Question

Which of the following best states the relationship between the government, company management, and striking workers during the late 1800s?
The government nearly always sided with striking workers against companies.
Companies often hired government agents to keep striking workers in line.
The government nearly always sided with companies against striking workers.
Companies often hired government agents to encourage workers to strike.

Answer 1

The government nearly always sided with companies against striking workers.

Reason: In the late 1800s federal, state, and local authorities frequently intervened on the side of business—using troops, state militias, police, and court injunctions—to break strikes (e.g., the Great Railroad Strike of 1877, the Homestead Strike, the Pullman Strike of 1894), while companies also used private agents like the Pinkertons to suppress labor actions.