Great+Railroad+Strike+of+1877

//**Great Railroad Strike of 1877**// // In this letter, Henry Matthews, the Governor of West Virginia, responds to the strike. It was written on July 18, 1877. // // Wheeling, W. Va., // // July 18 //. // To His Excellency, R.B. Hayes, President of the United States: // Owing to unlawful combinations and domestic violence now existing at Martinsburg and at other points along the line of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, it is impossible with any force at my command to execute the laws of the State. I therefore call upon your Excellency for the assistance of the United States military to protect the law-abiding people of the State against domestic violence, and to maintain the supremacy of the law. The Legislature is not now in session, and could not be assembled in time to take any action in the emergency. A force of from 200 to 300 should be sent without delay to Martinsburg, where my aide, Colonel Delaplaine, will meet and conf//[er]// with the officers in command. // HENRY M. MATTHEWS, Governor of West Virginia. // Matthews thought the strike was unlawful and, and that it should be stopped. His perspective was that the strike was stopping work and preventing him from doing his job properly. Matthews’ motivation to write this letter was to gain federal troops. Matthews’ view of the strike is similar to that of other business owners, such as the owners of the B&O Railroad. Railroad owners thought that the strike was “un-American” because of their rights to liberty and property. Labor, however, viewed the strike differently. The strikers thought they were defending equality and independence.
 * Business and Labor**


 * Cause of the Strike **

** Garrett Announces Wage Reduction ** ** This July 11, 1877 circular announces a wage reduction for workers on the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad. ** ** THE OFFICIAL ORDER. ** [Th]e official circular setting forth the proposed re-[ ]on is as follows: [BALT]IMORE AND OHIO RAILROAD COMPANY, OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT. BALTIMORE, July 11, 1877. [To the ] Officers and employees of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad company: [At a m]eeting of the Board of Directors of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad company, held this day, the [follo]wing preamble and resolutions were adopted: // Whereas //, The depression in the general business interests of the country continues, thus seriously affect[i]ng the usual earnings of railway companies, and ren[d]ering a further reduction of expenses necessary; [t]herefore, be it  // Resolved // , That a reduction of ten per cent be made [i]n the present compensation of all officers and em[p]loyees of every grade in the service of the Com[p]any, where the amount received exceeds one dol[l]ar per day, to take effect on and after July 16th, inst. // Resolved //, That the said reduction shall apply to the [?]ain stem and branches east of the Ohio River, and [t]o the Trans-Ohio divisions, and that it shall embrace all roads leased or operated by the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Company. It is hoped and believed that all persons in the service of the company will appreciate the necessity of [a]nd concur cordially in this action. The Board postponed action until some time after [i]ts great competitors, the Pennsylvania, New York [C]entral and Hudson River, and New York and Erie [co]mpanies had made general and similar reductions [in] pay, with the hope that business would so improve [that] this necessity would be obviated. In this they [have] been disappointed. The President, in announcing the decision of the Board, takes occasion to express the conviction and [e]xpectation that every officer and man in the service will cheerfully recognize the necessity of the reduc[t]ion and earnestly co-operate in every measure of ju[d]icious economy necessary to aid in maintaining ef[f]ectively the usefulness and success of the company.

JOHN W. GARRETT, //President// This newspaper article talks about what changes are going to be made for the Baltimore and Ohio railroads. It states that there will be wage reductions of 10% and money received will ‘exceed one dollar per day’. This decision will affect the railroads ‘east of the Ohio river, and to the Trans-Ohio divisions’ and will also apply to areas ‘operated by the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Company’. The Panic of 1873 was also a cause of the strike. The people became furious after they were laid off, evicted, and received less and less money for their jobs. Some people were outraged and simply quit their job.


 * The Strike **

People reacted to the changes made by going on a massive strike. In some states, railroads were blocked by protesters in hopes that they would prevent further changes and get wages back to how they were. In other states, railroads were burned and the militia had to be called in on several occasions. In Pittsburgh, the riots got so out of hand that the police and militia couldn’t control it. They eventually took the side of the workers. Protesters in some places attacked the militia, causing them to kill rioters. Some 80,000 people had stopped their work and went on strike.


 * Effects**

The effects of the strike were felt immediately. The strike scared many business owners away from further wage cuts, and even led to a few pay raises. Many states passed conspiracy laws. Unions leaders also learned that a mob was ineffective, especially when faced with federal troops. In the long term, the Great Railroad Strike of 1877 began a movement toward more business regulation. It changed American attitudes about industrial society by further dividing workers and businessmen.

 "Great Railroad Strike of 1877." //ABC-Clio//. (2011). http://americanhistory.abc-clio.com/Search/Display/308620?terms=great%20railroad%20strike%20of%201877&webSiteCode=SLN_AMHIST&returnToPage=%2fSearch%2fDisplay%2f308620%3fterms%3dgreat+railroad+strike+of+1877&token=4632E0B84DB729634ADA938151E5D31B&casError=False. Matthews, Henry, Wheeling, to Rutherford Hayes, President of the United States, 18 July, 1877. //Railroads and the Making of Modern America.// http://railroads.unl.edu/documents/view_document.php?views%5B0%5D=Strike&rends%5B0%5D=newspaper&publication=Baltimore+American&id=rail.str.0004. "What was the "Great Strike" of 1877?" //American Social History Project.// []. John W Garrett, President of the Baltimore and ohio Railroad Company. [] Boardman Jr., Fon W. //America and the Robber Barons.// May 11,2011.
 * References**