Charleston Cigar Factory Strike

Date: October 22, 1945 • Location: Charleston, United States

Workers at the Cigar Factory in Charleston, South Carolina, began a labor strike against the American Tobacco Company that lasted more than five months.

The Cigar Factory is a historic industrial building at 701 East Bay Street in Charleston, South Carolina. It was constructed in 1881 and opened in 1882 as the Cotton Mill of Charleston. In 1912, it was purchased by the American Cigar Company who converted it into a cigar factory that was the largest private employer in Charleston during the 1930s. In the 1940s, it was the location of the 1945–1946 Charleston Cigar Factory strike where the civil rights anthem "We Shall Overcome" emerged. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980, and was designated a National Historic Landmark in 2024.