Great Railroad Strike of 1877

E2790

The Great Railroad Strike of 1877 was a massive, nationwide labor uprising by railroad workers protesting wage cuts and poor working conditions, marking one of the first major industrial strikes in U.S. history.


Statements (74)
Predicate Object
instanceOf industrial dispute
labor strike
protest movement
railroad strike
uprising
alsoKnownAs Great Strike of 1877
Great Upheaval of 1877
cause economic depression following the Panic of 1873
poor working conditions
repeated reductions in pay by railroad companies
wage cuts for railroad workers
chronology occurred during the Gilded Age
occurred during the Reconstruction era aftermath
country United States
endDate 1877-09-04
field labor history
followedBy Haymarket affair
Pullman Strike
hasEffect encouraged workers to form more permanent labor organizations
influenced later labor conflicts in the United States
prompted employers to strengthen private security and strikebreaking forces
historicalSignificance highlighted tensions between capital and labor during the Gilded Age
marked a turning point in U.S. labor relations
one of the first major national industrial strikes in U.S. history
industry railroad industry
location California
Illinois
Indiana
Kentucky
Maryland
Massachusetts
Mississippi
Missouri
New Jersey
New York
Ohio
Pennsylvania
Texas
West Virginia
mainPlace Baltimore, Maryland
Chicago, Illinois
Martinsburg, West Virginia
New York City
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
San Francisco, California
St. Louis, Missouri
motivatedBy demand for fairer working hours and conditions
demand for restoration of previous wage levels
opponent federal government of the United States
local law enforcement
railroad corporations
state governments
participant Baltimore and Ohio Railroad workers
Chicago and St. Louis railroad workers
Pennsylvania Railroad workers
federal troops
local police forces
state militias
sympathetic urban workers
unemployed laborers
partOf history of rail transport in the United States
history of the labor movement in the United States
precededBy Panic of 1873
result dozens of deaths
emergence of national labor reform movements
growth of labor union organizing
hundreds of injuries
increased public awareness of labor issues
millions of dollars in property damage
suppression of the strike by military force
significantEvent deployment of federal troops
destruction of railroad property
violent clashes between strikers and state militias
startDate 1877-07-14

Referenced by (4)
Subject (surface form when different) Predicate
Great Railroad Strike of 1877 ("Great Upheaval of 1877")
Great Railroad Strike of 1877 ("Great Strike of 1877")
alsoKnownAs
Pinkerton National Detective Agency
involvedInEvent
Gilded Age
majorEvent

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