Rutherford B. Hayes (1877-1881): The Great Railroad Strike

After serving as a major general in the Union Army, a member of Congress, and governor of Ohio, Rutherford B. Hayes accepted the Republican Party’s nomination for president in 1876, but promised to seek only one term if elected.

At that time, the United States was in the midst of an economic crisis caused by a number of factors, including a speculative boom in railroad construction. In the five years following the Civil War, more than 30,000 miles of new track were laid across the country.

When the Panic of 1873 broke out, thousands of American companies went bankrupt and unemployment reached 14%, while the construction of new railroads collapsed, as did the production of iron and steel. The 364 railroads in the United States, the second largest employer after agriculture, were hit particularly hard by the reduced demand for freight transport. Almost a quarter of them had to file for bankruptcy.

The great railway strike of 1877

Over a period of three years, beginning in 1874, the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad began cutting wages until workers were earning little more than half their salaries before the panic. In July 1877 the president of the railway announced that since the Depression Since this has a “serious impact on the usual earnings of railway companies”, a further 10% cut is necessary so that the company can continue to pay the same dividends to its shareholders.

Within days, railroad workers in Martinsburg, West Virginia, and Baltimore, Maryland, went on strike, shutting down train service. Local citizens joined in the protests. (The railroads were very hostile at the time for a variety of reasons, including their monopoly status and safety record.) After police and state militia were called in, the strike turned violent.

In Maryland, protesters threw rocks at militiamen, who then fired into the crowd, killing 11 people. The protesters then set buildings and trains on fire and distributed manifestos that said: “Let it be clear: If the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Company does not immediately meet the demands of its employees, the officers will risk their lives and property, for we will run their trains and locomotives into the river; we will blow up their bridges; we will destroy their railroads; we will burn their stores and vandalize their hotels in desperation.”

The engravingbelow, shows the blockade of trains in Martinsburg, West Virginia,

The strikes spread and led to America’s first nationwideWorkers’ uprising.

Workers of the Pennsylvania Railroad In Pittsburgh, trains were stopped, but local police forces refused to intervene, so the governor sent in National Guard troops, who were jeered by the protesters. The troops then charged the crowd with bayonets and, after being hit by rocks, opened fire, killing more than 20 people, including a woman and three young children. The crowd then burned company property and blocked firefighters. Nearly 40 buildings, more than 100 locomotives and 1,200 freight cars went up in flames.

The fire at the Union Depot in Pittsburgh, as reported in engravingbelow.

Over the course of a few weeks, strikes and protests broke out in other parts of the country, including New York, Maryland, Illinois, and Missouri. The strikes grew organically because few workers belonged to a formal union.

A combination of city and state police forces, the National Guard, and private militias organized by the railroad fought against the workers. It is estimated that more than 100,000 people took part in the strikes, nearly 1,000 people were imprisoned and about 100 were killed. The strike slowed or halted more than half of the country’s rail freight traffic.

The president of the Pennsylvania Railroad, businessmen, and overwhelmed governors urged President Hayes to crush the strike with federal troops.

President Hayes had no understanding for the violence. On July 18, 1877, four days after the strike began in West Virginia, he issued a proclamation It warned Americans not to “support, condone, instigate or participate in any unlawful act” and called upon them to “peacefully withdraw to their respective places of residence” “no later than” the next afternoon.

He understood the frustration of the workers, but was not a union sympathizer.

In his diaryHayes wrote, “Cannot something be done by education of the strikers, by judicious control of the capitalists, by a wise general policy to stop or lessen the evil? The railroad strikers are, as a rule, good, sober, intelligent, and industrious people.” He wrote that the evil is caused by the strikers, who prevent people from working and seize property, and “every man has the right to refuse to work, but no man has the right to prevent others from working.”

Although federal troops had never before been deployed during a labor dispute in a state, President Hayes ordered troops to be sent to Maryland, West Virginia and Pittsburgh, and in early August – wwith the help of federal troops — All strikes were over and the trains were running again. The President made it clear that he was sending the troops to maintain order, not to side with railroad management.

After the strike

The strikes, protests and unrest brought no benefits to the workers. Most of them returned to work without a pay increase, while many of the strike leaders were fired and blacklisted for their role.

However, the great railway strike of 1877 had long-term consequences.

The workers became better organized and educated. Digital history reader writes: “In 1877, the American working class reacted violently to the wage cuts that had brought many workers to the brink of starvation and protested against the excesses of the new industrial order – long hours, economic instability, brutal exploitation, and the feeling of being little more than cogs in a giant machine.”

But state and federal government officials took steps to limit the power of unions. Many states decided to strengthen their police forces and the National Guard. According to the Miller Center “Although Hayes’s intention was clearly to maintain order, not to break the strike, he ultimately set a strong precedent for the use of federal soldiers to intervene on the part of business during mass strikes – a precedent that Gilded Age presidents would invoke again and again over the next two decades.”

Workers’ rights came much later

Almost 50 years later, the first federal law was passed that guaranteed a group of workers the right to collective bargaining. The Railway Labor Act of 1926 Unions would negotiate agreements with railroads to determine terms and conditions of employment, including wages, benefits, working hours and vacation.

This law was intended to prevent future strikes.because of the importance of railroads to the American economy. The resolution process would include mediation by an independent federal agency and actions by the President to facilitate an agreement. Strikes would only be permitted in the event of major conflicts and only after the union has exhausted all negotiation and mediation procedures provided for by law.

Impressive buildings still stand

Cities across the United States still bear the physical legacy of the 1877 railroad strike. To quell social unrest, many states and cities – with financial backing from wealthy business owners – built armories that resembled medieval castles to house National Guard units and suppress labor movements.”

Below is an old photo an armory in PortlandOregon, which was completed in 1888. Today it is an art center.

The Boston Armory, pictured below, was built in the 1890s. It is now used for weddings and other events.

The New York State Armory in Newburgh, pictured The building (see below) was built in 1880. Today it houses the offices of the local government.