The Molly Maguires Essay

This invoked a scenario that can only be described as institutional religious bigotry especially in the inter-war period. Anti-Irish prejudice was far more prominent in this era - and not simply discrimination uniquely identified with working-class Orangemen. A cabal of churchmen, academics and politicians were complicit in spreading the narrative that Irish Catholics were not simply a threat to Scotland’s Protestants, the established religion of the country, they were a threat to the whole Scottish race. The 1923 report published by the Church of Scotland "The Menace of the Irish Race to Our Scottish Nationality" formally proposed the deportation any Irish person in receipt of poor relief and advocated positive job discrimination for native Scots due to the country being "over-gorged with Irishmen". The Church of Scotland and United Free Church attacked the General strike with stories about "Catholic manipulation". In the Depression years, anti-Catholic parties such as the Scottish Protestant League (SPL) in Glasgow and Protestant Action (PA) in Edinburgh - took up to a third of the votes in local council elections. Ratcliffe of the SPL had previously been a member of the "British Fascists", along with Billy Fullerton of the notorious Brigeton Billy Boys. Fullerton, known as the ‘Butcher of Bridgeton” was awarded a medal for strike-breaking in the 1926 General

In his book, “Killing for Coal: America’s Deadliest Labor War”, Thomas G. Andrews construes the trajectory of a unique labor movement of the southern Colorado coal workers. The labor movement is unique as it integrates the social, ecological and industrial context of the strike for a captivating narration of the Ludlow massacre. Andrew’s account is valuable as he insists that credible conclusions must be grounded in complete and sophisticated provenance as opposed to oversimplified explanations. The intent of this response paper is to analyze the burdensome nature of obtaining coal, substandard pay and the treacherous working conditions. Secondly, the paper discusses the ways which helped employees to achieve autonomy and solidarity.

The research in this paper will come from three basic sources. The first source is over the internet. Using the key words Underground, Railroad and Ohio, articles and books will be found. The library will be the second source. Again the key words, Underground, Railroad and Ohio will be used to find and books and newspapers containing valuable information. A local specialist by the name of Mr. Henry Burke will be the third source for this paper. He will provide newspaper articles and stories that he discovered during his research. Interviews with him will also provide valuable insights into the knowledge he has gained throughout his research.

The Molly Maguires are a group of men in Pennsylvania who emigrated from Ireland to look for job opportunities in the great new world America had sold itself as. Originally being founded as a Protestant dominant country, fleeing from religious persecution, there was some tension between Americans and Catholics, in this case the Irish. Unable to find a union that would accept the Irishmen they were, the Mollies formed their secret organization because of their frustrations against their employers, when their needs were not met, they resorted to violence and strikes . The Molly Maguires, or Mollies, were labeled cruel, brutal terrorists in their court hearings. These alleged Mollies got their name after the Irish group in Ireland that existed in the years

Eventually, the workers of American Coal, who were once the landowners of the very area they were mining, formed a labor union to fight for better working conditions. The union was met with great opposition by the company’s secret police. As time went on, the coal miners continued to fight for their rights, only to be put down violently by the coal company’s strikebreakers. Union leaders were also fired and blacklisted from the company as a means to put a stop to union activity.

The book, “The Irish Way” by James R. Barrett is a masterpiece written to describe the life of Irish immigrants who went to start new lives in America after conditions at home became un-accommodative. Widespread insecurity, callous English colonizers and the ghost of great famine still lingering on and on in their lives, made this ethnic group be convinced that home was longer a home anymore. They descended in United States of America in large numbers. James R. Barrett in his book notes that these people were the first group of immigrants to settle in America. According to him, there were a number of several ethnic groups that have arrived in America. It was, however, the mass exodus of Irish people during and after the great

Carnegie and Frick represented the corporations looking to take advantage of the poor that were unable to empathize with ordinary citizen. However, surprisingly, the author reveals that both Carnegie and Frick came from humble backgrounds. Considering their mass exploitation of the immigrant worker and their ruthless fights against any form of workers union, they had to struggle to reach their goals. However, their own life experiences gave them no sympathy towards their fellow man, which is a blatant example of the ugly side of capitalism that Finn has described (1). The Homestead mill was the product of Carnegie’s first success in the steel mill business. It quickly became the most famous steel mill in America. It was famous for producing the steel used for America’s first skyscrapers and suspension bridges. However, the conditions were abysmal. It was reported that workers slept in the alleys behind the mills, and that there was no sewage system. Instead, trenches were used that would stagnate in the rain. These terrible conditions came on top of a job that paid 14 cents an

After the Civil War, with the economy in shambles and increased openings for jobs, attitudes toward the Irish shifted slightly. Unlike earlier times, when the Irish first came to America, store windows no longer flashed "Irish Need Not Apply" signs. The Irish had won their place amongst the natives, having heartily participated in the war: thirty nine Union Regiments contained a majority of Irishmen, and the famous 69th regiment "Fighting 69" was comprised almost totally of Irishmen. But, don't let the Confederates be forgotten either, over forty thousand Irishmen fought for the grays. The Irish Americans gained some respectability for their involvement in the Civil War and were now more accepted by American society. The Irish Americans in post-Civil War era were more economically successful. Several of the Irishmen that had been manual laborers now held managerial positions in the railroad, iron and construction industries, their hard work has allowed them to rise through the ranks. Irish Americans also became educated and trained professionals. Fortunately Irish women, although held back by the restrictions placed on all American women around the turn of the century, achieved higher positions in society as teachers, nurses and secretaries.

The Ludlow Massacre of 1914 is one of the bloodiest strike in the American labor history. Historians have debated whether the event was a massacre of innocent lives caused by the Colorado Fuel & Iron (CF&I) or as a battle between the company workers and the company militiamen. The CF&I stated that the event was an act of its workers to demilitarize the company and to prevent importation of “strikebreakers”. However, Thomas Andrews’ Killing for Coal: America’s Deadliest Labor War introduces the concept of workscape in which gives an understanding of the event internally, above the surface and underground the mines of Colorado. Within the book, the operation of Colorado coal companies in capitalizing the coal industry lead to the formation of the mine workscape in which united coal miners underground the mines and above the surface to fight for industrial and political rights. This paper would define the concept of workscape in the definition given by Andrews, and provide evidence of the responsibility of the exploitation of capitalism in forming the mine workscape in the Colorado coal fields between the late 1800’s and early 1900’s. Furthermore, the closer inspection of several events that occurred within and outside the grounds of the Colorado coal fields related to labor unrest with the knowledge of the concept of workscape will help understand the culmination of the Ludlow massacre within the larger history of capitalism. A careful investigation of the book and other

Living in a Coal Mine community had its disadvantages, specifically during the earlier times when towns were first being established, as well as during the great depression. The madams of the valley, most notably, Fanny Ramsley and Mary Roper, were often referred to us the welfare providers of the valley because of their great generosity to families during difficult times. When they heard a miner was injured, a woman was widowed, or a family had become ill, they would send a taxi full of food, medical supplies including medicine and anything else that the family might need but couldn’t afford themselves.

This book is full of stories of the men who descend into the mines, and their women and children who wait for them to come out safe at the end of each shift are the subject of a, poet Diane Gilliam Fisher’s collection, Kettle Bottom. Set in 1920–21, a period of violent and brutal act against miners known as the West Virginia Mine Wars, the topic of the poems in Kettle Bottom. The stories includes the miners, their children, and most importantly their wives who suffered the consequences of their husband’s deeds. In Kettle Bottom, Diane Gilliam Fisher probes the emotional truth of coal camp history, and then extracts it, holds its darkness in the light of her brilliant poetic lines. Racism, Blood sheds, economic injustice, inhumane way to treat

These are the words of the Irish leader that was willing to help the miners stand up and fight for their rights, as told by Raffaello Carboni, a Eureka Stockade digger:

The first strike was during the 1870’s in a coal region of Pennsylvania. The conditions were harsh in the mines and there were few if any safety precautions. A group of Irish miners organized a union in which they called Molly Maguires. Pinkerton agents were sent in by the mine owners to control the Molly Maguires, this event led to the formation of other strike groups.

The Irish Republican Army was the first to fight the British in the 19th century (Irish War of Independence). However, for many centuries the Irish when though many hardship such as has foreign domination. By the 20th century the British and Ireland struggle with divisions. There were people who wanted to remain in Britain while others wanted their independence (Ireland and Republican). Soon after there was a solution. In the 1850s, the Republican Brotherhood (IRB) was formed. However, in 1921 the IRA was founded. They had gain so many training and weapon that they were label as a terrorist organization. They would carry out bombing as well as assassinations to oppose the rule of Britain. Sinn Féin along with the British government later signed

The precursor to the IRA was a group called the Irish Volunteers who later transformed in the IRA around 1919. The goal from the start was to create the Independent Republic that was not controlled by Britain. The Sinn Fein was the government wing of the terrorist group, who shared the same exact goal but from a diplomatic standpoint. Not everyone who was a part of the IRA was also a part of the Sinn Fein and vice versa but the membership tended to overlap during the IRA’s inception period. The IRA first used terrorism during the war of Irish independence from 1919-1921 against Britain. At the end of the war, Britain had let go of 26 counties and this resulted in a new free Ireland. However, 6 counties remained under Britains control. The 6 six counties that remained were together named Northern Ireland and to this day, Northern Ireland is still a part of the United Kingdom. The first split of the IRA happened during this time between those who accepted 26 counties being set free (loyalist) and those who were upset that 6 remained under Britain control. Those who were not in favor of 6 counties apart of the United Kingdom were named the Irregulars. A civil war occurred between the irregulars and the new Irish government and the irregulars had lost. This did not stop them from recruiting and training, in hopes that their dream of a unified Ireland. The new Irish government made the organization illegal due to its continued