Industrial Economy During The Gilded Age

The gilded age was an age of industrial revolution. With inventions of machines and the major social problems, it was an era of great change for the United States.

Life in the early 1900’s wasn’t easy. Competition for jobs was at an all time high, especially in New York City. Immigrants were flooding in and needed to find work fast, even if that meant in the hot, overcrowded conditions of garment factories. Conditions were horrid and disaster was inevitable, and disaster did strike in March, 1911. The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory in New York set on fire, killing 146 workers. This is an important event in US history because it helped accomplish the tasks unions and strikes had tried to accomplish years earlier, It improved working conditions in factories nationwide and set new safety laws and regulations so that nothing as catastrophic would happen again. The workplace struggles became public after

Triangle: The Fire That Changed America by David Von Drehle gives readers a look into one of the most significant tragedies to take place in the United States. Before writing this book, Von Drehle was an American journalist working with The Denver Post, Miami Herald, Washington Post, and Time. Von Drehle is a very accomplished writer as he has won several awards those which recognize his excellence in young journalism, among these are, the Livingston award and the American Bar Association’s Silver Gavel Award. Triangle was written with amazing descriptions that transport you to the day in 1911 where the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire took place. The book gives its audience a chance to experience what not only that horrific day was like, but what most days were like for factory workers. Von Drehle believes that “the fire was a crucial moment in American history that forced fundamental reforms from the political machinery of New York and the whole nation.” (Von Drehle 3)

The industrialists of the late 19th century were “captains of industry” because they created new industries that further flourished the United States and its economy. Railroad tycoons such as “Cornelius Vanderbilt, James J. Hill, and Jay Gould” created the “transcontinental railroad [that] would allow for settlement of the west, new markets for eastern manufacturers, and relief to overcrowded eastern cities” (“Binding the Nation by Rail” 1). The railroad system connected those who are thousands of miles away and allowed goods to reach parts of the United States that it could not previously. As a result, the prices of goods dropped a

The Gilded Age was a term used in the 1920s and 1930s derived from Mark Twain’s novel of the same name, which mocked an era of serious social problems. Mark Twain and Charles Darwin saw the corruption in the politics, the ineffectiveness of the politicians, the frenzy in the marketplace and the widespread greed among the people. The society showed a huge difference in regard to who had something and who didn’t. Most of the poor and lower middle-class

The late-nineteenth century was a turning point for American society, economics and politics. This era was an era of seeming prosperity and diversity. Nonetheless, there were many perspectives that were omitted from this prosperous and wealthy view shared among the few. As a result, the late 1800s was known as the Gilded Age, named by Mark Twain as an allusion to the concept of something that is seemingly pleasantly plated with gold on the outside, but rotten to the core. This Gilded Age, in essence, was a period of rapid growth of industry in the American North and West. This industrialization brought many benefits, however, along with the benefits for the select few, it also saw heavier persecution and exploitation against those who were

Bosses of factories and bosses of other companies would pay low wages to their employees. Since of these low wages many people couldn’t support their families. Factory women workers got paid only one or three dollars a day and men got paid one to three dollars and some other companies only paid one or three dollars a week. The working environment of workers were cruel. When it was hot outside the factory would be hot but if it was cold outside the factory would be cold. The building were also crowded with people which is very bad for fires because there are so many people. Factory buildings also didn’t have sprinklers which made it difficult for putting out fires.In 1911 in a factory in NYC a lit ciggeritte got thrown in a bin and the whole factory went up in flames. This factory is named The Triangle Factory and there were many bad conditions that caused many women's deaths. One of the reasons was that everyday the doors to exit the building were locked till everyones shifts are over. No one could escape the building because they couldn’t open the doors to exit. Also, there was narrow hallways that only could fit one person at a time. Since of this, many people couldn’t escape because the line was so slow and it was too late and the flame caught up. Another condition was that there was many fire hazards that caused the fire. The bosses only had buckets of water to

Even after the terrible tragedy happened, the new building the Triangle Waist Company used was not even fire proof and “the firm had already blocked the exit to the fire escape by two rows of sewing machines” (Argersinger, 105). The previous building where the fire had happened would only undergo a few repairs and re-open in the same condition it was in before the fire. This illustrates how the owners of the company did not care much about the safety of their factories, thus it comes as no surprise that the working conditions the shirtwaist makers had to endure were also terrible.

The rise of big businesses such as The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory was a noticeable feature of the Gilded Age. David Von Drehle explains, “The garment industry had become quite large and began to mature, having doubled in size over the previous decade” One of the main factors in causing the fire were the terrible circumstances in factories during the Gilded Age at that time. Everyone during this time was all fighting for a better workplace and a better profit for their hard work. Drehle supports his argument in a way that describes the hardships of each individual and their background throughout the story. The fire illustrates how the safety precautions were very weak and also poorly thought out throughout this time period in history. It also describes how evil and selfish the big business owners were who treated their workers like slaves to strive for wealth. Isaac Harris and Max Blanck who were owners of the Triangle factory who demanded that their employees produce twice as many products. “It was the practice of “sweating” workers- that is, squeezing out more work for less

The New York City Triangle Waist Company fire was a disastrous event that paved the road for Progressive Era reforms. A day after the fire, there was an article, “Death List Shows Few Identified,” published by the New York Times listing the identifiable and unidentifiable dead and the injured. Because of the revealed appalling working conditions and the gruesome deaths the workers came to, the reader now desires to join the Progressive movement for improved working conditions and factory safety. The historical Triangle Waist Company fire resulted in not only local factory reforms but national factory reforms as well as increased women’s rights. The “Death List Shows Few Identified” article provides a statistical representation and depiction

The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire was the deadliest in the history of the city for many reasons, some related to the workers, the owners, and even the help that was provided. One of the rules set for workers was that they were

In March 25,1911, blossomed into the kind of Saturday afternoon in early spring that gives rise to thoughts of a picnic in the park. But picnics were not part of the weekend routine for 600 people who work at the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory. “on March 26,1911 in New York. At 4:35 in the afternoon the fire springing from a source that no one knew it was coming from the rear of the Eighth floor on the Ten-story building at the North-west corner of Washington place and green streets. When the fired died down 154 men and women died in that horror”. But though some people think the factory owners are to blame for the deaths of 154 employees in the fire of 1911 because the trial revealed that the shirtwaist kings had been warned of the Hazardous

The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory was a perfect example of the average sweatshop in the early twentieth century. It had long hours, low pay, hired young immigrant women, and most importantly, had a dangerous work environment. On March 25, 1911, a fire started in the 8th floor on a rag tub and it spread throughout the factory. The fire department did come, but it’s ladder and hoses were too short and couldn’t reach the 8th floor so not many people were saved. The workers were neglected of safety measures and too overcrowded that not everyone survived. The Fire brought high casualties. There were over 500 workers at the factory, and it was a little space while much too overcrowded. There weren’t that many safety exits in the factory that actually worked, so they were crowded and it led girls to jumping out the window, though some survived because of life nets. Unfortunately, the life net ripped because 3 girls jumped at the same time. 146 people were killed

The Gilded Age, starting in the 19th century around post civil war and reconstruction era, was a major increase in population and profligate displays of material wealth in the United States. It introduced a great change in social and economic development. It saw rapid industrialization and innovations in science and technology as well as big businesses. While some might disagree, statistics show that social and economic inequality in our century is the start of a second gilded age using corrupt forms of government, voter’s repression strategies, and unfair sharing of wealth. Thus creating a nation in which corporations rule as government and engross in corruption and

By the late nineteenth century, the American economy had experienced a complete change; individual companies were beginning to take control of market and reconstruct the way businesses were run. The entrepreneurs who took