The Molly Maguires was an Irish secret organization formed during the late 1800s that impacted the

way people went about their business in the Anthracite Coal Region. Several years of violence occurred due to the Molly Maguires not having the same benefits as others. Because of this violence, people became more aware of their surroundings and the once peaceful Anthracite Coal Region became disturbed. Being from Pennsylvania, I wanted to pick a topic that was somehow intertwined into Pennsylvanian history. The Molly Maguires was a topic I had never heard of until I talked to a teacher about possible National History Day topics. Many people have not heard of the Molly Maguires and I wanted to make their story known to other people who had not heard it. Researching at the Schuylkill County Historical Society along with the Anthracite Heritage Museum, Pennsylvania State Library and my local library provided excellent primary and secondary sources. The Schuylkill County Historical Society provided multiple newspapers, the coffin notice and a letter written by Jack Kehoe. The Anthracite Heritage museum also provided newspapers along with two newsletters. My best primary source was the letter written by Jack Kehoe because in it he claimed that he was not guilty of killing W. S. Langdon. For my secondary sources, the Pennsylvania State Library and my local library provided multiple books. A trip to the Old Jail Museum provided a first hand account of the living conditions a few of the Molly Maguires had when they lived in the Mauch Chunk Jail. It also provided a helpful pamphlet that summarized the story of the Molly Maguires. For this topic, I felt that a website would best display the Molly Maguire story because newspapers and a timeline could go along with my words to retell the story. I

also prefer to do a website instead of the other categories because I enjoy the technological aspect. I included background information and a conclusion to make sure the Molly Maguire story was complete. The Molly Maguires wanted the same rights other miners had. They thought they were not getting the same rights because they were Irish. This secret organization became frustrated and took matters into its own hands. When the mine owner realized what was happening, he took responsibility and hired a detective agency to infiltrate the Molly Maguires. Twenty Molly Maguires were sent to the gallows; without the rights they thought they deserved.