John Francis Bray facts for kids

John Francis Bray (born June 26, 1809 – died February 1, 1897) was an important writer and activist in the 1800s. He worked for better rights for working people in both Britain and his home country, America. People later called him the "Benjamin Franklin" of American labor, which means he was a very influential figure for workers.

John Bray's Early Life and Activism

John Bray was born in Washington, D.C.. His father was an actor. In 1822, his family moved back to Leeds, a city in Yorkshire, England. Sadly, his father died soon after they arrived. Young John then became an apprentice in the printing business. This meant he learned how to print books and newspapers.

In 1832, John moved back to Leeds. He worked for a local newspaper. He also became very involved in the working-class movement there. This included the Chartist Movement. The Chartists were a group of people who wanted more rights for ordinary working people in Britain. They wanted things like the right to vote for all men. Bray helped start the Leeds Working Men's Association in 1837 and became its first treasurer. He gave many talks to the members. These talks helped him write his first important book, Labour's Wrongs and Labour's Remedy.

Bray's Return to America

After some difficult times for the Chartist Movement in Britain, John Bray returned to the United States in 1842. He became a printer in Detroit. Later, he moved to Pontiac, Michigan, where he started a family. He also changed from printing to farming.

During the 1850s and 1860s, Bray was active in politics. He supported the Democratic Party and the working-class movement in the Midwest. He wrote articles and gave talks against problems like the Civil War and slavery. He supported the Socialist Labor Party and joined the Knights of Labor, a large workers' organization. As an older man, he helped shape the ideas of the Populist Party in the 1890s.

Bray's Ideas and Influence

John Bray's book, Labour's Wrongs and Labour's Remedy, was very important. Even Karl Marx, a famous thinker, mentioned it in his own writings. Bray believed that workers were not paid fairly for their labor. He thought that employers made profits because they didn't pay workers the full value of what they produced.

Bray's solution was to create a society where people traded goods and services fairly. He believed in "equal exchange" between producers. This idea is part of what is called market socialism.

A French socialist named Paul Lafargue said that Bray's book was "remarkable." Lafargue explained that Bray suggested setting up "equitable labour exchanges." These were places where people could trade goods based on the amount of work put into them. Bray saw these exchanges as a way to move from a capitalist system (where businesses are owned by private individuals) to a more communist system (where things are owned by everyone).

Several such exchanges were started in 1840 in cities like London, Sheffield, and Leeds. However, they used up a lot of money and eventually failed.

See also

In Spanish: John Francis Bray para niños

• Chartism
• Market socialism
• Mutualism
• Owenism
• Ricardian socialism