. Newscaster Eric Sevareid sometimes used to stress the common interest. He pointed out that when two people are sitting in a boat, it doesn’t make much sense for one of them to point an accusing finger at the other and say, “Your end of the boat is sinking.”