The United States is a nation that conducts a whole lot of business, not only domestically, but also internationally, of which, to get products from one location to another, requires infrastructure and transportation to do so; of which in the present day, a lot of products are moved from one locale to another, through semi-trucks barreling along our interstate highways. However, back in the 19th century, freight items and goods, typically moved through our efficient railroads, which was an integral part of the progress of these United States. Not too surprisingly, railroads required a lot of labor to load and unload these freight cars, in which, one might think that honest labor for something of such vital importance, would subsequently be fairly paid.
In truth, as might be expected within a capitalistic structure with minimum government interference, those railroad barons typically didn't actually pay a fair wage, and in 1877, after cutting railroad wages for those laborers, yet again, those that were laboring, began their strike, which started in West Virginia and quickly spread throughout major railroad lines in this great nation. The response by those railroad moguls was not to subsequently meet at the negotiating table and thereby come to a fair resolution, but rather to reach for their guns, and to thereby utilize the local militias to put down those that were striking, of which a violent conflict so ensued.
Soon though, those railroad barons recognized that local militias would not be able to, on their own, successfully stymie this wildcat strike, so they thereupon turned to the Federal government and its federal forces, to save the day for them. The fact that those federal forces, did answer the call, and answered specifically to the call of those railroad moguls, is a reflection that at the end of the day, whenever that government, of, by, and for the people, actually sides with those that have power, resources, and money to influence that government for their exclusive benefit; that what this country actually represents, in whole, is the few, at the expense of the many.
Thereupon, now with overwhelming fire power as well as the professionalism and training of actual United States troops turned against its own citizenry, the result that came to be was pretty much always going to be a foregone conclusion. Those that were striking, thereof, were soon shot down with estimates of more than one hundred dead, by their own nation's armed forces; of which, the wages that they were legitimately striking about, therefore took a back seat to the demands of those that were the barons of the railroad; signifying that those that were simply trying to receive a somewhat reasonable wage for an honest day's work, received in return by their government, a belly fully of lead.
Yet, despite their defeat, those that did strike against the railroad moguls, were able to through their brave sacrifice, enlighten their fellow citizens, of the grave injustice of their being denied what should actually be a fair right for all citizens; especially in consideration for all those that were only too willing to work diligently in order to provide for their family. Soon thereof, a national labor union movement arose from the ashes of this railroad strike being forcefully put down, helped along by sympathetic good people as well as with the aid of that Federal government bringing forth a more progressive agenda. Alas, though, labor unions in America peaked in 1954, and have been in precipitous decline every since then; which is why the common man is still fighting for that respect, not so given back in 1877, of being paid a fair and living wage.