Photo of Mother Jones, 1915

Topics on the Page

The Most Dangerous Woman in America

The March of the Mill Children

 Labor History Cross-Links

• Labor Unions and Radical Political Parties in the Industrial Era

• The Pullman Strike of 1894 and the Origins of Labor Day

Who Was "Mother" Jones?

• Mary Harris Jones, also known as "Mother Jones," a labor activist who fought for the rights of child workers.

• The American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations includes a short biography of Mother Jones on their website.

The Most Dangerous Woman in America? The Mock Trial of Mary Harris "Mother Jones" from Teaching Pennsylvania history.


  Primary Sources

Click here to read Mother Jones: Raising Cain and Consciousness.

The Autobiography of Mother Jones (1925)

Mother Jones Quotes from Mother Jones Museum

   Multimedia Materials

To watch a short video about a famous march that she went on in 1903, click here.

Bloomington Labor History Mural:

A 12 foot tall by 18 foot wide labor history mural adorns the inside of 

Laborers' Local 362's old hall, 2005 Cabintown Road, Bloomington, Illinois

• The mural depicts local labor history, including
• the Chicago & Alton Railroad Shops and the 1922 Shops workers' strike 
• a 1917 visit by Mary Harris "Mother" Jones in supporting of striking streetcar workers;
• a 1937 strike at the Beich Candy Company and the
• 1978 Normal Fire Fighters' strike.

• The mural was painted by Kari Sandhaas from 1984-86.

The Mother Jones Museum includes a collection of teaching resources, including texts, media, and lesson plans.

The March of the Mill Children (1903)

Mother Jones marched from Philadelphia to the Long Island home of President Teddy Roosevelt

300 Children were part of the March

Philadelphian Mill Children March Against Child Labor Exploitation, Global Nonviolent Action Database

July 7, 1903, from Zinn Education Project

The Wail of the Children Speech by Mother Jones