November 1, 1854 | Letter
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.
October 4, 1890 | Broadsides
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.
August 21, 1895 | Broadsides
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.
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.
February 1, 1855 | Contract
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."
July 25, 1877 | Illustration
This image from the front page of the July 25, 1877 issue of PUCK Magazine mockingly depicts two strikers "digging their own graves."
May 18, 1896 | Legal 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.
May 18, 1896 | Legal decision
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.
October 30, 1893 | Newspaper
The Anti-Separate Coach Committee of Kentucky begins to lobby against the Jim Crow laws recently passed by the state legislature.
July 28, 1877 | Newspaper
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.
March 26, 1883 | Newspaper
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.
July 21, 1877 | Newspaper
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.
July 30, 1877 | Newspaper
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.
July 30, 1877 | Newspaper
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.
July 21, 1877 | Newspaper
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.
1873 | Legal decision
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.
December 24, 1887 | Newspaper
The case of Rev. William Heard versus the Georgia Railroad Company is heard before the Interstate Commerce Commission.
April 5, 1893 | Newspaper
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.
July 28, 1877 | Newspaper
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.
July 24, 1877 | Newspaper
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.