Mother Jones: One Woman's Fight for Labor

by Betsy Harvey Kraft

Mary Harris, later known as Mother Jones, was born in Ireland in 1830 and immigrated to the United States as a young woman. With prodigious energy and a gift for oratory, she became one of America's most influential union organizers. Looking frail and grandmotherly in her prim black dress, steel-rimmed glasses, and white hair, this tiny, indomitable woman gave stirring speeches urging workers to stand up for their rights, bullied government officials, and fearlessly confronted business leaders. Betsy Harvey Kraft's clear, meticulously researched text introduces an important figure in American social history to a new generation.

Genres: Nonfiction, Biography

116 pages, Hardcover

First published April 24, 1995

Reviews

[A Prather · Rating 3 out of 5]

What an excellent recap of some of the sacrifices that were made in the past so that the rest of us can enjoy better working and living conditions in this day and age. So many Americans lost their lives fighting for the most basic human rights. They weren’t afraid of hard work, just wanted fair labor practices. Without their bravery we would still have unsafe working conditions: 16-hr workdays, company stores charging outrageous prices for shoddy goods, overpriced company housing and unlimited child labor.

This book was a powerful reminder that almost every fortune has been made illegally, on the backs of the misfortunate, or through the blood/sweat of the powerless. Horrible management practices created the need for worker protection and representation. And we should all be thankful to those who stood up to the greedy titans of industry and said, “No More.”

Many of them paid a terrible price so that the rest of us could possibly enjoy a better life.