Address By George Engel

Student’s Name:
Professor’s Name:
Course:
Date:
Address by George Engel, Condemned Haymarket Anarchist (1886)
Engel was unsuccessful in Germany because it was extremely challenging for him to gain economically. This is because he was a craftsman and depended on the labor of his hands. Engel was a craftsman just like many other Americans of the time. However, the introduction of machinery made most of these craftsmen to lose out (Engel 1). Engel was among these craftsmen whose life depended on their profession of craftsmanship. The economy was changing rapidly from the use of hands to machines. Therefore, the future was bleak for Engel and other smaller craftsmen who solely depended on their hard labor.
Things were similar in the United States as well. After arriving in the United States, he became disillusioned because this is the least of what he expected. Engel was highly hopeful that things would change once he set foot in the United States. He thought the country was a land of liberty as most people believed (Engel 1). However, Engel still lived in poverty and misery as most working classes did. The United States was not the free republic which he thought it to be. Engel found out that there were many proletarians who did not enjoy the sweat of their labor. Such people never lived joylessly throughout their lives.
Engel expected that the United States was a land of opportunities and that he would eventually be successful. Just like many people, he believed it was a land of liberty (Engel 1).

He also believed that he would find the much-yearned freedom that he had always hoped. Engel was joyful and hopeful that the future was bright while in America. He believed that he would be a free man in a free country. Engel thought that the United States was a glorious republic full of success. However, he was disappointed because he saw a lot of people suffering in the US, some who gathered garbage to make a living.
Engel rejected the US government as a sham because most of the leaders are not elected by the people. He believed that such leaders only assume high offices because of their money. According to Engel, people are bribed to vote such leaders (Engel 1). Therefore, Engel asserts that democracy does not prevail in the United States. Engel believed that democracy was not real in America because there was no free ballot box voting. He believed that people were not free economically. Therefore, they could not make political decisions that were free.
Engel’s views made him respond negatively to political issues in the country. He believed that working classes would never bring change to the society because of the enslavement they encountered. Therefore, the people would not get employment, food, and a joyful life because of the poor decisions they made on the ballot (Engel 1). Engel believed that people could become free by rebelling against the government. Later, Engel joined a labor movement to champion for the rights of the workers. He believed the rights of such workers were always infringed on.
In conclusion, Engel believed in the freedom of workers. According to Engel, workers rights are paramount and should not be infringed upon. He was prepared to face the government head on to salvage the rights of the workers that were dwindling (Engel 1). Engel believed his confrontation with the police were for the common good. Engel was against capitalists exploiting laborers for their selfish gains. Therefore, he became a foremost advocate of the rights of such workers. Engel confessed that he hated a political system that supported the exploitative capitalists who continued to enslave poor workers.
Works Cited
Engel, George. “Address by George Engel, Condemned Haymarket Anarchist (1886)”. Retrieved from www.writerslabs.com on 20 Jan, 2018.