No matter what you think about labor unions today, in the decades after the Civil War something was needed to help the growing labor force. Bosses held all the power and workers lived in conditions that were not fit for humans. Unions were needed. The first ones were regional or based on certain trades. The very first attempt came in the PA coal mines. The coal miners were Irish and brought over the group called The Molly Maguires. Back in Ireland they dressed up in women’s clothes to harass their landlords and bosses. They attempted the same thing here but made little impact.
Historically Speaking 