Whiteness, Freedom, and Technology: The Racial Struggle over Philadelphia’s Streetcars, 1859–1867

Between 1859 and 1867 black residents of Philadelphia engaged in a struggle to end racial segregation of the city’s streetcars. This paper examines this conflict to explore the connections between technology and the construction of racial categories. This struggle occurred in response to racial changes such as abolition and Irish immigration. Whites who felt threatened by these racial changes sought to reconstruct the earlier racial hierarchy by claiming industrial developments. They identified streetcar space as white space in order to maintain authority. Blacks associated rail technology with freedom and their fight for access to the cars was also a fight for freedom and equality. Through organized protest and legal action they put an end to the segregation of Philadelphia’s streetcars. Ultimately, the question of who was allowed to ride in the streetcar was a critical question for its successful operation and a greater priority than efficient transportation.