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  • | Illustration

    Rioters Distributing Stolen Whisky at Pittsburgh.

    Images of rowdy or drunken strikers were common in the wake of the 1877 strikes.

  • | Illustration

    Pennsylvania - Retreat Of The Philadelphia Troops

    As the Philadelphia Militia was driven from the Twenty-eighth Street roundhouse by rioters, they moved through the streets of Pittsburgh to the supposed safety of the Allegheny Arsenal, frequently under fire.

  • | Illustration

    The Mob Firing the Camden Street Station

    This August 4, 1877 image from Leslie's Illustrated depicts a stealthy and determined crowd setting fire to the Camden Street Railroad Station.

  • | Illustration

    The Fifth New Jersey Militia Guarding the Switch-House at East Newark

    Fears of violence during the 1877 strike pushed many states to press local guards and militias into service in railyards.

  • | Illustration

    Pennsylvania - Attempt To Arrest A Rioter At Pittsburgh.

    The violence at Pittsburgh resulted in numerous arrests - one is pictured below.

  • | Illustration

    Pennsylvania - Bishop Twigg Urging The Pittsburgh Rioters To Desist, On July 23d.

    With other local clergy, Bishop Twigg of Pittsburgh tried to quell the violence of the strike and rioting.

  • | Illustration

    The Sixth Regiment Firing Upon the Mob

    This August 4, 1877 image from Leslie's Illustrated depicts soldiers from the Sixth National Guard Regiment firing into the crowd, which includes women in the foreground and features the crowd hurling bricks, waving clubs, and shooting at the soldiers with a revolver.

  • | Illustration

    New York. - Rioters Soaping The Track At Hornellsville.

    Strikers greased the tracks running out of Hornellsville up Tip Top Summit, effectively preventing trains from climbing the grade.

  • | Illustration

    Serving Chowder To The Soldiers.

    This image comes from a series of illustrations "Scenes In The Armory Of The Seventh Regiment, N.G.S.N.Y." depicting the soldiers' stay in their armory in preparation for violence on the streets of New York.

  • | Newspaper

    Railroad Strikers/Employees

    This brief article, an opinion taken from PUCK Magazine, speculates about the future position of railroad employees.

  • | Contract

    Burlington Northern Land Contract, August 8, 1877

    In this August 8, 1877 application to buy land from the Burlington and Missouri River Railroad Company, Joseph Fischer purchases 160 acres in Lancaster County, Nebraska for $7.00 per acre. An immigrant from Bohemia, Fischer took advantage of the railroad's 10-year credit plan to finance his new purchase. Railroad credit plans enabled immigrants and others who lacked ready cash to buy land.

  • | Illustration

    Beecher's Theory and Practice

    This cover image from the August 8, 1877 issue of PUCK Magazine depicts Henry Ward Beecher as a hypocrite.

  • | Newspaper

    Puck's Cartoons. The Dog and the Shadow

    This short poem or "fable" appeared in the August 8, 1877 issue of PUCK Magazine as lesson for strikers.

  • | Illustration

    The Fifth Pennsylvania Quelling a Riot

    This illustration from the August 8, 1877 issue of PUCK Magazine mocks the Fifth Pennsylvania Regiment's efforts to put down the riot.

  • | Illustration

    Colonel Agramonte's Cavalry Charges the Mob

    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.

  • | Illustration

    Frank Leslie's Illustrated Newspaper, August 11, 1877, front page

    This August 11, 1877 front page from Leslie's Illustrated is meant to capture the immediacy of the violence and action associated with the strikes.

  • | Illustration

    Construction Gang Repairing the Tracks at Corning

    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.

  • | Illustration

    Workingmen's Mass Meeting in Tompkin's Square, Wednesday Evening, July 25th

    An August 11, 1877 image from Leslie's Illustrated depicting a New York City meeting in Tompkins Square; both supporters and opponents of the strike are visible in the image. Note the placard to the side of the stage: "Our Strength Lies in the Justice of Our Demands Let the Workingmen of the World Unite."

  • | Illustration

    Scene in the Armory of the Seventh Regiment, N.G.S.N.Y. — The troops awaiting orders.

    During the strikes, New York's Seventh Regiment occupied the armory for several days in preparation for violence in the city. Although there were several large meetings held, no mob action took place in New York.

  • | Illustration

    The Police Watching, In Concealement, The Crowd in Tompkins Square

    Although there was no large-scale unrest in New York, crowds did gather in Tompkins Square during the Railroad Strike. Tompkins Square had been the site of civil unrest and rioting at several points in New York history, including during the 1863 Draft Riots, and police feared speakers would rile up strike supporters.