Today starts the second week of the Blogging From A to Z April Challenge.
The Great Railroad Strike of 1877 began on July 17 in Martinsburg, West Virginia. When the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad cut wages for the second time in a year, protesting workers refused to let any trains move until the pay cut was restored. Militia units sent in to restore train service refused to use force against the strikers, so federal troops were called in to break the strike.
Sympathy strikes broke out along the railroads in every direction. Federal troops were rushed from city to city putting down strike after strike until the great railroad strike was over. While union organizers began planning future campaigns, politicians and business leaders took steps to ensure such chaos would not occur again. States enacted conspiracy statues and new militia units were formed. In addition, National Guard armories were constructed in many cities.
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