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  • | Letter

    Attorney General W.P. Bocark's Opinion Regarding the Bureau of Public Works' Liability for Slaves Killed on Blue Ridge Railroad, November 1, 1854

    When two slaves were killed on the Blue Ridge Tunnel project, slaveholders held the Virginia Board of Public Works, which had hired slaves through contractors, liable for the losses. Affidavits were taken on the value of the slaves, their character and history. The Attorney General of Virginia, W. P. Bocock, ruled that whether the slaves were killed on the Virginia Central Rail Road Co. or the Blue Ridge project was immaterial, and that the Board of Public Works was liable for reasonable compensation to the slaveholders.

  • | Broadsides

    Broadside Offering a $200 Reward for Information Regarding an Attempt to Derail a Union Pacific Train, October 4, 1890

    In this October 4, 1890 broadside, the Union Pacific Railroad offers a $200 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the individuals who attempted to derail a train.

  • | Broadsides

    Broadside Offering a $500 Reward for the Arrest of Train Robbers, August 21, 1895

    In this 1895 broadside, the Pacific Express Company offers a $500 reward for the arrest and conviction of those who robbed Union Pacific train Number 8 on August 21.

  • | Newspaper

    Collapse of the Strike

    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.

  • | Contract

    Contract Between the Illinois Central Railroad Company and Pinkerton & Company, February 1, 1855

    In this February 1, 1855 contract between the Illinois Central Railroad and Allan Pinkerton's Detective Agency, Pinkerton & Company agree to establish a "Police Agency" in Chicago to assist the Railroad in the "prompt and efficient performance of their business."

  • | Illustration

    Digging Their Own Graves

    This image from the front page of the July 25, 1877 issue of PUCK Magazine mockingly depicts two strikers "digging their own graves."

  • | Legal decision

    Excerpts from Plessy v. Ferguson decision

    These excerpts from the Supreme Court's Plessy v Ferguson decision outline primary points of the seven-man decision that asserted the constitutionality of "separate but equal" facilities.

  • | Legal decision

    Excerpts from Plessy v. Ferguson dissent

    These excerpts from Justice John Harlan's dissent from the Supreme Court's Plessy v Ferguson decision include scathing counter-arguments to the majority decision that asserted the legality of "separate but equal" facilities.

  • | Newspaper

    Fight on Class Law

    The Anti-Separate Coach Committee of Kentucky begins to lobby against the Jim Crow laws recently passed by the state legislature.

  • | Newspaper

    General Sherman

    This article from the July 28, 1877 issue of the Pittsburgh Daily Post presents a series of opinions and responses concerning the reasons for the strike.

  • | Newspaper

    Georgia Letter

    The plight of middle- and upper-class African Americans on Georgia railways and in public accommodations is briefly addressed in this report from Savannah, Georgia.

  • | Newspaper

    Hayes' July 21 Proclamation: A Manifesto Against Domestic Violence

    On July 21, 1877, President Rutherford B. Hayes issued a proclamation ordering all strikers to disperse and return home. He noted that a state of "domestic violence" existed in Cumberland, Maryland, and "along the line" of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad.

  • | Newspaper

    Last Week

    This article from the July 30, 1877 issue of the Pittsburgh Daily Post presents a number of miscellaneous items in relation to the current behavior of strikers, as well as responses to the National Guard's occupation of the city.

  • | Newspaper

    New York: Mr. Beecher Explains

    These selections from the July 30, 1877 issue of the Pittsburgh Daily Post briefly note Henry Ward Beecher's clarification of a previous controversial statement. A court victory for the Pennsylvania Railroad Company, which was being sued, is also described.

  • | Newspaper

    Police Commissioner's Announcement

    On July 21, 1877, two Baltimore Police Commissioners, the Maryland Governor, and the President of the Board of Police ask residents to abstain from gathering in crowds.

  • | Legal decision

    Railroad Company v. Brown, 84 U.S. 17 Wall. 445 445 (1873)

    In 1868, Catherine Brown, an African American woman, was ejected from the "ladies car" on the Washington, Alexandria, and Georgetown Railroad Company when traveling from Alexandria, Virginia, to the District of Columbia. Brown sued the rail company and the case was appealed to the United States Supreme Court - the first case addressing race and public transportation to appear before the Court. Although the legal status of the railroad under Congressional rulings that had applied to earlier iterations of the company became a basis for appeal, the rights of African Americans became the most notable outcome of the Supreme Court's decision for Brown in 1873.

  • | Newspaper

    Rev. Mr. Heard's Railroad Case

    The case of Rev. William Heard versus the Georgia Railroad Company is heard before the Interstate Commerce Commission.

  • | Newspaper

    Rights of Negroes

    The decision for Maime Caldwell in her case against the East Tennessee, Virginia and Georgia Railroad Company for discrimination is briefly recounted, noting the final award of $800.

  • | Newspaper

    The End Drawing Near

    This section of articles from the July 28, 1877 issue of the Pittsburgh Daily Post notes the nationwide events occurring in relation to the strike and include a discussion of the attempts at negotiations between officials and laborers.

  • | Newspaper

    The Labor Agitation

    This selection of articles from the July 24, 1877 issue of the Pittsburgh Daily Post looks at the events surrounding railroad strikes in cities around the United States and notes the crime and violence taking place.