August 11, 1877 | Illustration
The strike spread from Baltimore into small towns, big cities, and rural areas in the summer of 1877. This August 11, 1877 image from Leslie's Illustrated depicts a gang of workers under the protection of the 23rd New York State National Guard Regiment repairing the tracks near Corning, New York.
December 21, 1872 | Illustration
This image from the December 21, 1872 issue of Harper's Weekly depicts five people seated in a passenger car.
September 3, 1894 | Newspaper
Republican editor Edward Rosewater criticizes the strike commission investigation and argues little of value will emerge from its recommendations because railroads have so much influence. Rosewater includes a little poem about Thomas Scott, the president of the Pennsylvania Railroad, ridiculing him as self-absorbed and arrogant.
1861 | Photograph
Columbiad guns of the Confederate water battery at Warrington, Fla., near Pensacola, February 1861. With the railroad to Pensacola under construction and finally completed in May, the Confederates could move large guns and troops more quickly to the coast.
June 5, 1869 | Illustration
This image from the June 5, 1869 issue of Harper's Weekly depicts a large celebratory gathering around the place where the Union Pacific and Central Pacific lines joined at Promontory Summit, Utah.
May 29, 1869 | Illustration
This image was a metaphor for where the nation was going, although it said little about where the nation had been. Created by Alfred R. Waud, one of the most prolific Civil War sketch artists and lithographers, the image suggested a national tapestry of progress. Far from binding the nation, railroads and the culture that developed around them had been one of the root causes of discord and division.
September 1, 1896 | Speech
Speech by William Jennings Bryan.
August 11, 1877 | Illustration
This August 11, 1877 image from Leslie's Illustrated depicts the U.S. cavalry charging into the crowd in Chicago on July 26, 1877, and emphasizes the crowd's fear and panic in the face of sabers-drawn, overwhelming military response.
July 30, 1877 | Newspaper
This selection of articles from the July 30, 1877 issue of the Pittsburgh Daily Post notes the events of the railroad strike around the country and describes the situation regarding current railroad operations.
August 8, 1896 | Speech
Speech by William Jennings Bryan.
August 31, 1896 | Speech
Speech by William Jennings Bryan.
January 4, 1854 | Letter
In his report Claudius Crozet explains the high costs of white labor and the difficulties of securing enslaved labor.
January 21, 1850 | Contract
Claudius Crozet offers the Board of Public Works his assessment of the bids for one section of the Tunnel project.
October 1, 1896 | Speech
Speech by William Jennings Bryan.
October 1, 1896 | Speech
Speech by William Jennings Bryan.
September 11, 1865 | Annual report
This September 11, 1865 circular reports on the condition and financial status of the Southern Railroad Company after the Civil War.
October 2, 1896 | Speech
Speech by William Jennings Bryan.
1982 | Artwork
September 1, 1881 | Time Table
The Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railway's 1881 time table featured linkages to "leading business centers" and "summer resorts of the Great North-West."
September 7, 1896 | Speech
Speech by William Jennings Bryan.