1 / 11

Eugene Victor Debs

Eugene Victor Debs. Tyler Shaw. General info. Born November 5, 1855 in Terre Haute, Indiana Died October 20, 1926 at Lindlahr Sanitarium, Elmhurst, Illinois Was buried in Terre Haute Was married to Kate Metzel from 1885 to his death and they didn’t have any children. Early Life.

herve
Download Presentation

Eugene Victor Debs

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. Eugene Victor Debs Tyler Shaw

  2. General info • Born November 5, 1855 in Terre Haute, Indiana • Died October 20, 1926 at Lindlahr Sanitarium, Elmhurst, Illinois • Was buried in Terre Haute • Was married to Kate Metzel from 1885 to his death and they didn’t have any children

  3. Early Life • Debs attended the Terre Haute public schools until the age of 14 when he dropped out of high school to become a painter in railroad yards. • He became a fireman on a railroad in 1870 • In addition to being a fireman, Debs took night classes at the local business college • In Sept 1874 Debs became the billing clerk in the wholesale grocery firm of Hulman & Cox

  4. Life history • In Feb 1875 he became member and secretary of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Firemen • Also in 1875 he became the president of Occidental Literary Club in Terre Haute • In 1878 he became assistant editor of National Brotherhood of Locomotive Firemen • In 1879 was elected to the 1st of his two terms as City Clerk of Terre Haute

  5. In 1884 Debs was elected state representative to the Indiana General Assembly as a Democrat representing Terre Haute and Vigo County • In 1891 Debs announced his retirement from Brother of Locomotive Firemen

  6. The American Railway Union • In June 1893 Debs organized Chicago 1st industrial union, The American Railway Union • April 1894 the ARU held a strike against the Great Northern Railway • The strike lasted 18 days and nothing moved during it • At the end of the 18 days the railway granted the demands of the union

  7. The Pullman Strike • In May 1894 Debs led a nationwide boycott of railroads to support Pullman Palace Car Company workers on strike • They tied up the railroad system and burned railroad cars • The army was called out • 700 people were arrested • 13 were shot and killed

  8. Result of Pullman Strike • In May 1895 Debs and leaders of the ARU were sent to jail for contempt of court in connection to the Pullman strike • They finished their sentences in November of 1895

  9. Running for President • Debs was a presidential candidate in the elections of 1900,1904,1908,1912 and 1920 for the Socialist Party • One of his best campaigns was in 1908 with the RED SPECIAL train which went to every corner of the country • In 1920 election, he ran for president from Atlanta Prison

  10. His speech in Ohio • On June 16, 1918 Debs gave a famous anti-war speech in Canton, Ohio which protested against WW1 • He was arrested for the speech under the war-time espionage law • He was sentenced to 10 years in prison • He was then released on Christmas day 1921

  11. Sources • "Eugene V. Debs, American Socialist." Virginia Western Community College :: We'll Take You There. Web. 17 Feb. 2010. <http://www.virginiawestern.edu/faculty/vwhansd/HIS122/Debs.html>. • "Eugene v. Debs Political Activist, A Union Leader and His Personal History Between 1855 - 1926." EugeneVDebs.com, the official site of the Eugene V. Debs Foundation. Web. 17 Feb. 2010. <http://www.eugenevdebs.com/pages/history.html>.

More Related