Triangle: The Fire That Changed America Essay

their possessions in to the street. Both the west and south side were cover in

“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.

The Great Chicago Fire of 1871 was one of the largest disasters in American history. Practically overnight the great city of Chicago was destroyed. Before the fire there was a large drought causing everything to be dry and flammable, then a fire broke out in the O’Leary’s barn and spread throughout the city. Many attempts were made to put out the fire but there were too many errors and problems in the beginning. After the fire many people were left homeless and had to help build their city again (Murphy, 39)

1,400 women at Bryant & May matches then went on strike, led by Annie Besant, in protest of the poor wages and dangerous conditions in the matchstick factory. This lead to the security of the first successful equal pay resolution at Trades Union Congress.

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)

Some disasters are so impactful, that they forever change the course of history. On March 25, 1911, one such event took place. The infamous Triangle Shirtwaist Fire occurred that day, and left one hundred and forty-six people dead in its wake. While many at the time thought the story would soon pass, and with it all the potential bad publicity, the story of the fire spread quickly, and outraged many people. As a result, the Triangle Shirtwaist Fire ended up changing many

     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 was know as the Triangle Shirtwaist Fire. It was a disaster that took the lives of 146 young immigrant workers. A fire that broke out in a cramped sweatshop that trapped many inside and killed 146 people.

Besides the doors being locked there were piles of flammable fabric scraps, over flowed waste baskets and many of workers crammed in multiple floors of the building. In 1977 the fire was ignited by what was said to be a match or cigarette tossed carelessly amid the debris on the eighth floor. The fire quickly spread through the open factory floors above. The actual shirtwaist building was fire proof and still stands today. Located in the West village at the corner of Greene Street and Washington Place one could still pay the original building a visit. Those on the 10th floor escaped to the roof and took the elevator until it stopped functioning. During those days fire engine ladders only reached to the sixth floor. Unfortunately during the fire for some reason workers on the ninth floor were not informed of the blaze, and due to a lack of a building alarm system this floor had the highest number of deaths. The poorly built and unmaintained fire escapes collapsed in the heat, sending a many of the workers on a free fall to their deaths. Which after the initial tragedy, the New York City Fire Chief Edward F. Croke was asked if the fire escapes provided by building in the area were actually adequate in the event of a fire. The chief’s response was “A great many will use

While all three of the documents listed numerous similarities between them, they also went into depth about some issues that the others did not. Among the similarities noted all three of the documents mentioned fire prevention & education, training, and being accountable. These documents listed the ways that we can educated the public, both young and old on how to prevent fires, in and around the home, school, and office. They stressed the need for fire drills, educational seminars, and site safety programs. At some point all of the documents addressed the need for sprinkles in buildings, both large and small, or wherever you will have a congregation of people. Since these documents have been made public, many communities across the

the women that fought for woman suffrage used a lot of strategies to get the attention of the public. Alice paul first started all the planning and getting the attention of the president is she planned to throw a parade on the day of the inauguration of the president and they got a lot of negative attention but it was better than no attention at all.After that they tried to get the president not to be re elected but that did not work so they decided to make a picket outside of the white house so that they would get more attention for their cause but that only got them in trouble by the police for things that they did not even do. They then got sent to prison and then alice paul decided to not eat so that they would get attention from the prison

A fire in an apartment building left forty-eight people homeless and five residents injured due to smoke inhalation early this morning, in five-fifty east eighty-Sixth Street in Manhattan. According to the police, five residents were sent to local hospitals due to injuries of the fire. Investigators say that the fire started around three in the morning at the Fourth Floor as a result of an electrical short in a halfway ceiling lamp. The fire quickly spread to the apartments from the first through the sixth floor of the building letting people trapped in their homes. One-forty firefighters used a ladder truck setting off the fire to rapidly rescue the people and all of the animals that were still inside the pet shop, at the first floor of the

At 4;30 pm. on March 25, some workers began to put on their coats and hats so that they would be ready to leave at 5. But everyone was looking to having sunday off. At 4;45, a fire suddenly broke out on the 8th floor. Screaming and crying, they raced for the exit doors, only to find them locked. Elevator

Throughout history women have slowly moved from the role of mother and housewife into the labor force. In the middle of this rise in stature is a relatively unknown set of events that helped women gain the self-respect and individual attitude needed to move up in the work force. Women's participation in strikes during the 1970's and 80's is relatively unknown in U.S. history. Although the women involved in these strikes made a big impact on the strike and its outcome, they go widely unrecognized and uncredited for their roles. This paper will focus on three strikes: the Brookside Coal Strike, the Phelps-Dodge Copper Strike, and the Pittston Coal Strike. Each of these strikes has

“On 25 March 1911, a fire broke out on the ninth floor of the Asch Building in New York

Consider the labor upsurges of the 1910s (in particular the Lawrence Textile Strike) and the 1930s (in particular the Flint Sit-Down Strike). Compare the causes of the two upsurges, the factors that promoted workers’ collective action, the barriers to collective action, and the roles