Scranton General Strike (1877)
Mon Jul 23, 1877
Image: An illustration showing Scranton Citizens' Corps firing on strikers, August 1st, 1877, by Frank Leslie [Wikipedia]
On this day in 1877, as part of the Great Railroad Strike, a general strike broke out in Scranton, Pennsylvania when railroad workers walked off the job, quickly joined by thousands more from a variety of industries.
The strike began on July 23rd when railroad workers walked off the job in protest of recent wage cuts, a strike that continued into mid-November. By July 26th, it grew to include thousands of workers from a variety of industries, including brakemen, firemen, mill workers, and miners.
Violence erupted on August 1st after thousands of angry strikers rioted, looting stores, assaulting the mayor, and clashing with a local pro-business militia. The militia shot into the crowd (depicted above), leaving four dead and many more wounded.
The next day, National Guard arrived to Scranton and imposed martial law, later aided by federal troops. Comparatively minor acts of violence continued throughout the strike and associated riots. The occupying military forces left the area at the end of October, signaling an end to the uprising.
- Date: 1877-07-23
- Learn More: en.wikipedia.org, www.nytimes.com, libraries.psu.edu.
- Tags: #GeneralStrikes, #Riots.
- Source: www.apeoplescalendar.org