Eugène Debs was born in Terre Haute, Indiana in 1855, the son of poor Alsatian immigrants. In his early years, Debs dropped out of high school to become a locomotive paint scraper. Later, within the Brotherhood of Engine Firemen, Debs found his calling to raise his voice in defense of the common man. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”?Get the original essay He was a founding member of the Industrial Workers of the World and organized major protests for workers who were trying to achieve an 8-hour workday, living wages and other basic improvements. He argued the debilitating effect on the political rights and economic opportunities of the majority of Americans. In 1893, he began organizing an industrial union for railroad workers, the American Railway Union, and resigned as secretary of the brotherhood. He made his living primarily as a lecturer and contributor to various periodicals, as he was extremely effective as a public speaker. Debs was jailed for six months for contempt of court after leading the American Union Railroad in a confrontation with federal troops. Debs became increasingly critical of traditional political and economic concepts such as capitalism and was deeply influenced by the works of Karl Marx during his prison sentence. in Woodstock, Illinois. When he was released, Debs became a star speaker for the Socialist Party and, chosen as its candidate, he eventually ran for president in 1900. Unfortunately, he lost but continued to be the party's candidate during several successive elections. Debs was a tireless speaker and organizer for the Socialist Party between campaigns and traveled the country defending workers in their strikes and labor disputes. Debs enjoyed great success in the 1912 election when he opposed Woodrow Wilson, a Democrat. Debs received nearly a million votes, or six percent of the votes cast. In 1916, Debs decided to run for a congressional seat in Indiana after losing four consecutive presidential campaigns. He was elected when he campaigned for American neutrality during World War I on a pacifist platform. Once the United States entered the war, Debs gave an anti-war speech in 1918 and was arrested for violating the Espionage Act. In fact, Debs only mentioned the war once, but under President Wilson's new repressive law, he was sentenced to ten years in federal prison. Debs campaigned from his prison cell and garnered more than a million votes after being nominated for the fifth time as the Socialist Party's presidential candidate in 1920. Despite continued appeals from Debs' supporters, President Wilson refused to release him from prison, but on Christmas Day in 1921, President Harding ordered Debs' release. Debs remained within the Socialist Party he had led for so many years as it fragmented in the aftermath of the Bolshevik Revolution. Debs died in 1926, leaving a legacy as an American labor leader. “When great changes occur in history, when great principles are involved, as a rule the majority is wrong,” he said in a speech in Cleveland, Ohio. Keep in mind: this is just a sample. Get a custom paper from our expert writers now.Get a Custom EssayDebs became one of the most well-known socialists living in the United States through his work with the..