Causes of the
Great
Railroad Strike of 1877
The Great Railroad Strike of 1877 was the first nationwide strike of
workers in the United States, and was viewed at the time as
insurrection and rebellion. There were many causes of the Great
Railroad Strike of 1877: Money, greed, depersonalization of workers,
and a lack of government regulation gave rise to new forms of
ruthless corporations and companies headed by 'Robber Barons'. Poor
working conditions, safety issues, wage cuts and the economic
depression led railroad workers to take violent strike action. For
addition facts refer to the article on the
Labor Unions History.
Great
Railroad Strike of 1877 for kids
Interesting facts about the Great Railroad Strike of 1877 are detailed below. The history of
Great Railroad Strike of 1877 is told in a factual sequence consisting of
a series of short facts providing a simple method of relating the
history and events of the Great Railroad Strike of 1877.
Great
Railroad Strike of 1877 Fact Sheet:
Facts for kids
Railroad Strike of
1877
Fact 1: The Great Railroad Strike of 1877 was
a national crisis and involved more than 100,000 railway
workers in 14 states. More than half the freight on the
nation’s 75,000 miles of track stopped moving.
Railroad Strike of
1877
Fact 2: Hundreds of people were injured, over
100 people died and more than 1000 people were jailed
and
Railroad Strike of
1877
Fact 3: It is estimated that $5 million of
property was destroyed during the riots.
Railroad Strike of
1877
Fact 4:
Cause: The Great Railroad Strike occured during the
economic depression known as the
Panic of 1873 that lasted for six
years and lead to extreme financial hardships, destitution, civil unrest,
demonstrations, protests and the first nationwide
strikes.
Railroad Strike of
1877
Fact 5: Cause: The working man was suffering
real hardship and animosity grew towards the
profiteering industrialists who were cutting wages and
the workforce to realize profits.
Railroad Strike of
1877
Fact 6: Cause: Poor working conditions and
dangerous hazards of the job led to injuries and deaths
of men working on the railroads.
Railroad Strike of
1877
Fact 7: The Great Railroad strike erupted in
1877 and became the first nationwide strike in the
United States. Tensions in the country were running
high, people felt insecure and their jobs and lifestyles
were unstable.
Railroad Strike of
1877
Fact 8: The first major issue occurred in May
1877 when the Pennsylvania Railroad imposed a second 10%
wage cut in two years.
Railroad Strike of
1877
Fact 9: In July 1877 the Baltimore and Ohio
Railroad (B&O) followed suit and made their second 10%
wage cut in two years. It also cut the working week to
just three days. And just to add insult to injury, the
Baltimore and Ohio Railroad also announced a 10%
dividend payment to their investors.
Railroad Strike of
1877
Fact 10: The railway workers were incensed and
started strike action in in Martinsburg, West Virginia
on July 14, 1877. 40 furious locomotive firemen walked
off the job. They were joined by other workers who
bottled up 13 locomotives and 1,500 freight cars in
Martinsburg.
Continued...
Great
Railroad Strike of 1877
Facts for kids
Great Railroad Strike of 1877
for kids
The info about the Great Railroad Strike of 1877 provides interesting facts and
important information about this important event that occured during the presidency of the 19th President of the United States of America.
Great Railroad Strike of 1877 Facts for kids
Interesting history and the Great Railroad Strike of 1877 Facts for kids are
continued below.
Great
Railroad Strike of 1877
Facts for kids
Railroad Strike of
1877
Fact 11: By the end of the first day, railway
workers blockaded freight trains near Baltimore and in
West Virginia. The strikers only allowed the passenger
traffic to get through.
Railroad Strike of
1877
Fact 12: Word of the protests and the strike
action including their blocking of traffic movement
quickly spread across the nation. Strikes and protest
actions started in Baltimore, Pittsburgh, Chicago,
Kansas City, St. Louis, and San Francisco.
Railroad Strike of
1877
Fact 13: The protests involved large mobs of
angry men and women. Governors in Pennsylvania, Maryland
and West Virginia called out their state militias.
Railroad Strike of
1877
Fact 14: The strike protests turned into
riots. The Brotherhood of Engineers, Conductors and
Firemen had done nothing to protect its members
Railroad Strike of
1877
Fact 15: Baltimore: In Baltimore the strikers
were confronted by armed state militia with their
bayonets fixed. The militia opened fire and ten
protestors were killed. The mob went wild, news of the
shootings spread and the number of protestors grew to
over 14,000. A passenger car was set on fire and a train
was crashed into freight cars
Railroad Strike of
1877
Fact 16: On July 19 President Hayes sent
Federal troops to Martinsburg armed with Gatling guns
and Springfield rifles. The strikers were no match for
such a show of force.
Railroad Strike of
1877
Fact 17: Cumberland, Maryland: The strikers
stopped passenger and freight traffic. The governor sent
out the militia and there were fights in the street.
Fires were started by rioters and the militia fired on
the mob killing 10 strikers and injuring a further 25.
President Hayes sent federal troops to restore order.
Railroad Strike of
1877
Fact 18: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: Pittsburgh
saw some of the most violent incidents in which building
and over 100 locomotives and 1000 passenger and freight
cars were destroyed. The strikers armed with stones,
started fires and attacked the militia, who retaliated
by shooting and bayoneting the rioters. 20 strikers were
killed and 29 injured.
Railroad Strike of
1877
Fact 19: Reading, Pennsylvania: The scene of
the Reading Railroad Massacre in which 10 people were
killed by the Pennsylvania State Militia
Railroad Strike of
1877
Fact 20: Chicago, Illinois: Large mobs of
rioters protested in Chicago causing chaos and damage.
They were joined by coal miners, who also went on strike
(also refer to the
Molly
Maguires). The Workingmen's Party of the United
States (WPUS) became extremely active and organized
demonstration that drew vast crowds. The rioters were
fought by the state militia and police boosted by
vigilantes. The newspapers referred to the protests as a
"Reign of Terror", likening events to the French
Revolution
Railroad Strike of
1877
Fact 21: St Louis, Missouri: The railway
workers strike took on massive proportions when the
St. Louis Workingman's Party called for solidarity from
other workers and turned into the first general strike
in the United States.
Railroad Strike of
1877
Fact 22: Each of the strikes were quelled by
Federal troops, the riots had lasted for about 1 month.
The latter part of the 1800's would see the rise of
Unions and more strikes. It set the scene for other
important events including the 1886 Haymarket Square
bombing in Chicago, the 1892 Homestead Steel Strike near
Pittsburgh and the 1894 Pullman Strike.
Railroad Strike of
1877
Fact 23: The Great Railroad Strike of 1877 was
a major event in the history of the United States and
could justifiably be called the beginning of the
'Industrial Revolution'.
Great
Railroad Strike of 1877
Facts for kids
Great Railroad Strike of 1877:
Rise of Big Business and Corporations
For additional facts and info refer to the
Rise of Big
Business and Corporations involving the
monopolies and trusts. Learn about the wealthy
industrialists referred to as the
Robber Barons and the
Captains of Industry
and discover the
Industrialization in
America that
led to Riots, Strikes and Unions.
Great
Railroad Strike of 1877 for kids - President Rutherford Hayes Video
The article on the Railroad Strike of 1877 provides detailed facts and a summary of one of the important events during his presidential term in office. The following
Rutherford Hayes video will
give you additional important facts and dates about the political events experienced by the 19th American President whose presidency spanned from March 4, 1877 to March 4, 1881.
Great Railroad Strike of 1877
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Interesting Facts about Railroad Strike of 1877 for kids and schools
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Summary of the Great Railroad Strike of 1877 in US history
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The Great Railroad Strike of 1877, a major
event in US history
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Rutherford Hayes Presidency from March 4, 1877 to March 4, 1881
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