Customer Reviews

Making Sense of the Molly Maguires

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

A very well-researched and detailed account of the Molly Maguires in Pennsylvania. Cuts through the myths and concentrates on the facts. Gives a very good depiction of life in the coal region at the time (much of the language, culture, etc. is still present in the region today). Also good background information on the Mollies origins in Ireland. A very scholarly work.

Kenny digs into the broader social and historical forces that operated in the Irish coal miners and the community in which they found themselves. The events under review are themselves shocking. Like the 9/11 attacks, they seem almost incomprehensible because of their violence and the drama surrounding the events. The Molly Maguries were more than simple killers -- the women's clothing, for example, is a clue that something beyond a simple murder. Kenny gives his explanation of WHY events unfolded as they did.
Kenny has a scholarly point to make and academic readers will be rewarded with Kenny's solid analysis. This is a serious work on a serious subject. It is well worth a bit of intellectual effort. It also makes a fine addition to the reading list of an upper level undergraduate or graduate history course. However, the general reader with an interest in Irish-American history, labor history, and/or European immigrant history will also find this book interesting and informative.

After reading Mr. Kenny's account of the Mollys, I have a much better understanding of what really transpired in the coal fields of Eastern Pennsylvania over 100 years ago. Going beyond the typical view of the Mollys as a band of drunken criminals of Irish origin, Kenny tells of the political and corporate corruption that existed in the 1850s to 1880s. While not displaying total sympathy for the Mollys - since many did fit the stereotypical image, Kenny's accounts will change one's perspective of this group. Well worth reading.

His explanation of the beginning of the union and the people it involved was very clear.There were a lot of details on the exploitation of mineworkers of that era. This is a one the best on the subject.

The who, what and why of the Mollies has been muddied by time and myth. Kenny clarifys the mud and myth in this straightforward, honest assessment of the Molly Maguires and those who were obsessed with their demise. A truly excellent work and a must for anyone interested in Molly lore.

One of the better interpretations of this turbulant era in the coal belt. Kevin Kenny explores the complicated society relationships and both factual and circumstantial evidence that led to the the conviction of some of the ringleaders. Unlike the 1970 movie "The Molly MacGuires," this book assures the reader that series of violent events over a number of years was no simple story to tell. The subsequent convictions of some of the coal miner leaders was hotly contested in its day. Add this book to your collection if you are a student of 1800's Pennsylvania or the treatment of Irish immigrant miners during the period of the Molly MacGuires.

This is a long and complex book. However, it should not dissuade those that are interested in how some people can be driven to feel their only choice is violence. When the political, social, judicial, religious, and economic institutions of the elite are used to suppress some will react violently. The urban riots of the 60's and most recently in Cincinnati are examples of the desperation that can turn to violence and destruction when people feel they have no legal recourse. The book illustrates how the Molly's methods of violence and intimidation were transferred from Ireland to the United States. The Molly's were not a Mafia organization. The combination of the anti-labor press and powerful corporate interests refused to explore why the Molly's came into being. It was easy to sell to the American Public that the Molly's were a criminal organization or anarchists, who deserved to be hanged. The press of the mid 19th century was not interested in telling the story of why the Molly's existed. Answering why does not justify murder. The line is very gray from terrorism, and rebellion to patriot at times.

The Molly Maguire Era is one of the most tangled and complex in United States history. Kevin Kenny has done a masterful job of untangling the complexities and cross currents involved here. There was more evil than enough on both sides of the conflict. New evidence compiled in the last twenty years puts a very different light on this woeful period of American history.

All in all a very good, if at times flawed book. First the flaw, the author comes close on several occasions to advancing the premise that the Molly's didn't exist, only blindness or lack of courage (fear of criticism perhaps) stops him. Author does a good job of citing the Irish tradition of retributive justice as a origin of Molly Maguireism yet somehow misses the deeper none too subtle subtext of his own citation; in particular the arrest in Donegal of two men for Molly violence and the resulting disappearance of further violence. Hardly proof of a massive criminal conspiracy that would follow the Irish to America, but is proof of spontaneous organization at a very low level to advance retributive justice. Author would benefit for reading Conley's, Melancholy Accidents. See:

Melancholy Accidents: The Meaning of Violence in Post-Famine Ireland

See also:

Captain Rock, Night Errant: The Threatening Letters of Pre-Famine Ireland, 1801-1845

For a masterful recounting of Irish retributive justice, let's just say it has little or nothing in common with how the "Mollies" conducted themselves.

On the upside, while the conclusions were at times so painfully nuanced as to seem pointless, the history seems honestly presented. Perhaps the author is confident the truth does not have to be stated overtly as it is made so plain through the simple recitation of facts. For those unaware, a private corporation instituted the investigation by using a detective agency, said agency plants spy's in the community (only one whom discovers a plot) a private police force arrests the men who are then prosecuted by coal company lawyers.The State then hangs them. The Molly's were a frightening example of unconstrained capitalism crushing the weak (I'm a right wing nut if you wonder). In this case most of the Molly Maguireism was a construct used to destroy unionism in the anthracite region of Pennsylvania. I'm sure there was some legit examples of retributive justice but most of the accepted narrative is false

the book was a real good read.but the multi-colored highlights made it difficult to focus on the subjest at hand-it was described as "good" should have said "very used"