The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire is a tragedy that could have been avoided had what today is considered criminal actions not taken place, and it has continued to be a history lesson that has led to the adoption of new laws and regulations since 1911. On March 25, 1911 a fire was reported at the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory in New York City (Drehle, 2006). As the horse drawn engines arrived, they could only watch “helplessly and in horror as dozens of workers screamed from the ninth-floor windows” (Drehle, 2006, p. 93). The workers of the garment factory, mostly women, “were trapped by flames, a collapsed fire escape and a locked door” (Drehle, 2006, p. 93). The Triangle Shirtwaist Fire resulted in the loss of 146 lives and the owners, Isaac Harris and Max Blanck, facing trial for the charge of manslaughter (Drehle, 2006). The trial would serve as a landmark case, which provided a foundation for the creation of new workers protection laws as well as a common battle cry of the pro labor movement of the time, despite the surprising court decision in the case.
In 1911 New York City was an industrial empire with a wide array of factories and immigrants to perform the hard work. Many young women sought trades in which they had familiarity, which made garment factories a desirable job for women who could sew. In 1911 few labor laws existed, as do today; labor was cheap and high production was the order of business. Carefree hiring of immigrants often resulted in a large amount of theft from businesses, which affected profits, so business owners took action to prevent theft from his or her business. Isaac Harris and Max Blanck were no different than other business owners wishing to make a profit; they locked doors to prevent theft, all...
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...he workplace. In the Coconut Grove trial it was established that “the essence of wanton or reckless conduct is intentional conduct, by way either of commission or omission where there is a duty to act, which conduct involves a high degree of likelihood that substantial harm will result to another” (Varone, 2012, p. 136). In the Coconut Grove trial the defendants were properly found guilty however, in the Triangle trial an opportunity for justice was missed.
References
Drehle, D. V. (2006, August). Uncovering the History of the Triangle Shirtwaist FireRead more: http://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/uncovering-the-history-of-the-triangle-shirtwaist-fire-124701842/#ixzz2qitMafhG Uncovering the history of the Triangle Shirtwaist fire. Smithsonian.
Varone, J. C. (2012). Legal considerations for fire & emergency services (2nd ed.). Clifton Park, NY: Delmar.
On July 13, 1900 Joseph Aschs’ new building plans in New York City are approved and by January 5, 1901 the building is complete. In 1906, the eighth floor of the Asch building is bought by the Triangle Shirtwaist Company who opens a factory there. Three years later, a letter is sent to the management of the Triangle Shirtwaist building from a fire prevention expert. He suggests they that a discussion about evaluating and enhancing safety measures. Unfortunately, management does not take the letter seriously and “the letter is ignored.” (Linder, “Triangle Shirtwaist Fire Trial”) The inhumane work conditions in the factory led to the decision of twenty-five ILGWU workers to declare strike against th...
One of the deadliest nightclub fires in United States history occurred on May 28, 1977, a busy Memorial Day weekend in the suburbs of Cincinnati. The Beverly Hills Supper Club was a popular nightclub located in Southgate, Campbell County, Kentucky in the greater Cincinnati area. It was located on a hill less than 1000 ft. from the highway on seventeen acres of land just three miles from downtown Cincinnati (Beverly Hills Supper Club Fire D-1). It has since become a case study for its numerous code violations and the behavior of the fire from ignition to building collapse. While there is no one contributing factor to the significant loss of life at this facility, a study of the building’s history, the sequence of the fire’s progression, and an analysis of the fire’s chemistry can provide some valuable lessons to the future firefighter.
An employee strike might seem like a modern technique but it’s moderately, if not fully, based on an actual event in Texas in 1883. This book illustrates the importance of the changing political, social, and economic factors that shaped this country. It shows the devastation that comes with it; people defying and protesting the change that contradicts from their way of living. It also brings out the importance of economic laws and barriers that prevent large businesses from yielding too much power and exploiting the public. The novel not only has some of the elements of western fiction, rich and big against the poor and small, justice serving at the end, and the main protagonist wearing the heroic sheriff’s badge but also brings a great deal of recreation, intuition, and exhilaration. It also provides moments of bonding and congregation as the degradation by big ranchers made the cowboys join together and do the inconceivable – go on a strike. It has an unexpected turn of events from a quarrel over cow brand to a gripping courtroom
Life in the early 1900’s wasn’t easy. Competition for jobs was at an all time high, especially in New York City. Immigrants were flooding in and needed to find work fast, even if that meant in the hot, overcrowded conditions of garment factories. Conditions were horrid and disaster was inevitable, and disaster did strike in March, 1911. The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory in New York set on fire, killing 146 workers. This is an important event in US history because it helped accomplish the tasks unions and strikes had tried to accomplish years earlier, It improved working conditions in factories nationwide and set new safety laws and regulations so that nothing as catastrophic would happen again. The workplace struggles became public after this fire, and the work industry would never remain the same again.
In the case, “Facing a Fire” prepared by Ann Buchholtz, there are several problems and issues to identify in determining if Herman Singer should rebuild the factory due to a fire or retire on his insurance proceeds. I believe that this case is about social reform and self-interest. I think that Singer needs to ask himself, what is in the firm’s best economic interests. There are several things to question within this case, what should Herman Singer do and why, should he rebuild the factory or begin retirement, if he rebuilds, should he relocate the firm to an area where wages are lower and what provisions, if any, should Singer make for his employees as well as for the community?
The Triangle Waist Company was in New York City there was a fire and it claimed the lives of 146 young immigrant workers. 5 The building was 10 stories the Company occupied floors 8-10.6 The 9th floor’s doors were bolted shut to prevent theft, the workers could not get out and some ended up jumping to their deaths off of the 9th floor. The fire killed 146 people who were mostly women; the owners of the company were tried in court for manslaughter.7 They had to pay 75 dollars to 25 families; because of the fire, they ended up creating fire sprinklers and having codes so doors aren’t locked and people can get out of the
“Terrible forces seemed out of control and the nation seemed imperiled. Farmers and workers had been waging political war against capitalists and political conservatives for decades, but then, slowly, toward the end of the nineteenth century a new generation of middle class Americans interjected themselves into public life and advocated new reforms to tame the runaway world of the Gilded Age” (American Yawp). Until one of the major tragedy happened known as the Triangle Shirtwaist were the factory was caught fire and many women had died or were injured. Events such as the Triangle Shirtwaist fire convinced many Americans of the need for reform, but the energies of activists were needed to spread a new commitment to political activism and government interference in the economy” (American Yawp). This is similar to the documentary video, A Dangerous Business, because, “workers had become injured in the McWane Corporation, safety was sacrificed to increase productivity” (Frontline/ Bergman). “Few years passed till OSHA found many violations but still owners would still put their workers at risk breaking violations time passed and suddenly they had too many violations that McWane had spent $5 million to develop a self-contaminated water treatment system, eliminated hazards, hired
In the book “The Triangle Fire: A Brief History with Documents” by Jo Ann E. Argersinger. In a short summary this book talks about the tragic factory fire that took lives of 146 workers in New York City, March 25, 1911. The tragedy happened during the great uprising of a women revolution, of many young females going to work to support their families. During this period many women wanted to be treated and work like how men worked. Having equal rights at jobs that were a risk to them, nothing stopped the uprising, until the fire became a change. Both sympathy and rage among all sectors of the American public got up to fight for a change. Argersinger examines in the context, trajectory, and impact of this Progressive Era event. During the Progressive Era, many big changes were being
Beginning in the late 1700’s and growing rapidly even today, labor unions form the backbone for the American workforce and continue to fight for the common interests of workers around the country. As we look at the history of these unions, we see powerful individuals such as Terrence Powderly, Samuel Gompers, and Eugene Debs rise up as leaders in a newfound movement that protected the rights of the common worker and ensured better wages, more reasonable hours, and safer working conditions for those people (History). The rise of these labor unions also warranted new legislation that would protect against child labor in factories and give health benefits to workers who were either retired or injured, but everyone was not on board with the idea of foundations working to protect the interests of the common worker. Conflict with their industries lead to many strikes across the country in the coal, steel, and railroad industries, and several of these would ultimately end up leading to bloodshed. However, the existence of labor unions in the United States and their influence on their respective industries still resonates today, and many of our modern ideals that we have today carry over from what these labor unions fought for during through the Industrial Revolution.
The Triangle Shirtwaist Fire is a turning point in history because, unions gained powerful alliances and people who wanted to fight for their safety. Which now in the U.S there is a set of guidelines that need to be follow to ensure the safety of the employees. He writes: “The Triangle fire of March 25, 1911, was for ninety years the deadliest workplace disaster in New York history—and the most important (Von Drehle 3).” Von Drehle emphasizes how important this event is in history and he draw comparisons to the to
“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.
Frances Perkins attended the male high school of Worcester, went on in nineteen hundred-two to receive her undergraduate degree from Mount Holyoke College, and a Masters at Columbia where she studied sociology and economics (Severn 11). After finishing her education, Perkins moves to the state of New York to work for the government as a factory inspector (Mohr 32). In Albany she began to lobby for a bill that would limit a woman's workweek to fifty-four hours. Though met with great opposition, this cry for action got her noticed by Al Smith and Robert F. Wagner who she would work with closely later down the road (Severn 40). In defeat, she went to Manhattan and was an eyewitness to the Triangle Shirtwaist Fire on March 25, 1911. This inspired her to forerun on fire and working conditions regulations in New York, and was the “torch that lightened up the political scene,” in her favor. Having prev...
Even though his firm was only required to do civil engineering work, Giffels concluded that there was an unacceptable risk to the firefighters who would use the facility with the unresolved issues, so he began contacting other firms with experience handling similar contract projects, part of exercising due care to ensure they could enhance safety. The training facility met the minimum requirements of the law, but Giffels felt that it would be shirking the responsibility his firm has to the public by not callin...
The Industrial Revolution was not only marked by great triumphs in the world of production and a large economic boom, but it was also marked by tragedies such as poor working conditions and large fires. The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire was one such tragedy. It was a raging conflagration that claimed many lives. It had a large effect on America, and to this day it is remembered as a horrible accident that could have and should have been prevented. The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire was the most devastating yet important event of the 20th century, due to the numerous deaths and impact on the improvement of working conditions, especially those concerning safety.
HM Government (2008) Fire and Rescue Manual, Volume 2, Fire Service Operations, Incident Command, 3rd Ed.