amh- factories in the gilded age

Cost-efficiency for owners, no regulation, rich didn’t care about people (replaceable), the pressure to maximize production for demand + competitors

Why were factories in bad conditions?

“Uprising of the 20,000“

a landmark strike in 1909 by 20,000 shirtwaist makers in New York City, primarily young immigrant women, who demanded higher wages, better working conditions, and union recognition

Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire

Tragic fire in 1911 that killed 146 garment workers, mostly young immigrant women, due to the hazards of the factory building

The Triangle Shirtwaist factory was owned by

Russian immigrants Max Blanck and Isaac Harris (nicknamed the “Sweatshop Kings“)

• Dominated the sweatshop industry

• Known to never be short of staff

• There were 3 to 4 other instances of fires for the sweatshop kings (insurance fraud speculation)

What were the “Sweatshop Kings“ known for in the factory industry?

• Cigarette (smoked while working)

• Hazards from conditions in general

• Insurance Fraud

Potential causes of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire

• Paid per piece of clothing

• Most workers are women

• Exits were often locked

• Fire hazards

• Poison (from working materials, building)

• Never a shortage of staff due to job demand

• 8,9,10th floors are the factory parts of the building

Characteristics of sweatshops/working in sweatshops (7)

1. The fire starts on the 8th floor, operator tries to tell other floors there was a fire, but was “misinterpreted”

2. 8th and 10th floor evacuates

3. 9th floor doesn’t know till they are on fire

4. Fire dep was called but ONLY bc the people on the street called

5. Keyholder of the 9th floor was gone, so people were trapped in the locked 9th floor

6. People jumped from elevator shafts

7. When fire truck arrives, ladder was too short, only reached 6th floor

Timeline of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire

• Prevented workers talking to each other, so they wouldn’t plot and scheme and find out info, revolt

• Minimize strikes and so workers wouldn’t leave early

Why were the exists locked in factories? (2)

No rules, no health department, no women’s unions to check the power of factory owners

How were factories allowed to have such poor working conditions?

Due to lack of regulation of the 1st Amendment (protest), there was police brutality against protesters and the rich bosses didn’t care bc there were no regulations for factories at all

Why weren’t strikes effective to improve working conditions?

• Helped spark reform

• First widespread media coverage of its time about working conditions

What were the positive after-effects of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire?

Families were taking massive hits due to fire; women in families worked in same factories, floors, so the “breadwinners” of the family were lost

What was the negative after-effect of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire?

• Language

• Fear of getting fired

• Lack of awareness/ignorance of how things worked

• Fear of deportation

Struggles for Immigrants (why they couldn’t stand up for themselves in working conditions)

Tenements

Apartments where multiple families lived in one room; earned its name from the awful conditions of living

No ventilation, running water, disease spread, no windows, tightly packed

Describe tenements.

“Regulations” were practically void due to lack of proper enforcement

The fire marshall of NY told the Triangle Shirtwaist factory owners they needed to install sprinklers. They did not. Months later, the fire occurred. Why didn’t the owners install them?