The American Revolution Summary

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The American businessmen interpreted the workers' militancy in the Railroad strikes of 1877 as a "revolutionary" movement to overthrow capitalism because they wanted to completely undermine the justified voice of the average worker. By painting these workers on strike as foreign radicals looking to change American values, businessmen attempted to alter the perception of labor movement within the country. They sought to dismantle the threat of collective action by re-defining the labor movement and connecting it to the socialist anarchy that was seen in Europe at the time. However, contrary to the perspective of the businessman, "most working people in 1877 were seeking not to overthrow capitalism as a whole, but to set limits on the system's