Mary Harris "Mother" Jones
Title
Mary Harris "Mother" Jones
Subject
Labor activism
Description
Renowned labor activist who worked to improve working conditions for men and women
Creator
Amy French
Source
Image: Wiki Commons
Birth Date
1837
Birthplace
Cork, Ireland
Death Date
1930
Occupation
Labor organizer
Biographical Text
During the Industrial Revolution of the United States, women were treated as a second class of citizens and workers. They were paid approximately half the wages as men and few were organized into labor unions. Although men were paid better than women, they too suffered long hours, low wages, unsafe conditions, and a system that kept them dependent on their employers. Industrial workers had little, if any, control over work relations. "Mother" Jones, Mary Harris Jones, devoted her life to improving work conditions for men and women. After losing her husband and four children to yellow fever, Jones moved to Chicago where she ran a dressmaking business. Her husband had been an active union member and Jones threw herself into the cause. She traveled constantly—carrying everything she owned in a black shawl. A great orator, she could rally workers to the union cause. She organized workers regardless of race, gender, or age and fomented great change for workers.
Bibliography
Mother Jones and Philip Foner, ed. Mother Jones Speaks: Speeches and Writings of a Working-Class Fighter. (Pathfinder, 1983).
AFL-CIO piece on Mother Jones: http://www.aflcio.org/About/Our-History/Key-People-in-Labor-History/Mother-Jones-1837-1930
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