We tend to rest upon our oars. basking in the sunshine of the accomplishments of our forefathers. and too many of us grow careless of our heritage. The undercurrents of presentday economic. political. religious. and racial oppression escape our slothful attention. But Hilman. like the immigrant Pilgrims. never yielded to the comforts of a newfound liberty. While we turned our eyes away from the abuses of the sweatshop. he challenged and fought their existence. for he recognized their close resemblance to the oppression from which he had so lately fled. As an outstanding and farsighted labor leader. he recognized that the welfare of business interests was closely intertwined with that of organized labor. He was in the forefront of those who taught the thesis that Government. responsive to the needs of the people. individually and in union organizations. is the direct responsibility of each and every voting citizen. He ceaselessly educated the people on their sociopolitical. duties. There were many of us who found the active conscientiousness of this immigrant labor leader an irritant and a goad. He dragged us out of our upholstered inertia and forced us to see whether or not we could understand. Hillman became a public conscience and for this he suffered angry abuse together with public acclaim.
Keywords matched
immigrant