The first major strike in the united states history was the great railroad strike of 1877. And that seemingly isolated incident quickly turned into a national movement. This was the united states first major railroad strike. Rr strike learn with flashcards, games, and more for free. The great railroad strike of july 1877 library of congress. Then followed the great railroad strike of 1878, though it was not so great anymore and was suppressed brutally. This instructional packet uses newspaper articles from the nineteenth century to create a case study of a significant event in american labor history, the railroad strike of 1877, frequently referred to as the great strike. The railroad strike of 1877 in reading by ronald l. Filippelli in the hot, midjuly of 1877, with the nation prostrate in the fourth year of a deep depression.
This strike finally ended some 69 days later, after it was put down by unofficial militias, the national guard, and federal troops. These events influenced later events in the next two decades. Terence powderly, director of the knights of labor, took lessons from the 1877 strike to channel worker outrage into effective protests. The baltimore railroad strike occurred in baltimore, maryland as part of the great railroad strike of 1877. Question 1 asks students to evaluate whether the excerpt provides enough evidence to draw conclusions about the broader railroad strike.
Media in category great railroad strike of 1877 the following 8 files are in this category, out of 8 total. The railroads were the advance agents of industrialism, opening a national market for the first time and themselves providing a market for iron, steel, coal, and the. Some images display only as thumbnails outside the library of congress because of rights considerations, but you have access to larger size images on site. Many strikes that occurred in the united states took place because of these railroad riots.
Robert bruce, historian of the 1877 strikes, writes 1877. Jul 31, 2018 the great railroad strike of 1877 began with a work stoppage by railroad employees in west virginia who were protesting a reduction in their wages. Great railroad strike of 1877, series of violent rail strikes across the united states in 1877. Railroad strike of 1877 in late july of 1877, chicagoans played their part in the first nationwide uprising of workers. Albee captured an extraordinary series of photographs. The great railroad strike of 1877 was the countrys first major rail strike and witnessed the first general strike in the nations history. John risch, smart tds national legislative director, spoke with jaisal noor of on the significance of the 140th anniversary of the first national railroad strike that began july 14, 1877, also known as the great railroad strike and great upheaval. Streets, railroads, and the great strike of 1877 historical studies of urban america stowell, david o.
Great railroad strike of 1877 ohio history central. The great railroad strike of 1877 came at a time when the country was in the grips of an economic depression. Learn great railroad strike of 1877 with free interactive flashcards. Sometime after july 22, 1877, pittsburgh photographer s. Media in category baltimore railroad strike of 1877 the following 19 files are in this category, out of 19 total. The federal troops were successful in ending the violence at martinsburg, and the strike ended later in the summer of 1877. Media in category baltimore railroad strike of 1877 the. Includes a tokenx language analysis of documents related to the strike, a gis map displaying the spread of the strike across the northeastern united states, and a gis map displaying the movements of strikers and sympathizers during the july 20, 1877 baltimore rail riots. Annotated bibliography great railroad strike of 1877. In towns throughout citys there were battles, arrests, injuries and deaths. More than 100,000 workers participated in the strike, which lasted 45 days. Streets, railroads, and the great strike of 1877 historical. By the spring of 1877 the united states was entering its fourth year of a depression closely related to a collapse in the railroad industry. Feb 16, 2010 apush class project on the great railroad strike of 1877.
The strike showed that west virginia authorities were illprepared to handle unrest among laboring groups and led to calls, mostly unheeded, for development of a professional national guard to control labor disturbances. Meetings of working men in chicago on july 26 led to workers from a number of industries striking on the following morning, and over the. The great railroad strike of 1877 was a national crisis and involved more than 100,000 railway workers in 14 states. That year the country was in the fourth year of a prolonged economic depression after the panic of 1873. The strike was the result of continued wage cuts of the laborers such as engineers and trainmen, while many of the companies continued to pay out dividends to its stockholders. In 1877 an explosion of workingclass protest rocked the united states. In the previous quarter of a century, the nation, spurred. Labor strikes for the rail workers still occurred in the future in 1884 to 1886, 1888 to 1889, and in 1894. The great railroad strike of 1877 began in martinsburg, w.
Introduction the strike of 1877, also known as the great strike took place on railroads across the nation. See the article in its original context from july 21, 1877, page 4 buy reprints. Railroads were trying to make up for the financial losses by cutting wages, which. The great railroad strike of 1877 moves on to the pennsylvania railroad. Baltimore railroad strike of 1877 wikimedia commons. One of the important events during his presidency was the great railroad strike of 1877. S history textbook, look up the railroad strike of 1877 sometimes called the great strike of 1877. Louis strikers have been standing there for over a week and still not backing down.
The strikes and the violence it spawned briefly paralyzed the countrys commerce and led governors in ten states to mobilize 60,000 militia members to reopen rail traffic. The great railroad strike of 1877 for kids rutherford hayes was the 19th american president who served in office from march 4, 1877 to march 4, 1881. More than half the freight on the nations 75,000 miles of track stopped moving. The railroad strike of 1877 in reading berks history center. If an image is displaying, you can download it yourself. That year, there were a series of dramatic strikes by railway workers in a dozen cities that shook the nation as no labor dispute had ever done in history.
In this assessment, students evaluate an excerpt of an 1877 newspaper article about railroad strikes in columbus, ohio. Again, it happened outside the regular union, pentup anger exploding without plan. Great railroad strike of 1877 flashcards and study sets. Initiated as a more or less spontaneous railway workers strike, it became generalized into a nationwide crescendo of street protests and pitched battles. America came closer to social revolution than at any other time in its century of nationhood. The great railroad strike of 1877 was the angry response of railroad workers to wage reductions, job cuts, and the profiteering by the huge railroad corporations that had risen to dominance after the civil war. That first week of july 1877, in baltimorea city where sewage ran through the streets9 babies died. The great railroad strike of 1877 began with a work stoppage by railroad employees in west virginia who were protesting a reduction in their wages. Sep 09, 2006 the strike spread to pittsburgh and the pennsylvania railroad. The strikers refused to let the trains run until the most recent pay cut was returned to the employees. There was a possibility, that the next strike could come in the history as the continue reading great railroad strike of 1877 it was just the. This violent strike shortly paralyzed americas commerce leading to the mobilization of militia by ten state governors to reopen the rail road traffic. Choose from 8 different sets of the great railroad strike of 1877 revealed.
Read the great railroad strike of 1877 essay sample for. How did the great railroad strike of 1877 demonstrate the. The chicago railroad strike of 1877 was a series of work stoppages and civil unrest in chicago, illinois, which occurred as part of the larger national strikes and rioting of the great railroad strike of 1877. Then federal troops went from city to city, putting down strike after strike until after a few weeks the great railroad strike of 1877 was over. The great railroad strike of 1877 began on july 17, 1877, in martinsburg, west virginia. The great railroad strike of 1877 new york state library. The great railroad strike of 1877 was just the start, though a very powerful start. If it is not listed in the text, refer to another text. Choose from 16 different sets of great railroad strike of 1877 flashcards on quizlet. Picturing burnt machinery and twisted debris, albee documented the local aftermath of what scholars consider the first national labor action in the united states the great railroad strike of 1877. Year of violence, about a flagman named gus harris. Like morale after fredericksburg, this assessment asks students to source and corroborate a document.
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