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Difficulty: MediumLabor Movements and Gilded Age Conflict

Read the following excerpt from a public proclamation by President Rutherford B. Hayes in 1877.

"I have felt it my duty to respond to the calls of the governors of the states... and to use the military force of the United States to restore order, protect property, and ensure that the mails and interstate commerce are not obstructed."

Which of the following Gilded Age developments is most directly illustrated by the federal response described in the excerpt?

  1. The federal government's willingness to deploy military force to protect private property and support business interests over labor.Answer
  2. B
    The strict adherence of the federal government to a laissez-faire economic policy that prohibited any state intervention in private market relations.
  3. C
    The successful alliance between rural Populist reformers and urban labor unions to secure federal mediation in industrial disputes.
  4. D
    The implementation of the Dawes Act to redirect military resources from the Western frontier to suppress labor strikes.

Answer

The federal government's willingness to deploy military force to protect private property and support business interests over labor.
The correct option is correct because the federal response to the Great Railroad Strike of 1877 established a consistent pattern throughout the Gilded Age, in which the government used federal troops, state militias, and court injunctions to suppress labor strikes, protecting corporate property and ensuring commerce continued, which directly benefited business owners at the expense of organized labor.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the stimulus passage.
The excerpt shows President Rutherford B. Hayes explaining his decision to send federal troops to states during the Great Railroad Strike of 1877 to protect property and restore order.
Understanding the primary source is the first step in contextualizing the event.
2
Connect the event to Gilded Age labor patterns.
Identify that the strike of 1877 was one of the first major national labor conflicts and set a precedent for government intervention on behalf of employers.
Placing the event in its broader historical context helps identify the correct Gilded Age development.
3
Evaluate the options based on historical accuracy.
Eliminate options that assert absolute laissez-faire non-intervention, successful Populist-labor mediation alliances, or relate to the Dawes Act. Select the option that correctly identifies the state's role in breaking strikes.
Distinguishing historical realities from common misconceptions leads to the correct choice.

Key Concept

Government intervention in Gilded Age labor conflicts
Estimated Time:1m 30s
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Topics

Labor Movements and Gilded Age Conflict

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