Railroad Workers Dbq

In 1877, there was a national railroad strike that effected the transportation throughout the Northeast. Railroads required a large amount of capital investments and relied on a large management system. Railroad companies had competed against each other. Rival companies built expensive lines which could have been parallel to their competitors. They fought for business by promoting a faster and cheaper service. Not only that, but laborers had to work 15-hour days with low wages and in extremely dangerous working conditions. The railroad workers were quite violent, attacking railroad yards, burning trains, and tearing up tracks. This time period was a shock for most Americans, but for the workers on strike, it was educative. The workers learned