What was the Great Railroad Strike of 1877

   The great railroad strike of 1877 was an event caused by excessive wage cuts by Baltimore & Ohio (B&O) Railroad and Pennsylvania Railroad. Workers were already getting a measly $30 a month. There were also so many risks while working the railroad. On average 42 people were killed a year. The third time that the wages were cut in a 4 year depression was when people in Martinsburg, West Virginia started rioting on July 14 and quickly spread to other towns and cities. When malitia where sent it to suppress the riot they refused to use force on the people. It took 45 days to stop the riots with the help of federal troops