Mary Harris “Mother” Jones was a commanding and influential person in American history. Characteristically clad in a black dress, the five-feet tall Mother Jones was a daring warrior for workers’ rights to the point of being branded "the most dangerous woman in America". A fearless radical and a skilled orator, Mother Jones inspired everyone from mineworkers to children to action for better living and working conditions. Born in 1837 in Ireland to a family of freedom fighters, Mary Harris Jones experienced a tough early life, full of hardship and difficulties. In order to escape political pressures and the potato famine, the Jones’ immigrated to Toronto, where Jones later studied to become a teacher and a dressmaker. In 1860, Jones eventually
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She literally had no permanent residence. "My address is like my shoes, "It travels with me wherever I go." she once told a committee. During this time, she participated and even organized hundreds of strikes, actively assisting workers in any trade, whether it be railroad, steel, or textile. Self-described as “I'm not a humanitarian, I'm a hell-raiser”, she became very energetic in the struggles of coal miners in 1890 and became an organizer for the United Mine Workers. Her first coalmine strike was in 1891 at Norton, Virginia. Although this strike would be a failure and she nearly losing her life, Mother Jones was unfazed. In 1894, she helped organize a reception and speech for Eugene Debs, the founder of the American Railway Union, despite the dangers posed by the local police. It was a rallying cry for another strike that would also go on to fail later, this time for miners in Birmingham, Alabama. Despite the losses, there were victories. In the summer of 1897, nine thousand mine workers nationwide striked for better mine conditions. Even though some strikes resulted in a stalemate, Mother Jones oration helped sour public favor towards capitalists and mine
She literally had no permanent residence. "My address is like my shoes, "It travels with me wherever I go." she once told a committee. During this time, she participated and even organized hundreds of strikes, actively assisting workers in any trade, whether it be railroad, steel, or textile. Self-described as “I'm not a humanitarian, I'm a hell-raiser”, she became very energetic in the struggles of coal miners in 1890 and became an organizer for the United Mine Workers. Her first coalmine strike was in 1891 at Norton, Virginia. Although this strike would be a failure and she nearly losing her life, Mother Jones was unfazed. In 1894, she helped organize a reception and speech for Eugene Debs, the founder of the American Railway Union, despite the dangers posed by the local police. It was a rallying cry for another strike that would also go on to fail later, this time for miners in Birmingham, Alabama. Despite the losses, there were victories. In the summer of 1897, nine thousand mine workers nationwide striked for better mine conditions. Even though some strikes resulted in a stalemate, Mother Jones oration helped sour public favor towards capitalists and mine