I believe that workers deserve decent working conditions and decent working hours. It is unfair, especially for coal miners, who work in filthy conditions with little and often no pay. Industrialization is good in principle in that it provides many jobs.
I tried my best to promote better conditions for working class peoples. I felt it was necessary to fight back against the mining industry. They did not do anything for the workers: conditions were dangerous and filthy, and besides that, some people were never paid for their work. If no one else would speak out in some way, I would and I did. Eventually workers' rights would be considered and better conditions for everyone would be implemented.
Violence was the main method I used to improve American life. Myself and others members of the Molly Maguires used violence to show our displeasure and fought for an improvement in the workplace. Those who treated workers and Irish immigrants poorly would at least take a beating. Murder was not an unheard of occurrence.
One criticism I hold of American society is their poor treatment of Irish immigrants. We were subject to horrible prejudice and ridicule. It was hard to find work because even if help would be wanted in a business, employers would turn the unemployed away simply if they were Irish. I also opposed Union drafts during the Civil War. It was a rich man's war and a poor man's fight. Not only this, but Union victory seemed to strengthen industrialists who prevented laboring citizens from creating unions to improve their working conditions.
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