1. Eugene Debs American Socialist

2. Pullman, Illinois – self contained city for Pullman workers

3. The Pullman Company, citing falling revenue after the economic Panic of 1893 had cut the wages of its employees by 28%

4. Workers asked for better pay and a shorter work week To gain support union called a boycott of the handling trains with Pullman Cars

5. Nationwide Pullman Strike affecting most lines west of Detroit, and more than 250,000 workers in 27 state

6. Debs was instrumental in the founding of the American Railway Union (ARU) one of the nation's first industrial unions Called for an end of the boycott fearing other unions might take ARU’s support

7. The membership ignored his warnings and refused to handle Pullman cars or any other railroad cars attached to them, including cars containing U.S. Mail by refusing to show up for work

8. To keep the mail running, President Grover Cleveland used the U.S. Army to break the strike.

9. The Federal Government intervened, obtaining an injunction against the strike on the theory that the strikers had obstructed the U.S. Mail

10. 13 strikers were killed, and thousands were blacklisted An estimated $80-million worth of property was damaged

11. Debs was found guilty of contempt of court for violating the injunction and sent to federal prison

12. Debs was represented by Clarence Darrow who had been the lawyer for the Pullman Company “Switched sides" to represent Debs. Darrow, a leading civil libertarian lawyer made a substantial financial sacrifice to represent Debs

14. At the time of his arrest for mail obstruction, Debs was not yet a socialist While serving his six month term in the jail Debs received a steady stream of mail from socialists around the country Sent a copy of Das Kapital

15. Debs emerged from jail at the end of his sentence a changed man. Spent the final three decades of his life fighting for the socialist cause. Debs founded the Social Democratic Party of the United States Ran as the Socialist Party's candidate for the presidency in 1900, 1904, 1908, 1912 and 1920 the last time from a prison cell

16. Debs was noted for his oratory, and his speech denouncing American participation in World War I led to his second arrest in 1918 He was convicted under the Espionage Act of 1917 and sentenced to a term of 10 years His trial defense called no witnesses, asking that Debs be allowed to address the court in his defense. That unusual request was granted, and Debs spoke for two hours.

17. Your Honor, years ago I recognized my kinship with all living beings, and I made up my mind that I was not one bit better than the meanest on earth. I said then, and I say now, that while there is a lower class, I am in it, and while there is a criminal element I am of it, and while there is a soul in prison, I am not free.

18. Debs ran for president in the 1920 election while in prison He received 919,799, write-in votes (3.4%), President Harding commuted his sentence in December 1921. Seymour Stedman, vice-presidential candidate

19. When Debs was released from prison, the other prisoners sent him off with "a roar of cheers" and a crowd of 50,000 greeted his return to Terre Haute to the accompaniment of band music.