Trolley Wars: Streetcar Workers on the Line (Becoming Modern: New Nineteenth-Century Studies

by Scott Molloy

American cities' rapid expansion after the Civil War fueled the growth of organized transportation systems-- omnibuses, horsecar, and, later, electric streetcars. Trolley Wars traces the social dynamics of these first mass-transportation systems as they developed in Rhode Island, the most urbanized state in Gilded Age America. Covering years of rapid growth, Scott Molloy focuses on the laborers who operated the transit system, the changing ownership of the streetcar lines, and the strong bond that grew between trolley crews and passengers--a bond that sustained a powerful political alliance during the bitter "car wars" of 1902. In lucid prose based on scrupulous research, Molloy dissects the car wars and expertly knits them into the larger pattern of labor unrest and urban malaise gripping turn-of-the-century America. Originally published in 1996, the classic Trolley Wars is now made available for the first time in paperback to readers, students, and scholars of labor history, with a new Author's Note.

238 pages, Paperback

First published January 17, 1996

Reviews

[Jack · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting and entertaining stories of the beginning of mass transit in RI -- but sometimes this book lost my interest when it delved into political and corporate details.

[Jon Howard · Rating 4 out of 5]

I especially enjoyed this history of mass transit in Providence, RI because I live in the city and because my neighborhood is a"street car suburb' made possible by electrified trolleys in the 1920s. However, there is much more to recommend for general readers her. Malloy sympathetically weaves ethnicity, class, politics, economics and culture into a surprisingly rich story of social transformation from a unified Yankee autocracy in the 1860s to the much more diverse and contentious self-government that persists today.

Malloy is a great storyteller and introduces a broad cast of characters into a short and sweeping account rich in conflict and surprising alliances. It's hard to imagine middle class passengers supporting striking bus drivers today, or a city mayor protecting insurrectionary workers in the streets.

[Aliza · Rating 1 out of 5]

Trying to learn about Marsden Perry, the guy who bought the John Brown House in 1901 and had the largest collection of Shakespeare in the U.S. in the basement there. Also had lots of wine: "To his wine cellar, he added other wine cellars." And had great taste in decorating bathrooms.

[J Fitz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great Read -especially during these times.