In United States labour history, which statement was true of African American Pullman porters working on sleeping cars in the 1920s?

Introduction / Context:
Pullman porters were African American men who worked on sleeping cars for the Pullman Company in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Their work involved serving passengers on long distance trains, carrying luggage and providing many personal services. While the job was seen as respectable within African American communities, it was also demanding and often unfair. Questions about Pullman porters test knowledge of labour rights, race relations and union organising in United States history.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• The focus is on Pullman porters in the 1920s.
• They were mostly African American workers employed on sleeping cars.
• The options discuss unions, treatment, and reasons for or against unionisation.
• We assume awareness that the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters eventually formed to fight for better conditions.

Concept / Approach:
Although Pullman porters wore neat uniforms and travelled widely, they endured long working hours, modest pay and strict rules. They relied on tips and had to perform many tasks, sometimes with little rest. Company management resisted unionisation, but workers and leaders such as A. Philip Randolph campaigned for a union and better conditions. The truthful statement must reflect that porters needed a union because they were not treated well, rather than claiming that unions were illegal or that conditions were already excellent.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Recall that Pullman porters became one of the most famous examples of African American labour organising.Step 2: Remember that the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters was formed because workers wanted higher wages, shorter hours and respect.Step 3: Review the options and identify which one says that porters needed a union due to poor treatment.Step 4: Eliminate the claim that unions were completely illegal in the 1920s, because many unions already existed then.Step 5: Reject the suggestion that porters did not need a union, since their long struggle shows that they clearly saw a need for organisation.Step 6: Reject the idea that the only barrier was a legal ban on African American unions, because the main resistance came from company policy and discrimination, not a specific national law.

Verification / Alternative check:
To verify, think of the widely known fact that the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters, founded in the 1920s, was the first major African American led labour union to gain a significant contract. It would not have existed if conditions had already been good. Historical accounts describe the porters complaints about long trips, unpaid waiting time and low base pay. At the same time, union activity was legal in general, even though companies and some authorities opposed specific unions.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Option A exaggerates by saying union activity was illegal for all workers, which is historically incorrect since many unions were active during the 1920s. Option C is wrong because it ignores the well documented grievances of the porters and the long campaign they waged for better treatment. Option D misrepresents the legal situation by suggesting a specific law that banned African American unions, when in reality the obstacles were more about company resistance and racial discrimination than a clear legal prohibition.

Common Pitfalls:
Students may assume that any job considered prestigious in a community must also offer good conditions, forgetting that respectability and fairness are not the same. Another pitfall is to generalise from later civil rights laws back to the 1920s, when protections were weaker. A good strategy is to connect Pullman porters with both respectability and exploitation, and to remember that their experience shows why unions were necessary.

Final Answer:
The true statement is that Pullman porters needed a union because they faced long hours, low pay and poor treatment despite the prestige of the job.