Exploring American Histories: Printed Page 559
Interpret the Evidence
Why does George Pullman (Document 17.6) think he has treated his workers fairly? Why might workers have disagreed with him?
According to Eugene V. Debs (Document 17.7), what was the purpose of labor activism? How did the Pullman strike teach Debs about socialism?
How did being a woman affect Jennie Curtis’s experiences as a Pullman worker (see Document 17.8)?
How do you think Pullman and Debs would have responded to the report on the Pullman strike issued by the Commission to Investigate the Chicago Strike (Document 17.9)?
What do you think of Grover Cleveland’s belief that the Pullman employees had no business joining the American Railway Union (see Document 17.10)?
Put It in Context
What do these documents reveal about the complex relationship among labor, management, and government at the close of the nineteenth century?