Workers at George Pullman’s railroad car manufacturing company in Pullman, Illinois—a company town where Pullman owns all housing, stores, churches, and infrastructure—launch a strike protesting wage cuts averaging 25% following the Panic of 1893 while rents and prices at company-owned …
George PullmanEugene V. DebsAmerican Railway UnionGrover ClevelandU.S. Army+1 morelabor-suppressiongilded-agepullman-strikecompany-townsfederal-intervention+1 more
On January 16, 1893, U.S. Minister to Hawaii John L. Stevens orders 162 U.S. sailors and marines from the USS Boston to land in Honolulu under the pretense of protecting American lives and property. The following day, January 17, a Committee of Safety consisting of thirteen men—seven foreign …
Queen LiliuokalaniJohn L. StevensCommittee of SafetySanford B. DoleLorrin Thurston+4 moreinstitutional-capturesystematic-corruptionindigenous-rightsmilitary-interventionsovereignty-theft+2 more
Grover Cleveland’s narrow victory over James G. Blaine in the 1884 presidential election occurs during a pivotal transition in American campaign finance, as the Pendleton Civil Service Act of 1883 reduces party organizations’ reliance on government employee contributions and shifts the …
Grover ClevelandJames G. BlaineU.S. Congresscampaign-financecorporate-influencesystematic-corruptioninstitutional-capture
Reform-minded Republicans—derisively called “Mugwumps” from the Algonquian word for “important person” or “kingpin”—bolt from their party following James G. Blaine’s nomination for president at the Republican National Convention in June 1884. The Mugwumps, a …
James G. BlaineGrover ClevelandCarl SchurzMark TwainHenry Ward Beechersystematic-corruptionpolitical-realignmentreform-movementsrailroad-corruption