Advanced Placement US History (AP US History) Practice Exam

What event is described as a railroad car strike in the late 19th century?

1. Haymarket Affair

2. Pullman Strike

3. Homestead Strike

4. Great Railroad Strike

The correct answer is: Pullman Strike

The event described as a railroad car strike in the late 19th century refers specifically to the Pullman Strike. This nationwide railway strike occurred in 1894 and was led by the American Railway Union (ARU) in response to wage cuts and high rents at the Pullman Company town. The strike escalated as workers began to refuse to operate trains that carried Pullman cars, severely disrupting rail traffic across the country. The Pullman Strike highlighted the tensions between labor and management during this period, as well as the role of federal intervention in labor disputes. The strike garnered national attention and resulted in the federal government intervening on behalf of the railroads, leading to the deployment of U.S. troops to break the strike, which raised significant questions about workers' rights and government authority. Additional context surrounding the other events includes the Haymarket Affair, which was a labor protest that turned violent in Chicago in 1886; the Homestead Strike, a significant labor conflict at a steel plant in Pennsylvania in 1892; and the Great Railroad Strike of 1877, which was the first major strike in the U.S. and occurred primarily over wage cuts across the railroad industry. While each of these events involved labor strikes, the Pullman Strike