On March 25, 1911 the Triangle Shirtwaist Company Fire was the worst industrial fire in New York's History. The fire killed 146 garment workers, mostly all women. The fire was a vital event in sparking labor and progressive movements. The government's attention was also turned to review factory safety and working conditions all throughout the city.
The Triangle Shirtwaist Company was one of the largest garment manufacturers in New York city. 500 employees worked there, mostly Italian and Jewish immigrant workers under 25 years old. The factory had poor conditions, no sprinklers and the exit doors were kept looked to prevent the women from taking breaks. The ventilation systems and fire escapes were in bad condition as well. The fire only lasted for 15 minutes. The building itself was covered with flammable bolts and scraps of fabric. Many of the women were unable to get out because of the locked doors and the exits were hard to open because they opened inward. Fire escapes had collapsed and many women hurled themselves from the windows to their deaths.
The following week after the first a march of nearly 10,000 sympathizers went into the streets. The two owners of the company, Max Blanck, and Isaac Harris were tried for manslaughter, but the all-male jury were not convinced the men should be found guilty. In response the the fire, the New York State legislature passed many laws in order to improve working conditions and worker safety. The fire was the only event that struck the public attention to the poor working conditions towards women laborers.
"Triangle Shirtwaist Company fire." American History. ABC-CLIO, 2010. Web. 31 Jan. 2010..
The Triangle Shirtwaist Company was one of the largest garment manufacturers in New York city. 500 employees worked there, mostly Italian and Jewish immigrant workers under 25 years old. The factory had poor conditions, no sprinklers and the exit doors were kept looked to prevent the women from taking breaks. The ventilation systems and fire escapes were in bad condition as well. The fire only lasted for 15 minutes. The building itself was covered with flammable bolts and scraps of fabric. Many of the women were unable to get out because of the locked doors and the exits were hard to open because they opened inward. Fire escapes had collapsed and many women hurled themselves from the windows to their deaths.
The following week after the first a march of nearly 10,000 sympathizers went into the streets. The two owners of the company, Max Blanck, and Isaac Harris were tried for manslaughter, but the all-male jury were not convinced the men should be found guilty. In response the the fire, the New York State legislature passed many laws in order to improve working conditions and worker safety. The fire was the only event that struck the public attention to the poor working conditions towards women laborers.
"Triangle Shirtwaist Company fire." American History. ABC-CLIO, 2010. Web. 31 Jan. 2010.
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ReplyDeleteI believe that this journal entry was very interesting and it gave me a lot of new insight, mostly due to the fact that I had not yet researched this tragic event. After reading this journal entry, I believe that this event truly shows how women were not given equal rights. While I was researching, I learned that these women had to work extremely hard and after working just as hard as many men, they were still given lower wages than the men. Another part of this post that I found very interesting was at the end, when it discussed the idea that the two owners of the company were not found guilty for manslaughter. I believe that they should have been found guilty for manslaughter because ultimately, they were responsible for these deaths, due to the fact that the windows were difficult to open, as well as the fire escapes not being in proper condition. Additionally, I find it sad that before the fire broke out and before many women were killed, the public did not try to fix the poor working conditions that the women were working in. The public only rallied and marched due to the fact that all of these women were killed. However, I find it interesting that the public only sympathized with the women after many were killed from these conditions.
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