Luddites

The Luddites are a group of English textile workers and weavers in the nineteenth century who destroy weaving machinery as a form of protest.

The group is protesting the use of machinery in a "fraudulent and deceitful manner" to get around standard labor practices.

Luddites fear that the time spent learning the skills of their craft will go to waste as machines will replace their role in the industry.

It is a misconception that the Luddites protested against the machinery itself in an attempt to halt the progress of technology.

Over time, however, the term has come to mean one opposed to industrialization, automation, computerization, or new technologies in general.

The Luddite movement begins in Nottingham and culminates in a region-wide rebellion that lasts from 1811 to 1816.

Mill owners take to shooting protesters and eventually the movement is suppressed with military force.