2. Background
With a boom in the US business during the late 1800s, factories faced a massive increase in numbers. Subsequently, the need for workers grew tremendously. Back then, it was common practice for factory owners to hire subcontractors who employ workers for them. Although this method saved the owners effort and time, it also promoted an overlook to labor rights because the owners themselves would not need to meddle with the laborers. The subcontractors didn’t care either. Throughout America, workers were forced to work excessively long hours in perilous, cramped work environments, yet they earned very low wages. They were not getting the rights they should be entitled to as workers.
Multiple attempts had been made to improve the situation, but none succeeded. Between 1881 to 1897, more than 18,000 worker strikes took place; however, the strikes had little effect. The main problem was the large flow of new immigrants in America, all desperate to earn money. If native workers went on strike, the factory owners had many other jobless immigrants eager to replace them. In 1893, the Illinois Factory Act was finally passed to limit women’s work hours to a maximum of eight per day. Unfortunately, this attempt, too, failed as it was declared unconstitutional two years later. During this time, factory workers suffered greatly.
Italian family work together on various steps in the garment making process
Bibliography
Primary Sources
"Cornell University - ILR School - The Triangle Factory Fire - Primary Sources".
Trianglefire.ilr.cornell.edu. N. p., 2017. Web. 17 Apr. 2017.
http://trianglefire.ilr.cornell.edu/primary/index.html
This page was located on a website from Cornell University that documented the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire. This particular page held a multitude of fantastic primary materials, all of which contributed to my nuanced understanding of the fire. These primary sources were especially crucial to my research because not only did they give me visual details, but they also helped me understand the event from a witness's point of view through the interview documentations, thus making me more able to retell the story accurately.
"Search Results For Triangle Shirtwaist Factory ". The Library of Congress. N. p.,
2010. Web. 13 Apr. 2017.
https://www.loc.gov/search/?q=triangle+shirtwaist+factory&sp=1
This page of the Library of Congress held a large collection of photos about the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory. It gave me a collection of images, which furthered my learning as it showed me details that couldn’t be told through words. This was useful because, with the visual information, I was able to understand the historical details better and more accurately.
"Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire - Newspaper And Current Periodical Reading
Room (Serial And Government Publications Division, Library Of Congress)". Loc.gov. N. p., 2017. Web. 5 Apr. 2017. https://www.loc.gov/rr/news/topics/triangle.html
This source, found on the official Chronicling America website in the Library of Congress, had a huge collection of newspapers which revealed many opinions of what the rest of America thought of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire. From reading how outsiders thought of the event, I was able to construct a better understanding of how the fire impacted life in America.
Secondary Sources
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"Cornell University - ILR School - The Triangle Factory Fire - Introduction".
Trianglefire.ilr.cornell.edu. N. p., 2017. Web. 17 Apr. 2017. http://trianglefire.ilr.cornell.edu/story/introduction.html
This source was also found on the Cornell University’s website. It gave me an in-depth analysis of what happened in the Triangle Shirtwaist incident, providing many insightful details about the event. In order to dive deeper when I retell my event, I first had to know where to start. From this page, I was able to build a good basic understanding, enabling me to research more deeply.
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Doyne, Shannon, Holly Ojalvo, and Katherine Schulten. "100 Years Later:
Examining The Impact Of The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire". The Learning Network. N. p., 1301. Web. 11 Apr. 2017. https://learning.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/03/25/100-years-later-examining-the-impact-of-the-triangle-shirtwaist-factory-fire/comment-page-1/?_r=0
This website was found on the official website of The New York Times. This offered me a perspective from an outsider, allowing me to gain insights about how other people thought of the event. This then helped me build a good image of the impacts the fire had.
Kukathas, Uma. The Minimum Wage. Farmington Hills, MI: Greenhaven,
2010. Print.
This book was found in my school library. It had many more details about the reforming of labor rights in America, but it also talked a lot about political movements and specific trials. This book gave me information regarding the relationship between politics and labor rights, thus strengthening my interpretation of the impact of the Triangle Fire when I tell my story.
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"Labor Movement - Facts & Summary - HISTORY.Com". HISTORY.com. N. p.,
2017. Web. 17 Apr. 2017. http://www.history.com/topics/labor
This source was found on history.com, a website that has a wide collection of historical facts. This page explained the labor movement and how labor rights were changed, which helped me learn about what happened to workers’ rights after the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire. This information was important because it enabled me to go beyond simply what happened during the fire to its aftermath when I tell my story.
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Lawrence, Katherine. Labor Legislation: The Struggle to Gain Rights for
America's Workforce. New York: Rosen Pub. Group, 2006. Print.
This book was located in my school library. It detailed the struggle for labor rights in America, which contributed to my knowledge of how workers’ rights evolved in America. To tell my story, I had to understand the evolution of workers' rights, so this book helped me build a great foundation in knowledge.
"7. The New York Factory Investigating Commission". United States Department
of Labor. N. p., 2016. Web. 18 Apr. 2017. https://www.dol.gov/general/aboutdol/history/mono-regsafepart07
This was found on the United State’s Department of Labor’s official site. This source helped me understand the investigative side to the Triangle Fire, which overall helped me apprehend the incident better. With this source, I was able to talk more about investigating the Triangle Fire.
4. The Fire
On Saturday, March 25th, 1911, a huge fire ignited in the ninth floor of the factory. The workers only had 27 buckets of water to save themselves with, and, immediately, they started panicking, frantic to escape. However, since Blanck and Harris have a habit of locking the factory doors to prevent workers from leaving work, the exits were all sealed tightly shut. Due to neglect and terrible maintenance, the ninth floor escape route had become so deformed and fragile that workers could not escape from there, either. Even when the firefighters arrived on scene, their ladders and water hoses were too short to reach the ninth floor of the factory. Stranded in a burning building and hopelessly desperate, many workers attempted to jump out the ninth floor windows, though all plummeted to their deaths. When the fire was finally smothered, it was calculated that, in the short span of 18 minutes of the fire, 146 out of the 500 workers were killed.
Crowds at scene of Washington Fire "Triangle Waist Co. Fire, N.Y.C.--Crowds At Sence [I.E. Scene] Of Washington St. Fire, N.Y.". The Library of Congress. N. p., 1911. Web. 19 Apr. 2017.
"The screams brought me running. I could see them falling!
– Lena Goldman, witness of fire
The immediate impact of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire was huge. Promptly after the event took place, the Executive Board of the Ladies' Waist and Dressmakers' Union formulated relief plans for the survivors. Furthermore, the tragedy brought the issue of oppressed workers into light, shocking the public greatly and inciting outrage, disbelief, and disgust. In the following weeks, massive crowds flocked on to streets to mourn for the victims of the fire. This raised the general public’s awareness of the absolute need to regulate factory safety. The fire spurred a series of protests, which made people realize the power unions can achieve. Workers united, and together, they persevered to initiate change.
Mourning Triangle Fire loss "Cornell University - ILR School - The Triangle Factory Fire - Mourning And Protest". Trianglefire.ilr.cornell.edu. N. p., 2017. Web. 19 Apr. 2017.
Newspaper report "Cornell University - ILR School - The Triangle Factory Fire - Photos And Illustrations". Trianglefire.ilr.cornell.edu. N. p., 2017. Web. 19 Apr. 2017.
The fire must have been burning on the 8th floor for some time when we went to the freight elevator exit to go home. We had to leave that way because that is the way the watchman was able to look in our bags and where he stayed.
– Sarah Friedman Dworetz, survivor
1985 discussion of the Triangle Fire with 94-year-old survivor "Cornell University - ILR School - The Triangle Factory Fire - Letters". Trianglefire.ilr.cornell.edu. N. p., 2017. Web. 20 Apr. 2017.
3. The Factory
Situated at 23-29 Washington Place, New York, the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory was one such sweatshop. Through a subcontractor, its owners, Max Blanck and Isaac Harris, employed over 500 workers to sew garments every day. A majority of these workers were female, some being as young as fourteen years old. Most of them were also immigrants who need jobs to support their families.
“At seven o'clock we all sit down to our machines and the boss brings to each one the pile of work that he or she is to finish during the day... Sometimes in my haste I get my finger caught [in the machine] and the needle goes right through it.”
– Sadie Frowne, sweatshop worker
Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire
By Isabella Qian
The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire played a pivotal role in the reforming of labor rights during the civil rights movement in America.
1. Thesis
Scraps in a typical garment shop
5. The Aftermath
Even though what started the fire remained a mystery, Harris and Blanck were brought to trial later. After battling in court, the factory owners were finally forced to pay 75 dollars for every life lost in the great fire three years prior. Although the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory was later closed down due to it being found to host inflammable environments, its legacy is immutable. The factory was conducive to many consequential events. Swiftly, New York executed workplace safety laws, ensuring laborers the right to be able to work in safe conditions. In 1913, the Sixteenth Amendment was ratified, enforcing the first federal income tax. With more money from taxes, the government gained a budget to help workers. Slowly, more measures of safety in factories were made mandatory, including multiple unblocked fire exits, clear emergency exit instructions, and more.
6. Conclusion
The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire served as a catalyst for reforming labor rights. It raised awareness of the inhumane conditions, unifying workers and citizens alike to improve workers' rights. Today, workplaces are strictly regulated environments to ensure the safety of the workers, and this occurrence wouldn't be happening if the Triangle Fire hadn't set forth so many events that changed labor rights.
Modern day fire escape plan in Delaware "705 General Fire Safety". Regulations.delaware.gov. N. p., 2017. Web. 19 Apr. 2017.