Essay On Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire

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“The old Inquisition had its rack and its thumbscrews and its instruments of torture with iron teeth. We know what these things are today: the iron teeth are our necessities, the thumbscrews, the high-powered and swift machinery close to which we must work, and the rack is here in the ‘fireproof’ structures that will destroy us the minute they catch on fire,” suffragist Rose Schneiderman vehemently declared in a memorial speech after the terrible tragedy that occurred more than a century ago. The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire was one of the deadliest industrial disasters in United States history. Taking place on March 25, 1911 in New York City, a fire broke out on the 8th floor of the factory, spreading quickly to the 9th and 10th floors, …show more content…

At this time, unions garnered strength in numbers, women fought for voting rights, and workers advocated for protection from the government. Before the Triangle fire, the owners of the factory had locked the doors to prevent theft, only allowing the women to leave through a single door, checking their purses one by one to inspect for stolen shirtwaists. This situation, the crowded, filthy factory floor, long working hours, and low wages all led many of the four hundred Triangle Shirtwaist factory workers to go on strike in 1909. Although they won concessions on wages, they received little else from the …show more content…

Orgeon (1908) reaffirmed society’s reliance on women as mothers. Discussing the negative effects of long hours at industrial factory work, Goldmark could not keep her traditional outlook of womanhood from coloring her argument. She claimed that a female’s body structure and performance abilities served as disadvantages in industrial occupations, and “as healthy mothers are essential to vigorous offspring, the physical well-being of a women becomes an object of public interest and care in order to preserve the strength and vigor of the race.” This increased focus on protecting family and race indicated that women were a crucial part to preserving the white, middle-class society. Unemployment or shortened work hours served as a sign of social health that protected the breeders of new life and removed the undesirables from society. Maximum hour and minimum wage legislation performed the eugenic function of protecting the white race. While the reformers viewed women as capable, industrious, and reliable, they also placed limits on women’s abilities to work. They upheld the idea that women must not experience serious health issues in work settings that could cause them to bear morally deficient or disabled children. Giving into paternalism, reformers sought to limit the rights of men to exploit women, asking men to protect women, and in turn failing to empower women. Suffragists aimed to guard familial structures form the marketplace, protect

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