The Great Railroad Strike of 1877 and the American Labor Movement
By: Victoria Chiu
I chose railroads because different forms of transportation were very new during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Railroads helped people get to places quicker and easier. They were faster than automobiles and definitely faster than walking. Working on railroads was also another form of employment which made it a turning point. Eventually, I saw on the National History Day website a list of possible topics for history fair. I saw the topic The Great Railroad Strike of 1877 and the American Labor Movement and realized it was similar to my topic and combined the two together. The railroad strike and labor union were both turning points in history. This made it easier to conduct my research on turning points for the railroad strike.
I conducted my research by starting with a thesis. After I figured out what I wanted to prove, I started looking for sources. I went on multiple databases to find my sources. All of my information came from databases. Since the information came from databases, I knew they were reliable. They were not primary sources but, it was reliable information. After I found my information, I needed pictures to go with my information. I went on Library of Congress since, they have reliable information. I got all of my pictures from this website. They were reliable pictures and they were primary sources.
I selected a website because I thought it would be easy to create one with all the sources I had. Also, I decided to create a website because I had never created one before. Since my topic has two parts to it, I had to figure out a way to separate all the information. I had to make a section on the railroad strike, a section on labor unions, a section about the turning point, a section for the bibliography, and a section for the process paper. After I created all the pages, I started putting all the information together on the correct pages and created my website.
My project relates to the NHD theme because railroads and labor unions have a huge impact on our history. Railroads were a new form of transportation. Also, it created more jobs for people. Labor unions changed the way labor is handled today. Without labor unions, the work force would be unfair and the treatment would be horrible. The railroad strike and labor unions combined helped laborers get the treatment, wages, and conditions they deserve. They also had a law passed that protected these rights that still stand today.