What were the major causes of the 1877 strike? Why did it spread from being a railroad work stoppage to a major uprising in cities throughout the United States? How did employers react to the strike? Why did the government intervene to end the strike? What was the outcome of the strike? How did the media shape public opinion of the strike?  What impact did the strike have on the labor movement. How do the events of 1877—including the end of Reconstruction and the Great Railroad Uprising—relate to themes about race relations, social class and labor relations, and the possibilities for collective action in earlier moments in American history that we have discussed in this course? Are these themes still relevant today?