George C. Pullman was an engineer and industrialist who first started his career in Chicago. One of the techniques which resulted in him being extremely successful was when he went to work with his father moving houses when the Erie Canal started to flood, was shifting houses onto newly built foundations. In Chicago he wanted to built the first sewer system, but because the streets were so muddy they were not able to hold the pipes properly. As a result, he came up with the idea to put the sewer system on top of the city and then covering, this system became extremely successful. He was also responsible for being one of the engineers to want to construct bigger buildings and formed the Ely. Smith & Pullman partnership who constructed the first hotel named Tremont House. When the sleeper cars were built he created the Palace Car Company.
In 1864, George C. Pullman finished his first sleeper car, which was an idea taken from packet boats that traveled in the Erie Canal. One of the reasons why the sleeper car was successful was because he arranged that President Abraham Lincoln's body would be transported from Washington D.C to Springfield inside a sleeper car. People started to order more and more sleeper cars, they eventually became only affordable to the "middle class" because they cost five more times than normal railway car. He wanted to keep expanding his business to those who were rich and invented sleeper cars that had great food and expensive furniture. Those who worked in the who worked in the sleeper cars were mainly African Americans or former slaves; however, the job was considered prestigious because it paid well. The only reason as to why George C. Pullman hired African Americans was because he thought that they had the right amount of servitude in order to serve the white men in his "Palace Cars".
In 1880, George C. Pullman bought four-thousands acres of land in Chicago, for eight hundred million dollars. The reason why he bought the land was in order to create a model community in order to attract skill workers and create a healthy environment that would be available to every working class. In 1884 the town was completed and it had over one thousands homes with water and gas. In 1894, the Pullman Strike begun, since most of the factory workers were required to live in the company town. Not only were the workers required to live their, but also hop, attend school, and were paid only in company money. The workers felt like prisoners living in the town because everything they wanted to do needed to be approved by George C. Pullman. In 1893, there was an economic downfall and George C. Pullman was forced to reduce wages of his workers by twenty five percent. This resulted in the downfall of the company town because often the prices of the shops stayed the same or even rose. The only way for the workers to gain the justice they deserved was by going on a strike until George C. Pullman met their demands. This attempt was destroyed by President Grover Cleveland who ordered federal troops to eliminate the strike, and while doing so many workers were killed in the violent attempts.
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