Lowell Mills Case Study

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Workers in the Lowell Mills were required to live in the boardinghouses while working at Lowell. These boardinghouses were in clean, neat, and well painted. Although sometimes the boarders were sometimes crowded, conditions in the Lowell boardinghouses were often better than the women’s homes in other towns. While living at Lowell, boarders had many strict rules and regulations to follow. This primary source of the rules and regulations was most likely written by the management at Lowell to ensure residents in the boardinghouses knew what was expected of them. Overseers were responsible for holding boarders accountable for the rules and making sure that they are abiding by the policies. As we study the lives of women at Lowell, it is …show more content…

Controlled by bells, a Lowell woman’s 11-hour work day began before dawn and ended after 6:30 in the evening. These bells were a constant reminder that their lives were centered on work, not their family. Developing a family and investing in the domestic culture is a key aspect of True Womanhood. By turning away from this family focus, women were straying from the True Womanhood ideals. Women working in the mills were typically native-born, young, and unmarried. As most of the boardinghouses were run by men, the idea of coverture does not disappear. In the case of John and Abigail Adams, coverture meant protection, but it took away from Abigail’s privileges. Similarly in the boardinghouses, women were protected, but they were so restricted by rules and regulations that they had very few freedoms. Although these rules limited women, they upheld the submissive aspect of True Womanhood because they were to be obedient to their …show more content…

This curfew allowed little time for other activities and outings with friends. Not only the curfew, but the demanding and extensive six-day work schedule in the mills did not allow much time for women to have other commitments. I found myself going backwards through time to the pre-revolutionary era with Beatrice Plummer. As a midwife, Beatrice worked all day long and had no privacy . Similar to Lowell, women worked 11 hour days and went home at night to their boardinghouses with many other women, leaving them with very little

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