One outstanding demonstration of Hayes’s leadership ability came during the Great Railroad Strike of 1877 and once again showed the ability to put the good of the country first. Employees from Baltimore & Ohio Railroad Company began striking, and caused the protest to spread to other lines. Young men would attack Maryland militia who responded with gun fire, and in Philadelphia, ten to twenty people were killed. Hayes, even after being encouraged to send in federal troops, had great decision making skills and leadership and refused to break the strike and take the side of the railroad companies. Knowing the importance of not upsetting the protestors, but also being aware of the need to stop the violence, he sent federal troops “to keep the
