How Did Cotton Mill Grow During The Industrial Revolution

As the Industrial Revolution was spreading throughout the United States, the construction of a more efficient cotton mill began in 1821 began in Lowell, Massachusetts. The Lowell Mill was genius - water powered and sure to duplicate over the next decade or so. The only remaining factor to complete this process would be labor workers. Luckily, most jobs in cotton factories required neither great strength nor special skills, so for the first time, women were considered as equal as men in the field of labor (Bailyn 293). In addition, they were more compliant. Although there were many single young women in the New England area, farmers would refuse to allow their daughters to work due to the belief that the lowell mills would inevitably fail. On the other hand, the girls of which were allowed to work were forced to work harder and harder for less and less money - women typically worked 11-13 hours a day, six days a week at a wage of about $3.50 a week (Willis 64).

The population of the Lowell grew from 200 in 1820 to 30,000 in 1845. However, conditions began to change drastically for the workers. Because of growing competition, factory owners began to decrease wages in order to lower the cost as well as the price of finished products. Furthermore, the girls had to operate much more machinery, resulting in less jobs. In addition, the houses that the girls lived in were crammed up to over eight women per house. In 1836, over 1,500 factory girls went on strike to protest against wage cuts. (also known as the "turnout.") Unfortunately, the results did not comply (Sellers