The Great Railroad Strike of 1877, sometimes referred to as the Great Upheaval, began on July 14 in Martinsburg, West Virginia, after the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad (B&O) cut wages for the third time in a year. This strike finally ended some 69 days later, after it was put down by unofficial militias, the National Guard, and federal troops. Because of economic problems and pressure on wages by the railroads, workers in numerous other cities, in New York, Pennsylvania and Maryland, into Illinois and Missouri, also went out on strike. An estimated 100 people were killed in the unrest across the country. In Martinsburg, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia and other cities, workers burned down and destroyed both physical facilities and the rolling stock of the railroads—engines and railroad cars. Local populations feared that workers were rising in revolution such as the Paris Commune of 1871. At the time, the workers were not represented by trade unions. The city and state governments, aided by unofficial militias, the National Guard, federal troops and private militias were organized by the railroads, who fought against the workers. Disruption was widespread and at its height, the strikes were supported by about 100,000 workers. With the intervention of federal troops in several locations, most of the strikes were suppressed by early August. Labor continued to work to organize into unions to work for better wages and conditions. Fearing the social disruption, many cities built armories to support their local National Guard units; these defensive buildings still stand as symbols of the effort to suppress the labor unrest of this period. With public attention on workers' wages and conditions, the B&O in 1880 founded an Employee Relief Association to provide death benefits and some health care. In 1884, it established a worker pension plan. Other improvements generally had to await further economic growth and associated wage increases.

Black people and Mormonism

The Great Railroad Strike of 1877, sometimes referred to as the Great Upheaval, began on July 14 in Martinsburg, West Virginia, after the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad (B&O) cut wages for the third time in a year. This strike finally ended some 69 days later, after it was put down by unofficial militias, the National Guard, and federal troops. Because of economic problems and pressure on wages by the railroads, workers in numerous other cities, in New York, Pennsylvania and Maryland, into Illinois and Missouri, also went out on strike. An estimated 100 people were killed in the unrest across the country. In Martinsburg, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia and other cities, workers burned down and destroyed both physical facilities and the rolling stock of the railroads—engines and railroad cars. Local

Over the past two centuries, the relationship between black people and Mormonism has a history that includes both official and unofficial discrimination, which, in recent decades, has become one of increased outreach, proselytization, and assistance in black communities. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) has always been open to Black Mormons joining through baptism, but from the mid-1800s until 1978, the LDS Church prevented most men of black African descent from being ordained to the church's lay priesthood, barred black men and women from participating in the ordinances of its temples and opposed interracial marriage. Since black men of African descent could not receive the priesthood, they were excluded from holding leadership roles and performing these rituals. Temple ordinances such as the endowment and marriage sealings are necessary for exaltation. The church's first presidents, Joseph Smith and Brigham Young, reasoned that black skin was the result of the Curse of Cain or the Curse of Ham. As early as 1908, a church publication suggested that blacks could not receive the priesthood because their spirits were less valiant in the pre-existence. Before the civil rights movement, the LDS Church's stance went largely unnoticed and unchallenged for around a century. Many leaders, including Ezra Taft Benson were vocally opposed to the civil rights movement. In 1978, the First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve, led by church president Spencer W. Kimball, declared they had received a revelation that the time had come to end these restrictions. Kimball publicly refuted earlier justifications for the restrictions. Later church leaders have called the explanation a folk belief. The LDS Church's stance towards slavery alternated several times in its history, from one of neutrality, to abolition, to pro-slavery. Smith at times advocated both for and against slavery, mostly siding with the abolitionists, except during a time of contention in Missouri. Young was instrumental in officially legalizing slavery in the Utah Territory, teaching that the doctrine of slavery was connected to the Curse of Cain. Slavery in Utah ended in 1862 when Congress abolished it. After the 1978 revelation, the LDS Church began actively proselyting and reaching out to black communities, which they had avoided prior, and black membership greatly increased. Six temples are planned or built in Africa outside of South Africa. In 2008, there were about 1 million black members worldwide. The priesthoods of most other Mormon denominations, such as the Community of Christ, Bickertonite, and Strangite, have always been open to persons of all races.

Notoscopelus

Wikipedia files with the same name on Wikimedia Commons as of 23 October 2020

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Over the past two centuries, the relationship between black people and Mormonism has a history that includes both official and unofficial discrimination, which, in recent decades, has become one of increased outreach, proselytization, and assistance in black communities. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) has always been open to Black Mormons joining through baptism, but from the mid-1800s until 1978, the LDS Church prevented most men of black African descent from being ordained to the church's lay priesthood, barred black men and women from participating in the ordinances of its temples and opposed interracial marriage. Since black men of African descent could not receive the priesthood, they were excluded from holding leadership roles and performing these ritual

Notoscopelus is a genus of lanternfishes.

Wikipedia files with the same name on Wikimedia Commons as of unknown date

Great Railroad Strike of 1877