The Molly Maguires or Ribbonmen as they were called were a violent group that opposed the oppression of tenants by landlords in Ireland.

When they immigrated to America and the coal fields of Pennsylvania their opponents changed to the coal operators who exploited mine workers.
During the Civil War in 1862, there was growing unrest over conscription in what was called “a rich man’s war and a poor man’s fight.” This was blamed on the Molly Maguires. When a mob formed to stop a train carrying conscripts at Pottsville, Pennsylvania violence occurred and the draft order was revoked to avoid conflict with the Molly Maguires.
Shortly after the draft riots a new labor organization was formed in Schuylkill, Pennsylvania. It was called the Workingman’s Benevolent Association and its purpose was to protect the rights of coal miners and negotiate a fair wage. Several strikes were successful in getting wage increases during the ten years that followed.
In 1875 the mine operators and the Reading Railroad precipitated a strike. Resentment had been building for years over the success of the union and the owners yearned for the pre-union days when they could dictate wages and living conditions of the miners without any opposition. Preparations were carried out to ensure that a strike would break the union. Coal was stockpiled that would last until the strike was over. The mine owners were united into a single consortium so that individual mines would not give in to miner demands. Strike breakers were brought in to continue mine operations and propaganda spread the word of miner intransigence and attacks on owners by the Molly Maguires. A wage cut of 20% in December 1874 triggered what has since been called the Long Strike. It lasted from January to June 1875. By June the miners were out of money and on the verge of starvation. The Workingman’s Benevolent Association was dissolved. It was a victory for owners over the miners and without the union they now had no voice. Consequently, they turned to the Ancient Order of Hibernians, the only organization left to them. The miners would use it as an organized center of self-defense and for carrying out their struggle against the owners.
At our next meeting I’ll provide a summary of the Molly Maguires and the Ancient Order of Hibernians.