MAY 1 is International Workers’ Day. By coincidence, it also marks the birthday of a forgotten Irish hero, Mary Harris Jones. Originally from Cork, Mary Harris would become known to the world as
“the most dangerous woman in America
?.
Born into a tenant farming family in 1837, Mary Harris’s formative years would shape the rest of her life.
Like the rest of their class the Harris family were struck by the devastating effects of the great famine in Ireland and to survive they were forced to emigrate to Canada.
In 1859, Mary moved to the USA and began working as a teacher in Michigan. Sometime later, while working in Memphis Tennessee, Mary met George E Jones, an organiser with the International Moulders and Foundry Workers of North America, and the couple were married in 1861. Mary Harris became Mary Harris Jones.
Now married, Mary gave up her job as a school teacher and instead opened a dress shop in Memphis. Over the next few years as Mary and George settled into family life, they had four children, three girls and one boy. Unfortunately, their happiness was not to last. Memphis was struck by a Yellow Fever epidemic in 1867. Tragically, Mary Jones was forced to watch powerlessly as the disease first claimed her husband and then her four children.
Devastated by the loss of her family, Mary moved to Chicago where she opened a new dress shop and tried to get on with her life.
The world, however, had other things in store for Mary Harris Jones and disaster touched her life again.
The Great Fire of Chicago began on Sunday, October 8, 1871 and burned for two days. Mary Harris Jones lost her new shop, her home and all of her possessions to its flames.
Instead of giving up, Mary got back on her feet and decided to dedicate the rest of her life to the struggle for working class liberation.
Mary joined the Knights of Labour and began to encourage local workers to fight for justice. She organised workers to strike to demand their rights. With the demise of the Knights of Labour, Mary joined the Socialist Party of America and became a trade union organiser with the United Mine Workers.
Mary became prominent not only for travelling around the country organising workers to strike, but also for organising the wives and children of strikers to demonstrate on their behalf.
Mary organised whole communities in support of workers’ rights. Mary was by now known as
‘Mother Jones’, a title of respect, honouring how she treated all the working class as her children and referred to strikers as
“her boys
?.
In 1902, at her trial for breaking an injunction banning a miners’ meeting, Mother Jones was described as
“the most dangerous woman in America
?.
As a union organiser, Mother Jones was a tireless champion of the fight for socialism and a fearless leader, defiantly confronting bosses, strike breakers and the police.
In 1905, Mother Jones became a founding member of the Industrial Workers of the World, a new trade union that sought to organise all workers regardless of their profession into one big union under the slogan
“an injury to one is an injury to all
?.
Remaining an active trade union organiser right into the 1920s, Mother Jones was determined that only death would stop her,
‘If they want to hang me, let them. And on the Scaffold I will shout freedom for the Working Class
?.
Old age finally caught up with this remarkable Irish heroine at the age of 93. Mother Jones died on November 30 1930.