What happened in the great railroad strike of 1877?
The Great Railroad Strike of 1877 started on July 14 in Martinsburg, West Virginia, in response to the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad (B&O) cutting wages of workers for the third time in a year. Striking workers would not allow any of the trains, mainly freight trains, to roll until this third wage cut was revoked.
Was the great railroad strike of 1877 nationwide?
In July 1877 West Virginia was the scene of a railroad strike that soon became the first nationwide strike in United States history. The trouble began when an economic depression led railroad companies to cut wages.
Where was the railroad strike of 1877?
Martinsburg, West Virginia
Such was the United States in July, 1877. The Railroad Strike began simply enough, in Martinsburg, West Virginia, on July 16. It became the first massive strike of American workers, and was viewed at the time as rebellion and insurrection.
Was the strike of 1877 successful?
More than 100,000 workers participated in the Great Railroad Strike of 1877, at the height of which more than half the freight on the country’s tracks had come to a halt. By the time the strikes were over, about 1,000 people had gone to jail and some 100 had been killed. In the end the strike accomplished very little.
What were the long term effects of the Great Railroad Strike of 1877?
Another tangible long-term effect of the Great Strike was to energize the labor movement. “The railroad strike of 1877 was the tocsin that sounded a ringing message of hope to us all,” declared labor leader Samuel Gompers nearly fifty years after the uprising (Bruce 318).
Why did the Great Railroad Strike of 1877 end?
By the end of August 1877, the strike had ended primarily due to federal government intervention, the use of state militias, and the employment of strikebreakers by the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad Company. The Great Railroad Strike was typical of most strikes during this era.
What was the cause of the Great Railroad Strike of 1877 quizlet?
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 were the causes of the Great Railroad Strike?
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 ‘.
Why did the workers strike the railroad in 1877?
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. The strikers refused to let the trains run until the most recent pay cut was returned to the employees.
What did the railway strike of 1877 do workers?
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. And that seemingly isolated incident quickly turned into a national movement. Railroad workers walked off the job in other states and seriously disrupted commerce in the East and Midwest .
What role did Army play in the railroad strike of 1877?
What role did the army play in the railroad strike. During the railroad strike of 1877, the federal government issued a court injunction ordering the strike to cease and the people to go back to work. The US Army, and many Pinkerton agents were called in to break up the strike and enforce the injunction.