Admin Where was the Great Railroad Strike of 1877?
Martinsburg
The Great Railroad Strike of 1877 began in Martinsburg, W.Va., on July 16 when railroad workers responded to yet another pay cut by shutting down the yard. Violent clashes broke out, and from there the trouble raced along the great railroad lines into Baltimore, Pittsburgh, Chicago and St.
What was the company’s response to the railroad strike?
Railroad employees responded by seizing control of the rail yard switches, blocking the movement of trains. Soon, violent strikes broke out in Baltimore, Chicago, Kansas City, Pittsburgh, St. Louis, and San Francisco. Governors in Maryland, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia called out their state militias.
What union was involved in the Great Railroad Strike of 1877?
From this point tensions escalated quickly. In Martinsburg, West Virginia, situated roughly 90 miles from Baltimore, B&O workers (most belonging to the local Trainmen’s Union) went on strike during the evening of July 16th, declaring freight trains would not move until the railroad restored the 10% wage cut.
What did the great railroad strike of 1877 and the Pullman strike of 1894 have in common?
What did the Railroad Strike of 1877, the Pullman Strike, and the Homestead steel strike all have in common? Railroads gave workers high paying jobs so that they had the money to buy manufactured products. How did railroads change where Americans lived in the late 1800’s?
What led up to the Pullman strike?
Among the reasons for the strike were the absence of democracy within the town of Pullman and its politics, the rigid paternalistic control of the workers by the company, excessive water and gas rates, and a refusal by the company to allow workers to buy and own houses. They had not yet formed a union.
What was the purpose of the Pullman strike?
The Pullman strike brought Eugene Debs national attention, and it led directly to his conversion to socialism. The events of the strike led other Americans to begin a quest for achieving more harmonious relations between capital and labor while protecting the public interest.
Where did the railroad strike take place?
The Great Railroad Strike of 1877 began on July 17, 1877, in Martinsburg, West Virginia. Workers for the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad went on strike, because the company had reduced workers’ wages twice over the previous year.
What happened when the transcontinental railroad workers went on strike?
This month marks the 150th anniversary of the historic eight-day strike, which began on June 25. It ended after Central Pacific director Charles Crocker choked off food, supplies, and transportation to thousands of Chinese laborers who lived in camps where they worked.