Student Handouts
Major Strikes in the American Labor Movement
Have your class organize information about strikes in a handy chart. Pupils take notes on the Homestead Strike, the Lawrence Strike, and the Pullman Strike. Along the left side of the chart are six questions for learners to answer about...
Curated OER
The Growth of the American Labor Movement
Explore the world of labor unions and organized strikes of the early 20th century in this presentation. With stark pictures of child laborers and striking workers, these slides are sure to leave an indelible impression on your students-...
Curated OER
Labor Unions and Strikes
Teens explore economics by listening to a labor history lecture and an excerpt from Looking Backward, by Edward Bellamy. A detailed outline is provided for the lecture, along with follow up and assessment questions. In groups, they...
Curated OER
History 8 Ch.19b Word Search
In this US History worksheet, students locate and identify various vocabulary terms related to a particular period in US History. There are 15 words/phrases located in the puzzle.
Curated OER
Factory Conditions
In this United States history worksheet, middle schoolers utilize a word bank of 10 terms or phrases to answer 10 fill in the blank questions pertaining to factory conditions and the rise of labor unions. A short answer question is...
Stanford University
Sheg: Document Based History: Reading Like a Historian: Pullman Strike
[Free Registration/Login Required] Students read primary source documents to solve a problem surrounding a historical question. This document-based inquiry lesson plan allows students read parallel accounts of the Pullman Strike of 1894...
Other
Kansas Heritage: Pullman Strike, Chicago, 1894
This detailed and informative site explains how the Pullman Strike, which began as a peaceful protest about rent in the company town of Pullman, spread across the country and brought railroad traffic to a halt.
Vassar College
Vassar College: 1896: The Homestead and Pullman Strikes
1896, A Website of Political Cartoons and Commentary provides the illustrated story of both the Homestead and Pullman strikes with quotes from newspapers of the time and a brief characterization of Andrew Carnegie. The site includes a...
University of California
History Project: The Pullman Strike of 1894
Given background information and primary source documents, students will write an essay describing the events of the Pullman Strike of 1894 organized around a theme.
National Humanities Center
National Humanities Center: Toolbox Library: Pullman Strike, the Gilded and the Gritty: America, 1870 1912
An article that describes the Utopian factory town George Pullman built for his workers, a statement of the grievances that led them to strike against the company, the Pullman Company's response, and an editorial speculating on the...
Other
Ussc the Pullman Strike: Its Causes and Events
An excerpt from U.S. Strike Commission Report on the Pullman Strike. Site presents questions at the end for study.
Other
Illinois Labor History Society: The Parable of Pullman
This resource gives an account of the Pullman Strike of 1894. It discusses what the strike was about, how it was resolved, and the effect its outcome had.
Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History
Gilder Lehrman Institute: George Pullman: His Impact on Rr Industry, Labor, and American Life in 19th C.
[Free Registration/Login Required] This lesson plan seeks to discover the impact George Pullman had, not only on the railroad industry, but also on American life, by improving rail travel, and also establishing a company town for his...
University of Groningen
American History: Essays: The Iron Horse: The Pullman Boycott
From a lengthy essay on the history of the railroad in the United States. This section provides a good description of the events of 1893-1894, including the reasons for the boycott of Pullman cars, the people involved, and how the...
University of Groningen
American History: Essays: The Iron Horse: Federal Intervention in Pullman
From a lengthy essay on the history of the railroad in the United States. This section describes President Grover Cleveland's role in sending federal troops to suppress the Pullman boycott, resulting in increased chaos from the...
Other
Pullman Car: George Pullman
A look at George M. Pullman's business career, beginning with his business as building-mover, and continuing with his venture into building luxury rail cars.
A&E Television
History.com: How a Deadly Railroad Strike Led to the Labor Day Holiday
When the federal government was called in to suppress a railroad workers' strike, dozens were killed and politicians sought a way to show they still supported workers. July 1894, President Grover Cleveland finally signed into law...
Other
The Pullman State Historic Site : George Mortimer Pullman
Here you can find out everything you wanted to know about George Pullman, and even things you didn't know you wanted to know. Find out about his childhood, his family, his business career, and the company town he established.
Other
Illinois Labor History Society: Gene Debs and the American Railway Union
Description of the rise and fall of the American Railway Union in the context of the Pullman Strike.
Khan Academy
Khan Academy: Ap Us History: 1865 1898: Labor Battles in the Gilded Age
Discusses the Homestead Strike of 1892 and the Pullman Strike of 1894 and how these ended, as well as responses of the federal government to the labor movement. Includes questions for students at end.
University of Groningen
American History: Essays: The Iron Horse: Labor Conflicts and Unionism
This several page chapter from the site From Revolution to Reconstruction outlines the growth of the union in the railroad industry in the late 19th century. Read about the strikes, working conditions, the beginning of the American...
Other
The Pullman State Historic Site : The Pullman Company
Read about the Pullman Company, founded by George M. Pullman. Find out about the many variations of the Pullman rail car that were manufactured and how they helped the company grow.
A&E Television
History.com: How a Deadly Railroad Strike Led to the Labor Day Holiday
The history behind the Labor Day holiday is far more complex and dramatic than most might realize, starting with a heated campaign by workers in the late 19th century to win support and recognition for their contributions. In July 1894,...