Making Sense of the Molly Maguires

by Kevin Kenny

Book Overview

Twenty Irish immigrants, suspected of belonging to a secret terrorist organization called the Molly Maguires, were executed in Pennsylvania in the 1870s for the murder of sixteen men. Ever since, there has been enormous disagreement over who the Molly Maguires were, what they did, and why they did it, as virtually everything we now know about the Molly Maguires is based on the hostile descriptions of their contemporaries.

Arguing that such...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0195116313
• ISBN13: 9780195116311
• Release Date: February 1998
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
• Length: 368 Pages
• Weight: 1.55 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 6.4" x 9.2"

Customer Reviews

Full consideration of a complex historical event

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.

Kenny really did his homework

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 best book on the subject done so far.

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.

Excellent, very well-researched book

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.

The who, what and why of the Mollies finally explained.

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.