Great Railroad Strike Research Paper

The Great Railroad strike occurred in 1877 and started in Martinsburg, West Virginia. The original incident was when major railroad companies announced that there would be another wage cut of ten percent, after workers’ wages were already slashed during the financial panic of 1873. This economic downfall caused hundreds of laborers to leave their jobs and go on strike. The word spread to cities across the country that railroad workers were striking causing a domino effect of strikes within other railroad companies as well as other professions. The initial strike led to violence causing the loss of

In the late eighteen hundreds, machines started to take place of people in industries. Work became unskilled labor, or labor that requires zero to little experience. Not soon after, the economy crashed and left millions out of work. Workers who got to continue working had their wages cut. By 1877, railway workers had enough of the wage inequity and went on strike. This was known as the Great Railroad Strike. From Pennsylvania to California, railroad systems had workers leave their posts. Not long after the strikes, state governments started calling for Federal troops to take down the activity. Though the majority of the middle class agreed with the strikers motivations and reasoning, they were disappointed in the damage that occurred.

In the article This day in Labor history: June 26, 1894 by Erik Loomis talks about the American railway union that Eugene Debs led, which was known as a nationwide boycott in solidarity with their member from Pullman, Illinois The actions led a minor strike turn into one of the major labor actions within the nation, this finished when President Grover called the united states military as a private army for the railroads which ended the strike

American Experience: Transcontinental Railroad. The railroad was a very big accomplishment in America's history. Transcontinental Railroad showed more then anything America's persistence, intellectual advancement, and above all else, Courage. This accomplishment came with many hardships and many sacrifices as well as achievements. While this accomplishment shows the good traits of America like drive and courage, It also reveled the darker traits of America, like betrayal, inequality, and most of all, greed. This paper will go over, How the Transcontinental Railroad was set into motion, the construction of the railroad and how it was used.

Although, discriminating and judging other people may seem good, there is always karma. In the past, the whites were used to blackmailing the blacks, but as everyone says “Politics can really screw you over” and this time, blacks bribed the whites.This was very unexpected. Around the 1890’s, the ICR (Intercontinental Railroad) was finished being built and it needed lots of jobs. Driver, Passenger, e.t.c. But as everyone knows, blacks have to be less than the whites at the moment. So, they got jobs like servants. As a servant, you would clean the train, Clean cars, serve them and Clean their shoes. 3 or 4 years for the African Canadians were good and they earned good money but as new technology was developing the Transcontinental Railroad was

The transcontinental railroad had a massive impact on settlers and Native Americans. Today, a modern piece of technology that affects society both positively and negatively are smartphones. When the Transcontinental railroad was built, it impacted settlers in a positive way. There was now a much safer, quicker, and less expensive way to travel down to the west. There were no longers worries about wagons tipping and the chance of dying on the middle of the trip was greatly reduced. I can relate this to present day smartphones because this technology helps people stay in touch better and makes information quick and easy to access. Students can check their grades on their phones, do research, and even write papers. This new technology is advanced

Pullman Strike was a nationwide railroad strike in the United States. George Pullman cut his railroad workers wages in regards of economic depression. The workers organized a strike, but soon enough they realized they needed additional help. Famed labor union Eugene V. Debs helped to establish an organization to create a national movement. After the railroad workers resorted to destructiveness it gained favor, which, it was brought to the attention of the attorney general. The Pullman Strike is widely seen to have reached the maximums because of George Pullman’s uncompromising and unsympathetic attitude towards his employee’.

Everyone was frustrated with work conditions and this led to the formations of unions around the country. The Knights of Labor was a very popular union that led the first major strike in the United States. The year was 1885 and Jay Gould’s Missouri Pacific Railroad was the target. The owner, Jay Gould, had recently cut wages drastically and fired union members. The Knights led the strike and eventually succeeded to improve wages for the railroad workers. With this great accomplishment the Knights gained

As it is stated above, it was illegal to help slaves to escape, which means that neither slaves nor the helpers could behave completely aboveboard. As a result, many evidence of the Underground Railroad system remain secret: there was little document left that told the whole story of the system, and only reminiscences of the men who participate could disclose some of the facts that happened during that time (3,142). What people could know and be sure of is that there are various ways for both the slaves and helpers to reach the goal of freedom by using the Underground Railroad. Northerners raised money to hire some agents or conductors for the system, and with the help of these people, some secret places were built in the South (3, 142). First step for these conductors was to spread the

* The Great RR Strike of 1877 shut down railroads from WV to CA & resulted in hundreds of deaths

In May of 1877 the Pennsylvania line announced another wage reduction of 10% to the worker's along with speed-ups (double the work). At this point the workers accepted it. Then in July of 1877 the Baltimore & Ohio line announced a 10% cut in pay. The workers questioned management, ‘how could they survive on these wages and terms?' But the owners did not listen, instead they took the position ‘quit if you don't like it'.

The Underground Railroad was a major development that united a diverse group of people for a common goal. Slaves were able to escape and went to a free land where they were considered free. The slaves would have to live in seclusion to avoid being found by slave catchers and returned to the terrible conditions from which they fled. Helpers, also known as conductors, assisted many slaves on their journey to freedom by concealing them in secure places and provided the slaves with food and information needed to continue the expedition. The developments of the places used to hide fugitives were basic wagons, rooms, and closets. There were peculiar spaces like specially built shelters, tunnels, and improvised rooms in strange places. The risks to

There were 3 significant strikes; the Great Railroad Strike 1877, Homestead Strike 1892, and the Pullman Strike 1894. Each one fighting an unfair inequality against the American citizens and workers. Railroad strike lasted 45 days, causing millions in lost property damage and lost revenue because there was an economic panic around the time to wages being cut. The Homestead strike had to have 300 Pinkerton Guards hired to remove them from Carnegie steal, they were holding a sit in protesting their 80hr work weeks, dangerous conditions, and wages. And last was the Pullman strike in which workers were protesting their wages being cut but still being forced to live in a company town in which the prices of food/housing remained the same. This turned into a nationwide strike and was considered the worst economic panic up to that point. While these companies were doing great things for the US, creating railroads to connect the east and west coast, and their own steel, there were still injustices hiding underneath all the money that the owners and government constantly overlooked.

The great strike of 1877 was a large strike to fuel the fire. Railroad workers were tired of working long treacherous days, well getting their wages cut, and the working environments were not safe to be working in. Before The Great Strike of 1877 a group called The Noble Order on The knights of Labor were formed in 1869. They were set up to solve labor issues, as well as they stood for; child labor laws, the idea of eight hour work days, equal pay for equal work, as well as government running of the railroad and ect. Later in 1886 The Haymarket riot took place in Chicago as workers were not happy with working environments, low wages, and they felt pressure in the new economic

The Underground Railroad was not a railroad or underground. The Underground Railroad was a path for slaves to escape. More than 100,000 slaves escaped through the Underground Railroad. (History.com, history.com staff, paragraphs one and two) The slaves can thank people like Harriet Tubman because she was one of the people that helped the slaves leave and be free. There were other people, like William Still, Levi Coffin, and John Fairfield. One of the paths that went through the Underground Railroad was in Cincinnati, Ohio. Different paths extended through fourteen states and including Canada. The Underground Railroad was formed during the 1700-1790s. The Underground Railroad ended in 1861 when the Civil War started. (history.net, in between paragraphs one and two)