After the Haymarket Riot, labor organizers and socialists in countries around the world began celebrating May 1 as Workers Day—an occasion U.S. government officials had no interest in sanctioning. Meanwhile, other cities had followed New York’s lead in holding Labor Day celebrations in early September. In 1887, Oregon became the first state to make it an official holiday; by 1894, 22 other states had passed similar legislation.Angry Pullman workers walked out in May 1894, and the following month, the American Railway Union (ARU) and its leader, Eugene V. Debs, declared a sympathy boycott of all trains using Pullman cars.

Question

The Pullman strike effectively halted rail traffic and commerce in 27 states stretching from Chicago to the West Coast, driving the General Managers Association (GMA), a group that represented Chicago’s railroad companies, to seek help from the federal government in shutting the strike down.In 1893, George Pullman laid off three-quarters of his employees, cut wages for many of the ones he brought back by nearly 30 percent, and refused to reduce rents or store prices in the company town he operated south of Chicago. The following year, the American Railway Union, headed by Eugene V. Debs, announced a nationwide boycott of all trains carrying Pullman cars, to support the ARU local whose workers were employed by Pullman. The Pullman strike was the first instance in American labor history of a sympathy action, in which workers who aren’t directly involved in a dispute intervene to help fellow laborers.

The ARU managed to shut down rail travel in 27 states, an area stretching from Chicago to the West Coast, according to Indiana State University labor historian Richard Schneirov. But after Pullman’s company joined forces with railroad managers, President Grover Cleveland’s Attorney General Richard Olney convinced a federal judge to issue an injunction against the strikers, and Cleveland himself sent 10,000 federal troops in to suppress the strike. Most of the strikers eventually were rehired, except for union leaders who were blacklisted by Pullman. Debs served six months in prison for violating the injunction and used his time behind bars to read Karl Marx’s Das Kapital. After his release, he became active in the Socialist Party and ran five times for U.S. president. The Pullman Strike (May–July 1894) was a violent confrontation between railroad workers and the Pullman Palace Car Company of Illinois. It tied up rail traffic across the United States before it was halted by federal injunction. In the wake of the Panic of 1893, the Pullman Company cut wages, but it did not lower rents or other charges to employees in the company town of Pullman, now part of Chicago. When representatives of the American Railway Union protested (May 11), they were fired. Eugene V. Debs, the head of the union, then called for (June 26) a boycott of all Pullman cars. On July 2, Att. Gen. Richard Olney obtained a court injunction to halt the strike. Federal troops arrived in Chicago two days later. Rioting broke out, and several strikers were killed, but by July 10 the strike had been broken. Debs and other top union officials were jailed for disobeying the injunction.

What was the impact of the boycott on rail service in surrounding Chicago?
How did the federal government react to the strike?
Describe the violence that occurred on July 7, 1894
answer this using the paragraphs and answer each question sepprately

Answer 1

What was the impact of the boycott on rail service in surrounding Chicago?

The boycott declared by the American Railway Union (ARU) in support of the Pullman strike had a significant impact on rail service in the surrounding areas, effectively halting rail traffic and commerce across 27 states stretching from Chicago to the West Coast. This widespread disruption underscored the power of collective action among workers and marked a critical moment in American labor history, as it represented the first instance of a sympathy action, where workers not directly involved in a dispute took action to support their fellow laborers.

How did the federal government react to the strike?

The federal government's reaction to the strike was swift and forceful. After the Pullman Company sought help from the General Managers Association (GMA), Attorney General Richard Olney successfully convinced a federal judge to issue an injunction against the strikers. Following the issuance of the injunction, President Grover Cleveland sent 10,000 federal troops to Chicago to suppress the strike. The use of federal troops marked a decisive and aggressive intervention in the dispute, indicating the government's alignment with corporate interests over those of the striking workers.

Describe the violence that occurred on July 7, 1894.

On July 7, 1894, violence erupted as federal troops began to enforce the injunction against the strikers. Rioting broke out in Chicago, leading to confrontations between the troops and the striking workers. The situation escalated, resulting in several strikers being killed during the clashes. The violence marked a tragic and bloody chapter in the Pullman strike, illustrating the intense conflict between labor and authority at the time and contributing to the broader narrative of labor struggles in the United States. Ultimately, by July 10, the strike was broken, and many of the strikers were left unemployed, while union leaders were blacklisted by the Pullman Company.