What wages did O’Donnell earn? Why didn’t he work more? How did he ac
count for his poverty? To what extent did O’Donnell possess freedom to nego
tiate for better wages and working conditions?
O’Donnell requested “some remedy to . . . help us poor people.” What remedies
did he appear to favor? What remedies might have improved his prospects of
employment?
Why did he believe the employers were doing “everything . . . that they pos
sibly can to crush down the poor people”? How might employers have
responded?
. How representative do you think O’Donnell and his family were of working
class Americans in the late nineteenth century?
