The Causes Of The Triangle Fire Of 1911

“The ‘Triangle’ company, “With blood this name will be written in the history of the American workers’ movement, and with feeling will this history recall the names of the strikers of this shop- of the crusaders” (Von Drehle 86). Even before it happen, the Forward predicted the terrible disaster of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory that occurred one year, one month, and seventeen days later (86). Triangle: The Fire that Changed America, by David Von Drehle tells the story of the horrible fire.

In the first half of the 19th Century the working class in the newly industrializing American society suffered many forms of exploitation. The working class of the mid-nineteenth century, with constant oppression by the capitalist and by the division between class, race, and ethnicity, made it difficult to form solidarity. After years of oppression and exploitation by the ruling class, the working class struck back and briefly paralyzed American commerce. The strike, which only lasted a few weeks, was the spark needed to ignite a national revolt by the working class with the most violent labor upheavals of the century.

It was the fire, that caught America by surprise, the Triangle Shirtwaist factory fire. Killing 145 workers, the workers were young immigrant women looking for jobs, some even as young as 13 were employed. Usually the workers would work 12 to 14 hour shifts a day, 6 days a week, getting payed only four to five dollars a week. The company was owned by Max Blanck and Isaac Harris. The book “Uprising” by Margaret Peterson Haddix is a historical fiction that teaches students about how working in a factory was. This book is about these three young girls named Yetta, Bella, and Jane began to realize the factory owners were cheating them and not paying the right amount they were told. So they went on strike and kept fighting for what they believed

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)

In the 1800s and early 1900s working conditions were much harsher than now. Long hours and small wages made up a day in the life of someone living in the late 1800s to the early 1900s. The Haymarket Riot was the result of the bombing in Chicago. “In the summer 1886 the campaign for an eight-hour day, long a rallying cry that united American laborers, culminated in a national strike on May 1, 1886. Between 300,000 and 500,000 workers struck across the country. In Chicago, police forces killed several workers while breaking up protestors at the McCormick reaper works. Labor leaders and radicals called for a protest at Haymarket Square the following day, which police also proceeded to break up. But as they did, a bomb exploded and killed seven policemen. Police fired into the crowd, killing four. The deaths of the Chicago policemen sparked outrage across the nation and the sensationalization of the “Haymarket Riot” helped many Americans to associate unionism with radicalism” (Yawp). As a result of the Haymarket Riot was the loss of members of the Knight of Labor. “The national movement for an eight-hour day collapsed”(Yawp). The Haymarket Riot played an important role in illustrating how labor was in the late 1800s to the

Between the years 1870-1900, Americans began to respond to the effects fostered by these corporations. From urban factory workers to rural farmers, Americans began to organize against these big businesses. With mass industrialization, more job’s were made available to women, these jobs were often in factories with terrible conditions, sweatshops. There was a sameness about working in mass production factories. Thus, working in these modern mass production factories created a homogenous environment that diminished individualism and the need for skilled workers. (Doc. C) Strikers were common during this era, workers participated in strikes and joined labor unions, such as The American Federation of Labor and the Knights of Labor, due to the terrible working conditions. The American Federation of Labor, headed by Samuel Gompers, was specifically for skilled workers and argued for better wages and a reduction in working hours. (Doc. G) Although urban workers were greatly impacted by the growth of these corporations, they were not the ones. Farmers, suffered

However, after the deadly fire, which was not related to the strike, things changed. Without anywhere else to lay the blame, the D.A. and newspapers at the time began placing blame on the factory owners, Max Blanck and Isaac Harris. Drehle points out that the D.A. of the time Charles Whitman, “was no longer focused on improving factory safety laws. His priority was to indict Isaac Harris and Max Blanck on charges of manslaughter (pg. 188).” They were tried and acquitted, but their trial showed that management was becoming less powerful than it had been. In the past management mistreated workers with impunity, but the public outcry after the Triangle fire changed that. The incident showed that now owners could be held accountable for any harm that might come to their workers as a result of their negligence. Tammany Hall, and Murphy himself, faced their own difficulties brought about by the fire. Having just lost the election for mayor of New York City, Murphy realized his power, and that of Tammany Hall, was waning. William Randolph Hearst was very outspoken against Tammany Hall, workers feared its power less and less, and the new wave of immigrants coming into the US had no respect for its influence. Murphy realized that he had to win over the workers and progressives if he wanted to keep power. “The Triangle fire struck directly at those people who Tammany needed most (pg. 211).” Realizing that he needed the growing influence of

When the 1909 general strike broke out, the garment workers found themselves with unexpected allies. A number of women from some of the wealthiest families of the Gilded Age kindly supported the strikers. They paid fines and put up their mansions as collateral for bail; a few even picketed and were jailed. They had names like Vanderbilt,

     Near closing time on Saturday afternoon, March 25, 1911, in New York City a fire broke out on the top floors of the Asch Building in the Triangle Shirtwaist Company. One of the worst tragedies in American history it is known as the “Triangle Shirtwaist Fire”. It was a disaster that took the lives of 146 workers, most of which were women. This tragedy pointed out the negatives of sweatshop conditions of the industrialization era. It emphasized the worst part of its times the low wages, long hours, and unsanitary working conditions were what symbolized what sweatshops were all about. These conditions were appalling, and no person should ever be made to work in these conditions.

In his book Death in the Haymarket, James Green recounted the American labor movement in the late 1800s. The main focus of Green’s book was the bombing of Haymarket, which occurred on May 4 in 1886. Beginning as a peaceful protest promoting the eight-hour work day, a bomb was thrown causing devastating consequences. The Haymarket bombing almost ended the labor movement altogether, with unjustified trials and fear implemented amongst all Americans. However, it is important to know that the Haymarket bombing is not just an isolated event. From wage cuts to people going on strike, labor unions starting up, to almost losing the labor movement altogether. The Haymarket bombing was the fuse to an event larger bomb known as the labor movement.

After the shirtwaist fire, the ILGWU ( International ladies garment workers union) met and discussed possible strikes for a 20 - percent raise, a 52 - hour work week and overtime pay (Kourt, Melissa The Fire That Changed Everything, 2011). The union also proposed a day of mourning. The strike became the largest movement in the U.S at the time. The striking gave many women a motivation and a purpose. Also, The striking kept women busy while many of their husbands were fighting in World War I at the time. The striking at this time was a great way for women to fight for their beliefs and form bonds with the people around them. Many organizations were started such as the ILGWU and the WTUL (Women’s Trade Union League). These organizations hosted

I am the uprising of the 20,000. I am shirtwaist immigrant women on strike. I started with just a few strikers. Those few strikers that eventually encouraged everyone to stand very fast. They did so by leading them in Russian folk songs. Another thing that started me was the International ladies garment workers union. American Workers formed their first unions in the late 1860s after that unions arose and were powerful in many industreis all one after another. Samuel Gompers, an English immigrant of dutch descent helped form the afl or American Federation of Labor in 1881. It was serving as its president till he died in 1924. As the name tells us the afl was a federation, that is an organization. In that the members control there own

During the 19th century, industrialization of textiles in Great Britain was rapidly increasing, resulting in a production competition throughout the world. The United States was quick to follow behind Great Britain and began producing different types of linens and garments. New York City, the largest concentration of garment factories, began to increase production by shifting to powered, special-purpose machinery, and factories to maximize the output of manufactured goods. Factories targeted unskilled immigrant girls for cheap labor adding to the productivity and, thus, revenue of the company. This exploitation often led to unsafe work environments and abominable living conditions for the poor and working class. Although the revolution led to a growing middle class, the disparity in wealth continued to grow due to the immeasurable amount of immigrants entering the country and the lack of government workplace interventions. Historically, in the early 1900s, the power of industrialization caused mass immigration of Europeans to the United States which caused American society to profoundly evolve and spurred economic growth. Culturally, the many newcomers affected the prevailing customs and shattered societal traditions. And philosophically, masses of cheap laborers landed in New York in the garment industry, where they united to battle workplace safety, inferior wages, and child labor laws. Consequently, The Triangle Fire was the turning point which catalyzed the country and

Work was hard to find during this time because of the increase of population. Being jobless in this time most likely meant you were living on the street begging for money or living off of someone else. Although the lives of the jobless were terrible, it was not all great for some of the people who did find jobs. Some businesses forced their workers to work under unsafe and unsanitary conditions for as long as 14 hours a day. Many saw this as unfair due to how much they were paid and decided to do something about it. It was common to see groups of people standing in front of businesses. Citizens constantly fought for what they saw as standards for these businesses, A good example is a march that occurred right after the Triangle Shirtwaist Fire History.com Staff. “Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire.” History.com, A&E Television Networks, 2009, www.history.com/topics/triangle-shirtwaist-fire. The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory was owned by