Labor Violence Investigation -8 by Keith Layman

Investigation Findings

2025-02-03 19:18:37 UTC

The fault of the strike falls solely on Henry Frick, who was completely unwilling to negotiate with the union whatsoever after demanding a cut in wages. In response to this, Frick replaced all union workers with non-union workers, prompting his former employees to go on strike around the factory, shutting it down. In response, Henry Frick called in the Pinkerton Group to shut down the riot/strike, but this would result in a bloody battle between the Pinkertons and strikers that would end with many dead on both sides. Henry Frick deserves full blame for the strike with it being a result of his unwillingness to negotiate, but even after he replaced all of the workers, the calling in of the Pinkerton group was a complete miscalculation leading to the unnecessary death of many.

Summary

2025-02-03 19:18:39 UTC

Carnegie took a trip to his castle in Scotland and left Frick in charge. Frick reduced pay so the Amalgamated Association of Iron and Steel Workers went on strike. Firck brought the Pinkertons in and they fought the strikers. The PA governor brought in troops to end the fight but Frick ultimately won and the strikers left. Carnegie was unhappy and the two had a strained relationship but he did not reinstate the union.

Summary

2025-02-03 19:19:11 UTC

Steelworkers from John D. Rockefeller’s manufacturing company go on strike due to no corporate protection, and low wages. The Pinkertons and National Guard were brought in to combat this in 1914, resulting in 66 killings. The miner's camps were set on fire, and women, children, and men were left to burn.

Eyewitness Reports

2025-02-03 19:19:27 UTC

In an eyewitness account by an engineer by the name of Godfrey Irwin, he was walking on a mountain when he heard gunshots nearby, which led him to hide behind a rock. He lifted his hat with a rock, which a soldier shot at. The soldiers were trigger ready to shoot anyone who might pose a threat to them.

Investigation Findings

2025-02-03 19:19:40 UTC

From our findings, we concluded that the short-term effect was fear and widespread concern of violent responses to labor union protests. The long-term effect is that it made worker protection laws, wage laws, and protection against eviction. The person who deserves the blame here is the National Guard, which worked side by side with the Pinkertons to harm citizens of the United States. Rockefeller is also to blame since he called them in and allowed this to happen, but ultimately this was the government’s fault.

Investigation Findings

2025-02-03 19:20:19 UTC

One of the many long-term effects was that it greatly damaged the reputation of the Knights of Labor, they were blamed as the source of this riot causing it to lose a lot of public support. Some short-term effects were that many businesses were shut down for several days and union leaders were arrested with charges of murder. The guy who threw the bomb deserves the blame because it wasn’t that violent until he showed up.

investigation findings

2025-02-03 19:20:25 UTC

There was a stagnant economy that year which led to decreased wages of railroad workers. It led to strikes which shut down the railroad traffic. When militia attempted to reopen them, many protesters destroyed the tracks. Eventually, the militia were the first to fire into a crowd and killed eleven workers. It led to a month of chaos with fires and destruction. The militia is to blame more than the workers because they were the first to instigate the violence and continued to open fire at peacefully protesting crowds.

Eashan

2025-02-03 19:20:45 UTC

Eyewitness Reports

2025-02-03 19:21:40 UTC

“The PullmanPalace Car porters are going to strike unless they are paid bet wages. Bravo!” - The globe republican
“We are not fighting railroads. We are fighting Pullman.” - Debs

“I tell you we are on the verge of the biggest railroad strike in history of America” - Pullman

Eyewitness Reports

2025-02-03 19:21:52 UTC

“Six men lay dead in the twilight.” Bruce reports, “A fireman and an engineer formerly employed in Reading , a carpenter, a huckster, a rolling-mill worker, a laborer…. A policer-man and another man lay at the point.” - Robert Bruce historian of 1877 strikes. Shows the brutality and violence of the Great Railroad strike.

Visual Evidence

2025-02-03 19:22:04 UTC

Visual Evidence

2025-02-03 19:22:07 UTC

Summary:

2025-02-03 19:22:08 UTC

The strike began because of even more severe wage cuts on railroad workers. It started in West Virginia and Pittsburgh in 1877. It inspired many other Americans to go on strike. 15,000 people surrounded the depot and started violent strikes, destroying everything. It started in West Virginia and Pittsburgh in 1877.

eyewitness report

2025-02-03 19:22:22 UTC

Summary

2025-02-03 19:22:38 UTC

The Pullman Palace Car strike took place when workers at Pullman went on strike due to lowered wages and steady rent prices. The workers worked making high end sleeping cars for trains. The cause of the strike was the lowering of wages by Pullman. Since Pullman housed all of his workers in a town he built, when he lowered wages all of his employees were no longer able to make ends meet and pay for the high rent charged in Pullman’s town. The workers went on strike and called on the American Railway Union that was led by Debs. With the support of the Union the strikers managed to get all Pullman cars to not be carried by union-run railroads. In Chicago this would stop all train traffic in the city. Due to the hindrance of mail, the government had a reason to crack down on the strikers. Militia would move in on the strikers and eventually the command was given to fire on the strikers. After the strike was shut down by the militia Debs was arrested.

Investigation Results

2025-02-03 19:22:58 UTC

The investigation blamed the Pullman Company for its failure to negotiate fairly with workers. The report recommended that large corporations avoid company-owned towns where possible. In 1898, the Illinois Supreme Court forced Pullman to sell off its residential properties, marking the end of Pullman as a company-owned town

Summary

2025-02-03 19:23:16 UTC

The haymarket square riot took place May 4th, 1886 in Chicago. This was organized mainly by August Spies and he was shortly arrested after the riot, alongside others. Protesters gathered at Haymarket Square to protest police brutality caused by their 8-hour workday strikes. Someone threw a bomb into the crowd and it killed several police officers and injured many others.

Eyewitness

2025-02-03 19:23:50 UTC

I reached the Haymarket about 7:30. I found no meeting there. I walked around among the crowd, which was scattered over the Haymarket, then I went to the Des Plaines Street station and shook hands with Captain Ward, whom I knew. He introduced me to Inspector Bonfield and I had a conversation with him. Later on I went back and remained throughout the whole meeting until the bomb had exploded. The speakers were northeast of me in front of Crane Brothers' building, a few feet north of the alley. I remember the alley particularly. As far as I remember Spies' speech, he said: "Please come to order. This meeting is not called to incite any riot."

Visual Evidence

2025-02-03 19:24:17 UTC