Great+Railroad+Strike+of+1877

= Great Railroad Strike of 1877 =

by Delaney H and Serena C
**The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Company** In 1873, The Panic of 1873 sent the entire country into economic shock. Large, wealthy companies did what they believed they had to do in order to save themselves financially. For companies like The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Company, this included letting some workers go and significantly cutting back the wages of some workers. The Great Railroad Strike of 1877 was a result of these unfair cuts and circumstances.

** The Workers **

The people working on the railroads were far from wealthy. There was a huge gap between the financial class of the B&O owners and it's workers. The workers needed their full wages just to feed there families and get by. The workers started getting fed up with the poor circumstances they had no choice but to work under. Many of them were dismissed or suffered wage cuts. After B&O cut the wages for the second time in the year, the Strike of 1877 broke out. The workers blocked freight trains, not moving until their wages were restored.



** The Problems ** Railroad workers across the country were experiencing significant cuts in wages and increased work hours. This was partially because of the Panic of 1873 which led to many firings of workers and a depression in the economy. Workers also disapproved of big companies believing they would wipe out independent businesses. Many workers felt that capitalism was turning into an excuse for business owners to control the entire economy.

** Stri ﻿ ke! ** __West Virginia __ The masses of angry workers gathered in Martinsburg, West Virginia on July 17, 1877 and blocked freight trains. The workers refused to leave until wages were increased. The mayor of Martinsburg called in militia but they refused to use violence to terminate the strike. The mayor also requested federal troops but none were received. __Baltimore __ The strike quickly spread to Baltimore and mobs threw stones at the militia overwhelming them. Workers then proceeded to destroy railroad property and a few militiamen fired at the crowds killing ten people. Maryland requested federal troops as well but did not receive any. __Pittsburg __



The Great Railroad Strike expanded along with more violence. The struggle between mobs and militia continued and on July 21, 1877, business leaders and union leaders sent troops to protect Pennsylvania’s railroad property. The government also intervened with the National Guard. Workers persisted and caused more damage to the property. By the end of the turmoil in Pittsburg, forty people were killed.

__St. Louis and Chicago __ In St. Louis, Missouri on July 21, 1877 a strike against the leading railroad companies lasted for nearly a week. In Chicago, Illinois on July 24, 1877 twenty thousand workers went on strike. This strike was set up by the Workingmen’s Party. When federal troops finally arrived to the cities in turmoil, all strikes were stopped at the expense of around one hundred people.

** Public Reaction **

As a result of the strike, the public was made aware of the strenghth and power the workers had when they united. They were able to create a great deal of damage to the railroads. One particular railroad company, The Burlington Railroad lost at least $2,100,000 over the forty-five days of the strike.

** Impact ** The Great Railroad Strike of 1877 was the one of the largest strikes in U.S. history and was the only strike to require federal troops to dismiss the workers. The magnitude of the strike caused the nation’s railroads and interstate commerce was paralyzed. Having been shut down by August 5, 1877 tension between workers and business owners remained as they returned to work. The participants in the strike were considered heroes by other workers for both large and small companies. The strike greatly changed American’s attitude towards capitalism and having an industrial based society. Big businessmen separated relieving the gap between large companies and independent companies.

** Changes ** Many changes were made to please the thousands of protesters. Labor parties started and grew as large as the railroad companies. A popular one was the Knights of Labor that was public in 1879. Many states passed conspiracy laws to prevent further trouble of companies expanding too largely. Immigrants and communists were targeted by newspapers after the strike. They were seen as “enemies of progress”. This put a barrier between this part of the population and the rest of the industrial society. The Great Railroad Strike of 1877 ended with major changes.

__References:__

Lens, Sidney. // The labor wars: from the Molly Maguires to the sitdowns //. [1st ed. Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday, 1973. Print.

"Great Railroad Strike of 1877." //American History //. ABC-CLIO, 2011. Web. 11 May 2011.

"1877 -- What Was "the Great Strike"?." //Amerian Social History Project//. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 May 2011. .

<span style="color: #000000; font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: normal;">"The Strike of 1877." //Teaching American History in Maryland - Documents for the Classroom - Maryland State Archives//. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 May 2011. <http://teachingamericanhistory

<span style="color: #000000; font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: normal;">Stowell, David O.. //The great strikes of 1877//. Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 2008. Print.

<span style="color: #000000; font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: normal;">Pictography:

<span style="font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: normal;">"1877 -- What Was "the Great Strike"?." //Amerian Social History Project//. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 May 2011. <http://web.gc.cuny.edu/ashp/1877/f1877-1.html>. <span style="font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">