Mary Harris
1837-1930
“Mother” Jones
“THE MOST DANGEROUS WOMAN IN AMERICA”
by Antoinette Wharton
The darkest shade of black is ingrained between the hand creases and
under the finger nails of every man or
woman who has dutifully spent time
in the coal mines. Trinidad and the
surrounding areas were once a thriving
economy due to the plethora of natural
resources being mined. The soot of
coal breathed in and out most hours
of everyday is a way of life many of us
will never have to know. Still to this day,
there are many men and women who
produce this resource from our bountiful
land.
While those conditions may
not be the safest, the labor economics
in previous centuries caused an even
greater hardship for the miners. That
is, until the mine owners met “The
Most Dangerous Woman in America”,
Mother Jones. Not dangerous in the
sense of violence, necessarily. She was a
woman not afraid to speak her mind and
stand up for those who were working
60 hours or more a week to provide a
minimal amount of income for their
families. She fought for those who were
afraid or unable to fight for themselves.
Mary Harris Jones was born
approximately August 1, 1837 in Cork,
Ireland to Helen Cotter and Richard
Harris. In 1840, her father moved across
the globe to the United States and was a
railway worker. After graduating, Mary
began teaching at a convent in Michigan
but soon after moved to Chicago and
began making dresses. Shortly after
her time in Chicago, she moved to
Memphis, Tennessee. It was there she
met and married George Harris in 1861
and had four children. Tragedy struck
her life significantly when George and
all four of her children fell victim to the
yellow fever in 1867, all within a week
of each other. She then returned to
Chicago and was dressmaking for some
of the most elite in the city. It was there
she began to realize the severe classism
struggles facing the United States. While
she would be watching the poor on the
street, above where she worked, she was
sewing the most elegant dresses for the
upper class society. A gross injustice her
bosses turned a blind eye to.
Find out more at Newlegendsmag.com
Check us out on facebook
Misfortune cast another egregious
shadow when Mary lost everything in
the Great Fire of 1871. Thus prompting
her to begin her lifelong battle with wage
and labor inequalities. It was this great
turn of fates that brought this courageous
N 57