The New Industrial Era

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

The factories housed the latest technology of the Gilded Age, such as the assembly line. The mass production that the assembly line brought about made the rich richer, but did nothing to help the poor. They were working long hours in sometimes extremely dangerous conditions. The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire was considered one of the deadliest industrial disaster in the history of the city. Since, the owners locked the doors to the stairwells and exits - due to theft and unauthorized breaks - many of the workers were trapped with nowhere to go. As a result 147 garment workers died from smoking inhalation and falling to their deaths. In response a newspaper published an article titled “Fire Trap Victims Buried Draft New Law to Save Shop Workers,” covers the stories of the survivors and witnesses as well as questioning who was at fault and what further actions would take place (Document

Thesis Statement In the early 1900s, there was a lack of health and safety restrictions in the American workplace. The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire in New York, New York killed 146 people, mostly women, and children. As a result, the Fire Investigation Commission (F.I.C) and National Fire Protection Association (N.F.P.A) were created to make laws and enforce safety codes, and these government entities are still in effect today. What was the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire?

This new expansion allowed a new working class to emerge, and by 1890, two-thirds of Americans worked for wages (Foner 634). Along with these new factories came wealthy company owners who were known to run their factories nonstop with horrible working conditions. Most factory workers, worked sixty hours a week with no pensions, compensation for injuries, or protections against unemployment, and between 1880 and 1900, 35,000 workers perished each year due to factory and mine accidents (Foner 641). Many workers went on strikes to demand higher pay but employers simply replaced them with unemployed workers, leaving little hope of achieving freedom for the workers.

The industrial revolution brought many great things but these things came with a price. See the industrial revolution caused many problems that people wanted to be fixed. So this is when the progressive movement started and the 3 main goals being Promote social welfare, expand democracy, and create economic reform were put into effect. These goals Gave women the right to vote, Decreased child labor, improved the conditions of meat packaging factories, gave people a role in their nation's Government, Stopped unfair Business Practices, And improved the lives of many immigrants and working class citizens.

The working conditions of the new arrivals were hardly any better, as employees of factories were often overworked, underpaid, and penned up in dangerous conditions. Perhaps the horrors of these conditions can be highlighted by the devastating 1911 fire at the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory in New York City. Tragically, over one hundred young women lost their lives in the fire, as there was no way to get out, and the doors were locked, trapping the women inside. Safety was not the only problem, as workers initially were not given the right to organize into unions, essentially doomed to the repetitive motions of factory operation. This meant that they had no way to protest against child labor, wage slavery, and unhealthily long working hours. Eventually, with their growing clout and ever-present industrial dependence on their labor, workers organized and demanded reform along all aspects of hazardous working conditions.

The Industrial Revolution in the United States took place during the 18th and 19th centuries. This revolution was one of the most prominent turning points of American history as it modernized the workforce, developed American economics, and impacted the way people lived their lives. Before it began, America was mostly a rural society, people farmer to make a living and all work was done at home (“Industrial Revolution”). Afterwards, individuals began to become depend on factories to produce the products they once hand-made.

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

It was not until the Triangle Shirtwaist fire in 1911 that society and government saw the effects of neglecting what people (particularly workers) had known was wrong all along. The fire began and the many women, children, and men who were working in the factory became trapped inside the flames. The workers could have had a way out and many more could have escaped the incident alive had it not been for the fact that the door that led to the room in the factory that the women were working in was deliberately locked. It wasn’t until the details of this gruesome event came out that the government finally came to realize that the American workplace needed 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.

As the Industrial Revolution started in the early 1800s, the US gave investors many opportunities which allowed the nation to change towards an industrial economy. Events such as the War of 1812 and people such as Henry Clay pushed towards industrial growth after the Embargo Act was passed by Jefferson. The US experienced the start of an industrial revolution which allowed more involvement of the people, technological growth, and many other factors. First, the government eliminated foreign competition, allowing domestic industries to thrive. Second, the readily available labor force created by a large number of jobless immigrants allowed factories to function efficiently and achieve full production. Lastly, the creation of the Bank of the United

After the Industrial Revolution spread throughout Europe and America, it only started in Japan during the 1880s. The Industrial Revolution was a time where farms changed to factories . Due to the rule at that time that didn't allow them to follow after Europe and America because they didn't want to be in contact with them. After 100 years, Japan finally followed after and making new inventions such as the Spinning Jenny or the Power loom helped create jobs for men and women. Women workers had contributed to textile mills during the Industrial Revolution but factories took advantage of the young girls or women who couldn't read looking for jobs. Throughout the Industrial Revolution, female workers

The Industrial Revolution impacted the United States in the first half of the 19th century economically, socially, and politically. Historically, the Industrial Revolution initiated in Great Britain due to it's ample amount of raw materials, amount of natural harbors, and population size. The Industrial Revolution made its way into the United States as a result of the Embargo Act, which prevented the export of American goods and the import other nations goods to the United States, and the War of 1812 against Great Britain. Due to these critical events, the United States needed to find a way to gain economic independence and to develop a finer form of transportation.

Nowadays, a fire extinguisher and a fire escape can be found in any kind of factory or company, but that was not the case with the event that occurred in the early 1900s in New York City. The Triangle Shirtwaist Fire was a tragedy, which could have been avoided, and it was the event that caused a change in working conditions. Unfortunately, it took 146 lives before people would understand the concept of safety regulations. The working conditions back in the days were not like today in the 21st century where employees’ safety comes first; money was what the economy desperately needed the most. By the time women finally got their chance to shine, just a little, they took it without a second to waste.

     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.