The Triangle Boom

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

We study, in the last section of the book, while everyone was still out for blood; the proprietors of the Triangle Shirtwaist factory were tried for one of the deaths when the fire took place. The trial period and evidence was all over the place and were seen as innocent people. Still, the rest of the workers of New York really earned the benefits of the changes that the fire started. Stronger unions and stronger rules protecting buildings, owners, & finally the workers won.

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)

Interfering with the actions of private business was considered taboo, and the government rarely acted upon cases out of fear and propagating socialism. The horrific and very public death of 146 men, women, and children on March 11th, 1911 shocked the nation and forced action. One can wonder what would have happened if Blanck and Harris were to have been found guilty by a jury of their peers. Would the general public have been satisfied? Would the fight for labour rights continued to be fought by organized labour groups alone? The very fact that the deaths were under no one's direct responsibility pushed the burden of guilt into the public view. The government in this instances was forced to fix weak legislation that made such an incident happen. In doing so they began a long process of breaking down the taboo which prevented government from interfering with private business operations. If firms could not be trusted to maintain the safety of their employees, the government would be forced to step in and implement such measures. The Factory Safety Commission went on to create one of the most progressive protective measures for workers, implementing 38 new laws in New York, becoming a model for the whole

The Industrial Revolution took place in the 19th century. The revolution significantly impacted American culture and marked its growth. The industrial revolution changed all aspects of American life such as the political, economical, and societal life. It was an era when America changed from agricultural to industrial, and when society became urbanized. When the revolution started factories, and mass production was in place. Mass production created a need for an unskilled labor force. People began to transition from the suburbs into the cities to get jobs. The Industrial Revolution saw an increase of women and immigrants in the workforce. The revolution also established the United States as the foremost industrial power, because of the sentiment

The changes resulting in a more modern America were: emergence of big business and industrial systems, immigration, urbanization, and the challenge to faith and confidence. First of all, many immigrants traveled to America, the land of opportunity, with their hearts and minds set on finding work to support their families and to start anew. The growth of railroads created towns and cities, which then grew as big businesses sprung up, and finally expanded further as immigrants invaded these cities in search of cheap jobs. The inflow of foreigners caused Americans to be resentful and move to the suburbs. Many middle class people did not want to live near the new ethnic neighborhoods as they feared the varying races and religious affiliations. This growth in modernity resulted in a positive growth in technological devices such as telephones and street cars. On the other hand, the negative aspects, such as how cities were becoming overcrowded, unsanitary, filled with disease, and politically corrupted, may have outweighed the good parts of the city. The most important aspects, revolved around Europeans opening saloons and Madams and pimps opening brothels, both of which contributed to revolutions with churches, temperance activists, anti-cigarette reformers and more. The importance of immigration in this situation results from the excessive number of immigrants compared to American’s

Due to mechanization and more jobs for more people, immigration to America rose extremely quickly, which completely changed the economic structure of America. People from around the world immigrated to America to achieve the “American Dream” (to become successful in America) and with wages and jobs rising, immigration drastically flourished. Factories needed more people to work and build items quickly. Mass production and mechanization led to Taylorism, managing people in a work environment and pushing for as much efficiency as possible. With more people making money, the wealth pool in America expanded to lower classes and American society also modernized. The industrial age improved the lives of everyone, since wages increased, society completely improved. Better housing and higher life expectancy showed how the industrial age improved the lives of the working class. During the height of the industrial revolution, achieving success became easier to accomplish for all Americans due to the rise of wages and economic

In the early twentieth century New York City was a hub of garment manufacturing. The majority of workers were poor, new immigrants who spoke little English and were desperate for money to keep themselves and their families afloat. At the time there were no safety laws, public policies, and very few unions to protect workers while on the job. It was a time when the market economy ruled unbridled without concern for the human condition or safety. In 1911 a fire broke out at the Triangle Factory building and no one notified the workers floors below. With one exit locked, no working fire escape, and no oversight 146 workers perished while onlookers watched helplessly as they lept to their death or burned inside the factory. While both the owners of the factory and employees may have helped in preventing or minimizing the disaster, the legacy of the Triangle Fire is that the fire could have been prevented or its effects minimized by the factory owners making specific changes.

The history of the United States from 1865 to 1914 consisted of development, reconstruction, the gilded age and was really a progressive era. During this period there was a significant rise in industrialization which resulted huge flow of immigration in America. This period brought rapid growth and immense fortune in North and West and U.S. become the world’s leading industrial, economic and agriculture power. The average income e of nonfarm worker raised by 75% during the period 1865 to 1900 and thereafter a further grew of 33% by 1918 (Franklin). After the decisive victory in Civil War, the United States became more commanding and united with a vibrant national government.

How did America become such a strong industrial country in the nineteenth century? History has credited this emergence to the Industrial Revolution; however, history has not decided if the industrialists or the immigrants are most essential to this growth, or if it is a collaboration of the efforts of both of these groups. Even though immigrants helped build the workforce of the Industrial Revolution, it is the ideals of the Industrialist business owners who transformed American to the forefront of power in the late 19th century for those immigrants.

The industrial revolution was one of the most pivotal eras in American history, the rise of factories, mass production and industry led to an influx of jobs, mostly in cities. This led people to emigrate into these cities from all over not just the country but the whole world. Before this time during the late 1800’s the majority of Americans lived in rural areas, the industrial revolution changed all that, taking jobs out of agriculture and putting them into industry. Foreigners flocked through the borders coming mostly from throughout Europe, they came for a multitude of reasons, including; fast growing population in their home countries, the search for employment, persecution and discrimination, and for some just the desire to come to America and live out the American

Between 18-19th centuries after the Civil War, a chain of events occurred that brought about several changes in the way that people lived and worked in the United States.This period ranges from the time when cities started growing rapidly because human hand labor was drastically changed to machine labor. These events started the American Industrial Revolution, which later affected African American socially, economically and politically. However, many of these changes brought by Industrial Revolution also affected several groups like Workers, Immigrants, and Children e.t.c. This paper will analysis three major effects the Industrial Revolution had on the Society, Economy and Politics of America as well as the above mentioned groups (Backer, n.d)

The American Industrial Revolution took place in the United States during the 19th and 20th century. When the new uprising change came to America, the United States was heavily influenced by European ideas, which for Europe began in the late 18th century (Hillstrom 10). America started off primarily as an agricultural country until it gained dominance in industry and finance by 1918. Labor, politics, enslaved African Americans, and such important resources were of the many factors that helped spread industrialization. Additionally, the U.S. government was effectively involved by supplying equipment and assisting to the many advancements from the nation’s transformation (Hinshaw and Stearns vol 2 491). Within a single century, the

Tycoons of the Progressive Era did not have the safety and protection in mind of the workers who labored to make their garments. The workers were looked down on and had numerous rules and regulations that were unnecessary to the job, and none that were necessary. In 1911, a fire at the Triangle Waist Company broke out that claimed the lives of many women working on the upper floors of the Asch building. Because of this incident, the conditions that these immigrant women and children worked in were exposed, which in turn led to various reform groups coming together to fight for safer conditions in the workplace.

Grabbing Bitsy’s arms, I yank her out as the elevator doors clap shut and throw her over my shoulder while I am still running; my feet hit the stairs like a jackhammer drilling into concrete, my feet hitting so intensely my shins ache. First one step at a time, panic sets in deeper and I pound up the stairs two at time, the fiery smoke filling and burning my lungs the whole time. If we make it to the roof we are safe; sweat drips around my neck, falling down my spine and building up at my hands. I see grey clouded light, almost to the top. The sharp wind punches my face, but I do not realize I am safe until Bitsy screams, “Daddy look at the sky! It’s dark, but it isn’t night!” I swallow the lump in my throat, the lump that’s my past, present, and future, the lump that is worth millions of dollars, the lump that left everything it ever had. I swallow the lump in my throat, and I choke back the tears, the same tears that burned my face when I told Momma and Pop-Pop that I was leaving for America. I swallow the lump in my throat, I choke back the tears, and I take a deep breath, but all I taste is smoke. I whisper, “Bitsy, Mimi, my love, if you pray very, very hard, God might hear you and the sun could come out again.” Isaac Harris my business partner of many years clips over, and mutters, “Blanck, we really should have listened to the Ladies’ Garment Worker’s Union because this might cost our lives.” All I can do is nod my head slowly in agreement as I watch the