George Pullman's business.

George Pullman was an American Engineer and Industrialist. He is most known for the creation of his Pullman sleeping cars, which were train passenger cars where all the passengers were given beds to make night travel more restful and enjoyable by train. They became popular because due to President Lincoln and his family using them after the assassination to go to Springfield from Washington D.C. Everyone saw this new type of car and the demand skyrocketed. He continued to upgrade his luxury cars. He created a "Hotel on Wheels" which was a sleeper car that came with an attached kitchen and dining car, and a special car named Delmonico which was the first sleeper car devoted to fine cuisine. The food rivaled some of the best restaurants of the day.

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One of the most defining characteristics of all the Pullman cars was that they hired African-American freedmen to work inside the cars as porters, waiters, valets, and entertainers. They were known as Pullman Porters and because they were relatively well paid and traveled the country they were well respected in the African-American community. The Pullman company was the biggest single employer of African Americans in post-Civil War America. 

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To manufacture these cars, Pullman had factories but more interestingly he was one of the first to create a company town. His company town, Pullman, also became one of the largest and most important company towns. The town was built in the 1880s as workers' housing for employees of his railroad car company, the Pullman Palace Car Company. He established behavioral standards that workers had to meet to live in the area and charged them rent. Pullman's architect, Solon Spencer Beman, was said to be extremely proud that he had met all the workers' needs within the neighborhood he designed. The distinctive rowhouses were comfortable by standards of the day and contained such amenities as indoor plumbing, gas, and sewers. The town, entirely company-owned, provided housing, markets, a library, churches and entertainment for the 6,000 company employees and an equal number of dependents. The model planned community became a leading attraction for visitors who attended the World's Columbian Exposition of 1893. It attracted nationwide attention. The national press praised Pullman for his benevolence and vision. According to mortality statistics, it was one of the most healthful places in the world. By 1892 the community, profitable in its own right, was valued at over $5 million. However, Pullman ruled the town like a feudal baron. He prohibited independent newspapers, public speeches, town meetings or open discussion. His inspectors regularly entered homes to inspect for cleanliness and could terminate workers' leases on ten days' notice. The church stood empty since no approved denomination would pay rent, and no other congregation was allowed. He prohibited private charitable organizations. Employees were required to live in Pullman, although cheaper rentals could be found in nearby communities. The town operated successfully until the economic panic of 1893 when demand for the company's products declined, and employee wages had to be lowered accordingly. Despite this, the company refused to lower rents in the town or the price of goods at its shops, thus resulting in the Pullman Strike of 1894 which we learned about in class.

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