Historical Women  of  Letters

Irish-born Mary Harris Jones became Mother Jones, the voice of the American worker and the coal miners in particular. Once called “The Most Dangerous Woman in America”, she was a fiery orator and fearless organizer for the mine workers during the first two decades of the 20th century. She helped coordinate major strikes, secure bans on child labor, and co-founded the trade union, Industrial Workers of the World. From Pennsylvania to Colorado, from Mexico to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Mother Jones advocated, agitated, and testified before Congress for "human conditions for human beings".

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Mary Harris Jones, known to the world as Mother Jones, was, to some, a “wicked old woman” and was once called “the most dangerous woman in America” by a U.S. District Attorney. A fearless fighter for workers’ rights, Jones rose to prominence as a fiery orator and fearless organizer for workers during the early 20th century.