Read the following primary source, then describe at least one cause and one effect of the Pullman Strike:
"The Federal Government and the Chicago Strike"
THE GREATEST INDUSTRIAL BATTLE IN HISTORY.
The Chicago strike was in many respects the grandest industrial battle in history, and I am prouder of my small share in it than of any other act of my life.
Men, women and children were on the verge of starvation at the "model city" of Pullman. They had produced the fabulous wealth of the Pullman corporation, but they, poor souls, were compelled to suffer the torment of hunger pangs in the very midst of the abundance their labor had created.
A hundred and fifty thousand railroad employees, their fellow members in the American Railway Union, sympathized with them, shared their earnings with them, and after trying in every peaceable way they could conceive of to touch the flint heart of the Pullman company every overture being rejected, every suggestion denied, every proposition spurned with contempt they determined not to pollute their hands and dishonor their manhood by handling Pullman cars and contributing to the suffering and sorrow of their brethren and their wives and babes. And rather than do this they laid down their tools in a body, sacrificed their situations and submitted to persecution, exile and the blacklist; to idleness, poverty, crusts and rags, and I shall love and honor these moral heroes to my latest breath.
President Cleveland says that we were put down because we had acted in violation of the Sherman Anti-Trust law of 1890. Will he kindly state what other trusts were proceeded against and what capitalists were sentenced to prison during his administration?
1 answer
One cause of the Pullman Strike was the poor working and living conditions of the employees in the town of Pullman. The primary source mentions that people in Pullman were on the verge of starvation despite producing wealth for the Pullman corporation. This injustice and inequality in compensation and treatment of workers led to discontent and frustration among the employees.
Effect of the Pullman Strike:
One effect of the Pullman Strike was the persecution, exile, and blacklist of the striking railroad employees. The source mentions that the employees sacrificed their situations by laying down their tools and refusing to handle Pullman cars. As a result, they were subjected to persecution, poverty, and the blacklist, which meant they were unable to find employment in the industry. This not only affected their livelihoods but also had long-lasting consequences for their families.