Changes

===Union activism===

===Union activism===

Springfield had a large contingent of coal miners and a railroad workers; both groups were militant unionists in the early 20th century. Gaytas (1998) recounts the events surrounding the city-wide general strike that occurred in Springfield, in September 1917, with the U.S. at war. The strike evolved from a small-scale wage strike among streetcar workers into a large-scale "control strike," a week-long walkout by miners, railroad workers, and other union members that sought to ensure workers' control over labor conditions rather than simply the attainment of higher wages. A wartime shortage of labor led to pressure for higher wages, but the need for war mobilization also made union activism appear unpatriotic. Despite such pressures and the fact that streetcar workers remained on strike for a year, the general strike ended without violence. Most workers returned to their jobs believing that they had furthered workers' control.<ref>Kenton Gatyas, "Springfield's General Strike of 1917." ''Journal of Illinois History'' 1998 1(1): 43-56. Issn: 1522-0532</ref>

Springfield had a large contingent of coal miners and a railroad workers; both groups were militant unionists in the early 20th century. Gaytas (1998) recounts the events surrounding the citywide general strike that occurred in Springfield, in September 1917, with the U.S. at war. The strike evolved from a small-scale wage strike among streetcar workers into a large-scale "control strike," a week-long walkout by miners, railroad workers, and other union members that sought to ensure workers' control over labor conditions rather than simply the attainment of higher wages. A wartime shortage of labor led to pressure for higher wages, but the need for war mobilization also made union activism appear unpatriotic. Despite such pressures and the fact that streetcar workers remained on strike for a year, the general strike ended without violence. Most workers returned to their jobs believing that they had furthered workers' control.<ref>Kenton Gatyas, "Springfield's General Strike of 1917." ''Journal of Illinois History'' 1998 1(1): 43-56. Issn: 1522-0532</ref>

===Airport===

===Airport===

Springfield is representative of how small cities nurtured the growth of commercial aviation during the 1920s. In the face of public apathy and legislative delay, the Chamber of Commerce took the lead in providing a temporary air field for airmail service and arranging for a permanent field for passenger service. It selected sites for airfields, raised funds for field construction and improvements, and publicized the services offered. By 1931 the value of commercial aviation was apparent to the people of Springfield, and the city, with help from the state and federal governments, was ready to assume responsibility for airfield development.<ref>Horace A. Waggoner, "An Alfalfa Field, with Lights, Will Do." ''Aerospace Historian'' 1982 29(1): 13-21. Issn: 0001-9364</ref>

Springfield is representative of how small cities nurtured the growth of commercial aviation during the 1920s. In the face of public apathy and legislative delay, the Chamber of Commerce took the lead in providing a temporary air field for airmail service and arranging for a permanent field for passenger service. It selected sites for airfields, raised funds for field construction and improvements, and publicized the services offered. By 1931 the value of commercial aviation was apparent to the people of Springfield, and the city, with help from the state and federal governments, was ready to assume responsibility for airfield development.<ref>Horace A. Waggoner, "An Alfalfa Field, with Lights, Will Do." ''Aerospace Historian'' 1982 29(1): 13-21. Issn: 0001-9364</ref>