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"The Strike on Lake Erie Railroad, 1877"

- Courtesy of New York Public Library

Following the Civil War, America began the rebuilding process. The country began expanding at an increasing rate, never before experienced. A new era of innovation and entrepreneurship was blooming and would lay the ground work for many successful businesses today. At the forefront of the booming industrial revolution, railroads became the backbone and completely transformed how goods and people were transported. What is often overlooked is the grueling work of railroad construction and the dangers which came with the job. Working conditions constructing the transcontinental railroad prompted the formation of America's first labor unions.

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