ABSTRACT
A five-time US presidential candidate, Eugene V. Debs was also an eloquent leader of the American labor movement and of the Socialist Party of America. Through his activism in forming the American Railway Union to protect the rights of railroad employees, his criticism of World War I, and his efforts to draw attention to capitalist exploitation of labor, Debs made important contributions to the development of civil liberties in the United States. Eugene Debs was born in Terre Haute, Indiana, to Alsatian immigrants. He dropped out of high school at age fourteen and began working in the railroad industry. Debs held several positions in that industry, including working as a laborer, painter, and fireman. These experiences gave him valuable insight into the life of a laborer. Debs was a charismatic speaker and believed that one of the most important tasks for the socialist movement was the education of American workers so that they were aware of their plight.
