Why Was Mother Jones Called “the Most Dangerous Woman in America”?

Who was Mother Jones? Mother Jones was a labor organizer who fiercely fought for workers’ rights in the 19th century. She was born Mary Harris sometime in the 1830s in Cork, Ireland. Her family immigrated to Canada, where she trained as a teacher before moving to the United States. Her life in America was filled with tragedy. In 1861 she married an iron molder named George Jones, who would die of yellow fever six years later. Soon after, she lost all of her possessions to the Great Chicago Fire in 1871. With practically nothing left, she turned to the Knights of Labor for assistance, and she began to advocate for labor unions. She traveled the country, organizing for the United Mine Workers. She brought support for the cause with her famous slogan, “Join the union, boys.” She eventually assumed the nickname “Mother Jones,” and she became a household name. She was even labeled the “most dangerous woman in America” by a West Virginia district attorney for her role in organizing strikes and pickets in the state. She actively supported laws against child labor and even led what was called “the March of the Mill Children” from Philadelphia to U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt’s summer home on Long Island in 1903. Mother Jones died on November 20, 1930. Today she is remembered as the most prominent female labor activist of the 19th century.