How Did Mary Harris Contribute To The Cause Of Organized Labor

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Throughout her long living career Mary Harris Jones spent almost her whole life fighting for the cause of organized labor. Mary Harris is known for her work in the labor movement, even to this day. Throughout her career she acted as a mom for all children in the world, her whole goal was to eliminate the employment of young children, and to give them the education along with a free childhood that they deserved. Mary Harris was the type of women that a freethinking mind, so her opinions separated her from other women in her class which is what made her so different. She fought for both women and children rights because she believed they deserved just as much or even more freedom than men, even during this time. She stated many times that the …show more content…

Her main goal was to bring the whole world's attention on the numbers and working conditions of children and to protect both children and adults. This was her only conflict and main concern that she didn't plan on letting down until she came to a compromise. In Kensington, near Philadelphia, there were many laws on child labor that forbade the employment of children under the age of twelve. Surprisingly, many parents fought this law and enforced that their children began work even if they were under the age of twelve; this is what caused thousands of children to go on strike in the mines. The reason for so many parents pushing their children to begin work was because they were in desperate need of money. Mary Harris was desperate to get the conditions of child labor publicised, she asked almost every news paper and know one would. “Well, I’ve got stock in these little children and I’ll arrange a little publicity,” is how she responded. She showed no fear to show the whole world how child labor negatively affected children both mentally and physically. When the march finally began it consisted of an “army” of children, and accompanied by a few men and women