The Great Railroad Strike

1 1. The Great Railroad Strike The Railroad Strike happened on July 1, 1877. In the middle of an economic depression in the country, the Eastern Railroad announced a 10% pay-cut. The strike was sparked among the railroad workers and it majorly affected the flow of train traffic in major states and cities like Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Maryland, and Ohio. Furthermore, in Pittsburg and Maryland, the strikers even ended up fighting with the militia. In St. Louis, Chicago and other major cities, governors called out their state militias and this fueled the strikes. During the strikes, hundreds of people died, while many more were injured. The public sentiment, including media outlets, were sympathetic to the strikers but since the government forces proved to be very powerful in resisting the strikes, the strike died away soon thereafter (Course Instructor, n.d.). The railroad strike was not only the nation's first major rail strike, but it was also the first general strike that had been recorded in the nation's history. The violence that was carried out at the time was so extensive that it paralyzed the economy of the country and forced governors in 10 major states to call out the militia to assist in the resumption of the railway's operations.

2. The Haymarket Affair The Haymarket affair refers to a protest that took place in Chicago in 1886. The reason for the protest was that workingmen were dissatisfied with the conduct of the police during a strike at a local factory. It began to rain during the protest, and as the police tried to break up the meeting, a bomb went off, killing one police officer. The police men opened fire, and 7 more policemen died in the ensuing chaos. 2 workmen also lost their lives and 70 people were injured. 8 suspects were arrested and accused of participating in the protests.

Although none of them was actually at the protest, all of them held anarchist views. 4 of the

2 accused persons were executed, 3 were sent to prison, and 1 committed suicide (Course Instructor, n.d.). This strike was significant because it substantially negated the gains that had been made by the unions. There was a general spread of antiradical views and the support that had been gathered for an 8-hour workday was abandoned. The public opinions of unions deteriorated because they were viewed as being radical.

3. Social Darwinism Social Darwinism refers to popular theories of society, which emerged in North America and Western Europe in the 1870s. Its chief proponents were Herbert Spenser, a British Philosopher who proposed that the concept of “survival for the fittest” could be applied to people groups. Another supporter of these theories, John Fiske the English /Anglo Saxon breed was meant to dominate the world because of its superior bloodline, institutions, culture and language. According to the Social Darwinists, it was right that the power and riches of the wealthy should continue to increase, while that of the poor should continue to decrease. The ideas of the Social Darwinists were significant because they were used to justify many injustices such as eugenics, imperialism, racism, Nazism, and authoritarianism.

Much of the struggle that was observed between the races in the 19th and 20th century was fueled by the principles and ideas of Social Darwinists.

4. Plessy v. Ferguson This was an 1896 case that touched on segregation laws. Plessy was an AfricanAmerican who was 1/8 black and 7/8 white (Course Instructor, n.d.). However, under the laws of the state of Louisiana, he was still considered to be black. The case stemmed from an incident in 1892 in which Homer Plessy refused in a separate car in a train, which was reserved for African Americans. Plessy sued went to court, alleging that the segregation laws

3 violated his constitutional rights. However, the Supreme Court rejected his claim, stating instead that the segregation laws were not unconstitutional, since they merely sought to establish a legal distinction between Black and White people. The “separate but equal” doctrine was brought forth in support of the constitutionality of segregation. This case was significant because it validated the laws of the Jim Crow era. After this decision, separate public accommodations for Black and White people became common and Jim Crow legislation continued to spread.

5. Sand Creek Massacre The Sand Creek Massacre was a massacre of the Cheyenne and Arapaho people by the U.S. army under the leadership of Colonel John Chivington. It occurred on November 29, 1864. The Sand Creek territory was located in the state of Colorado (Course Instructor, n.d.).

The governor of Colorado wanted to open the reservations up to white settlements but the tribes refused. Colonel John Chivington was sent into the reservations to “quell the violence”. As the Colonel and his 700 men approached the reservation, Chief Black Kettle raised an American flag and a white flag in surrender but the tribes were attacked regardless of their surrender. During the massacre, the tribal people were murdered brutally. It is estimated that 105 women and children and 28 men died in the massacres. Although the Colonel was praised as a hero after the massacre, he was later on condemned for his actions after a congressional investigation.

4 References Course Instructor. (n.d.). American Empire [PowerPoint slides].

Course Instructor. (n.d.). Native American wars and policies [PowerPoint slides].

Course Instructor. (n.d.). The late 19th century America: Industrialization, immigration, culture and populism [PowerPoint slides].

Course Instructor. (n.d.). The new South 1877-1900 [PowerPoint slides].