Big Bill Haywood
Journal entry #1: May 6th, 1878
Yesterday, while working vigorously in the mines, side by side with other miners, the president of the Western Federation of Miners (W.F.M.) arrived to give a speech. A big commotion arose, and I wiggled my way through to the front of the crowd. He gave an enlightening speech which filled me with inspiration. The speech the man gave opened my eyes to the problems around me. Even though I am only a 9 year old boy, I can still make a difference! As soon as the speech was over, I raced down to the W.F.M. “sign up” stand. I was surprised to see the amount of people standing in line waiting to sign up! After a tiresome thirty minutes waiting in line, I had finally arrived to the front of the cue. “Name and signature kid”, a man with a cold rusty vo ice standing behind the stand called out at me. As pen hit paper I was jumping with a sense of happiness that I had never felt before! As soon as I left the stand I realized that I had just played my first roll in the American Labor Movement!
I left the mines with my chest pushed out and feeling as proud as I could possibly feel. I had left early because I couldn’t wait to tell my family what had happened at the mines that day. When I arrived from my time-consuming and exhausting walk home I raced over to the lounge where my mother was busy chatting with a friend to give details to her on what had happened, and as I did I wondered what my father would have thought of me if he didn’t pass away when I was three years old. My mother was proud and pleased to hear that I had fallen in deep interest with something and was less interested in what I was inspired by. I had never had such a good night sleep as I did that night.
The next morning at the crack of dawn I was woken up by my mothers soothing voice and gentle touch. I felt tired and grumpy until I realized what I had done the day before. Then I went off on my long and lonely walk to mines after having a good big hot breakfast of oatmeal. Mining has been hard for me this year due to my injury I caused to my right eye while whittling, the doctor said it has been permanently injured and mother says we can’t afford to get it replaced with a glass eye. But despite my injury, half way through the day it hit me, the long hours and small pay did not matter to me anymore, and nothing anyone could have said and done would have changed the way I felt! I had finally found a passion.
Image by:
http://www.pensler.com/images/Rivera%20Miners.jpg
Journal entry #1: May 6th, 1878
Yesterday, while working vigorously in the mines, side by side with other miners, the president of the Western Federation of Miners (W.F.M.) arrived to give a speech. A big commotion arose, and I wiggled my way through to the front of the crowd. He gave an enlightening speech which filled me with inspiration. The speech the man gave opened my eyes to the problems around me. Even though I am only a 9 year old boy, I can still make a difference! As soon as the speech was over, I raced down to the W.F.M. “sign up” stand. I was surprised to see the amount of people standing in line waiting to sign up! After a tiresome thirty minutes waiting in line, I had finally arrived to the front of the cue. “Name and signature kid”, a man with a cold rusty vo ice standing behind the stand called out at me. As pen hit paper I was jumping with a sense of happiness that I had never felt before! As soon as I left the stand I realized that I had just played my first roll in the American Labor Movement!
I left the mines with my chest pushed out and feeling as proud as I could possibly feel. I had left early because I couldn’t wait to tell my family what had happened at the mines that day. When I arrived from my time-consuming and exhausting walk home I raced over to the lounge where my mother was busy chatting with a friend to give details to her on what had happened, and as I did I wondered what my father would have thought of me if he didn’t pass away when I was three years old. My mother was proud and pleased to hear that I had fallen in deep interest with something and was less interested in what I was inspired by. I had never had such a good night sleep as I did that night.
The next morning at the crack of dawn I was woken up by my mothers soothing voice and gentle touch. I felt tired and grumpy until I realized what I had done the day before. Then I went off on my long and lonely walk to mines after having a good big hot breakfast of oatmeal. Mining has been hard for me this year due to my injury I caused to my right eye while whittling, the doctor said it has been permanently injured and mother says we can’t afford to get it replaced with a glass eye. But despite my injury, half way through the day it hit me, the long hours and small pay did not matter to me anymore, and nothing anyone could have said and done would have changed the way I felt! I had finally found a passion.
Image by:
http://www.pensler.com/images/Rivera%20Miners.jpg
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