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Pullman Strike Of 1894 Essay

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The year was 1894. The season was summer. The United States was going through its first depression, the Panic of 1893. Businesses across the country had to cut worker wages. One such company was the Pullman Corporation. George Pullman was a businessman and an industrialist. He sought to build a model town that was a company town. It was known as the town of Pullman and it was in Illinois, near Chicago. To some this town seemed like a small utopia. However, what was golden on the outside was not golden on the inside. After the wage cut, the workers of Pullman were not pleased. Their rent went up, while their wages went down. When Pullman did not react how the workers hoped they would they started what would be called, the Pullman Strike of 1894. One could wonder how something as simple as wages could upset almost an entire town of people. What was happening in the little town of Pullman? What happened during the strike and what did it reveal of American society at the time? …show more content…

He thought that working people were the most important part of a manufacturing enterprise. He sought to build the best homes to the best class of mechanics sought out employment there. The town of Pullman, like the Pullman coach was supposed to model elegant-ness and neatness. There were no saloons in town and there was no selling of liquor. Additional protection of land was brought in around the outskirts of the city. The city was described as abnormally healthy. “Pullman presents a beautiful picture. It appears as a paradise.” From these descriptions one would think that Pullman was the best place to live and work. It was described as a paradise and seemingly perfect. However, that was far from the

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