Unit 1 The Industrial Revolution

When and where was Eugene V. Debs born?

1855 in Terre Haute, Indiana.

What early jobs did Debs hold that shaped his labor views?

Painter in railroad shops and locomotive fireman.

Which craft union did Debs help organize and what roles did he hold?

Brotherhood of Locomotive Firemen — editor of Firemen's Magazine and national secretary-treasurer.

What major industrial union did Debs co-found in 1893?

The American Railway Union (ARU), which aimed to organize all railroad workers regardless of skill.

What was Debs's role in the 1894 Pullman Strike?

The ARU supported the strike and called a nationwide boycott of Pullman cars; the strike disrupted national rail traffic and led to federal intervention.

How did Debs’s imprisonment after the Pullman Strike change his politics?

While jailed he read widely about socialism and emerged a committed socialist.

What political organization did Debs help found in 1901?

The Socialist Party of America.

How many times did Debs run for U.S. president and what notable electoral result did he achieve?

He ran five times for president and won nearly a million votes in national campaigns (notably 1912 and 1920).

Name a famous Debs quote about solidarity with the oppressed.

"While there is a lower class, I am in it; while there is a criminal element, I am of it; while there is a soul in prison, I am not free."

What is Debs’s lasting legacy?

A: Major influence on industrial unionism and American socialism; an enduring symbol of labor solidarity and the fight for economic justice.

Q: Where and when was Mother Jones born?

A: 1837 in Cork, Ireland; emigrated to the United States as a child.

Q: What personal tragedies pushed Jones toward labor activism?

1. A: Her husband and four children died in a yellow fever epidemic (1867) and she lost her dressmaking business in the Great Chicago Fire (1871).

Q: Which labor organization did Jones join in the 1870s?

A: The Knights of Labor.

Q: When did she become a full-time labor organizer and which groups did she organize?

A: By the 1890s; she organized coal miners, railroad workers, women, children, and immigrants.

Q: What was the 1903 "Children’s Crusade" led by Mother Jones?

A: A march of child laborers to protest child labor and seek President Theodore Roosevelt’s attention (public demonstration to demand reform).

Q: With what violent labor conflicts is Mother Jones most associated?

A: The Coal Wars — especially strikes and clashes in West Virginia and Colorado (early 1900s).

Q: What happened to Mother Jones during the 1912 Paint Creek–Cabin Creek strike?

A: She was arrested and imprisoned for her role in organizing miners.

Q: What major 1914 event did Jones help publicize and respond to?

A: The Ludlow Massacre (Colorado) — she helped bring national attention and support to the striking miners and victims.

Q: Name two characteristic Mother Jones quotes.

A: "Pray for the dead and fight like hell for the living." and "I'm not a humanitarian. I'm a hell-raiser

Q: What is Mother Jones’s lasting legacy?

A: Tireless defense of miners, children, and immigrant laborers; major influence on reforms like child labor laws and safer working conditions.