The 1877 Railroad Strike
The Great Railway Strike of 1877 brought the nation's commerce to a screeching halt, and the violence that erupted in Baltimore and Pittsburgh shook the nation. In the aftermath of Civil War and Reconstruction, the great strike seemed especially ominous. Railroad workers led this first national strike in American history, exploiting the very network that was the instrument of national unity. Compare the coverage, especially language, tone, and policy recommendations in the various newspapers.
Documents related to this topic
Newspaper Accounts:
- Baltimore Sun (Affiliation: Democratic Party) (19)
- Baltimore American (Affiliation: Republican Party) (36)
- Martinsburg Statesman (Affiliation: Democratic Party) (1)
- The Daily Alleganian and Times (Affiliation: Democratic Party) (3)
- Pittsburgh Daily Post (Affiliation: Democratic Party) (38)
- The Toledo Blade (Affiliation: Republican Party) (2)
- St. Louis Dispatch (Affiliation: Democratic Party) (2)
- Chicago Inter-Ocean (Affiliation: Republican Party) (2)
- Chicago Daily Tribune (Affiliation: Republican Party) (4)
Diaries:
Images:
This section includes all of the extremely rare lithographs from two special issues of Frank Leslie's Illustrated Newspaper, especially the Strike special issues of August 4 and 11, 1877.
Photographs of the Aftermath of the Strike:
This section includes several extremely rare stereoscopic photographs of the destruction in Pittsburgh, Pa., part of a series of 42 stereoscopic slides marketed by S. V. Albee showing the aftermath of the strike.
- Photographs (6)
Popular Accounts:
- Nemo, King of the Tramps or The Romany Girl's Vengeance, A Story of the Great Railroad Riots (Dime Novel) by Captain Fred Whittaker.
- Strikers, Communists, Tramps, and Detectives (Memoir) by Allan Pinkerton. See also the lithographic images included in Pinkerton's book, especially those depicting the women strikers in Baltimore.
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The 1877 Railroad Strike
Includes a TokenX language analysis of documents related to the strike, a GIS map displaying the spread of the strike across the Northeastern United States, and a GIS map displaying the movements of strikers and sympathizers during the July 20, 1877 Baltimore Rail Riots.
