Gullman Strike DBQ

*Note: I am aware of how late this was, but I was very ill on Saturday and Sunday which is why it was done somewhat choppily (Check revision history). If you would like, I can return on Monday with more concrete evidence of this. Sincerely, Brian.

The period from 1870 to 1900 was without a doubt one of the most important and influential chapters of American History characterized mostly by rapid industrial development. As large corporations grew during the late 19th century one grew faster and larger than the rest; railroads. The expansion of the American frontier required a means to better transport crops from isolated agrarian communities to larger cities and towns, as well as settle the western plains and the solution lay in railroads;
However all of these factory workers were extremely underpaid, and with no union or representation by any political parties, and they were often mistreated and overworked as well. The workers of that time were practically slaves, with little to no independence who could only subject himself to the of will of corporations in order to scrape together a living. (Document C) While they often remained silent, they did sometimes rise against the corporations in a few strikes. One of the most notable of these strikes was the Pullman Strike of 1896 in which thousands of workers received wage cuts from Pullman Palace Car Company, and blocked the railroads nearby in retaliation. The strike only ended when Pullman himself contacted President Grover Cleveland, who sent armed US troops to disperse it, by pretending that it blocked mail transport, which led to around 30 deaths. This event shows that not only did the corporation have a complete lack of sympathy for their workers, but it shows their powerful influence over the government as well, shifting even the President to their side. It did not even end there, as industries such the copper trust, steel beem trust, and the standard oil trust, along with the railroads were all truly in control, corrupting the decisions of the senate. (Document
Large businesses would buy out smaller businesses and become even more wealthy and powerful by doing so. This proved to be a drain on the economy. With all competition eliminated, corporations were free to raise prices of their products as far as they wished, and people were forced but, because there were no other options. This served in stretching the gap between poor and rich, much, much wider. As grim as this period may seem, it was not only characterized by people and corporations like the ones mentioned above. Instead of using their wealth or power to gain more, many started to dedicate themselves to philanthropy, especially in the case of Andrew Carnegie who believed that it was the ultimate duty of the rich to give money to the poor and allow them resources that they previously were unable to have, as stated in his article The Gospel of Wealth. (Document E) Carnegie, a billionaire, went on to establish several libraries, schools, colleges, music venues and many other public