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Homework Help: Social Studies: U.S. History: Lowell Mill Strikes
During the 1800's, there were many strikes in the textile mills, organized
by women. There were many problems in factories and at their boarding
homes, which caused them to plan strikes.
There is one case of an 11-year-old girl named Harriet Hanson who organized a strike. In 1836, she
arranged a strike at the Lowell Mills. The factory owners took their wage
away from them. This upset the workers a lot. The workers wanted to work
only if their wage was returned to them. Also, Sarah Bagley a member of the Female Labor Reform Association planned another strike in 1844.
These women from the Lowell Mills accused factory owners of caring less
about workers than earning money. In a manner, women had fought for their
rights with many strikes during the 1800's. One cause of the strikes was
the treatment of the workers. Women "would be required to attend church
services" (A Woman's Place Is In The Factory 98). The women who ran the
boardinghouse said that women had to attend church and pay for it on
Sunday's. They wanted the workers to be religious so that they could
attract more workers in their boardinghouse. The women did not want to
have to attend church. Likewise, the female workers "were told when,
where, how, and for how much they must work; when and where they were to
eat and sleep" (Ware 93).
The housekeepers controlled every move of the
workers. Furthermore, women had to travel far to get to work. "Some of
these females boarded the largest part of half a mile from the mill"
(Luther 102). Women did not like traveling far just to get to work. Women
loathed the way they were treated by housekeepers and factory owners'.
Women were not happy with the living conditions they had in their boarding
homes. For instance, a historian said, "In the boarding and lodging
cellars were found the lowest standards of living and the most degraded
industrial population" (Bremner 96). This historian was saying that the
living standards were awfully poor. Also, it "doth (the workers)
innermost feelings grieve" (Man 61).
The women workers felt like slaves
and felt much grief. Furthermore, the women had a timetable to, "make the
working time throughout the year average" (1840 Factory Timetable 127).
The timetable said that they would have to start work at 6:45AM. They
would have the morning bells ring three times, at 4:30AM, 5:30AM, and
6:30AM. If a woman woke up at 6:30AM, she would have to wait in a long
line for using the bathroom.
Furthermore, women felt that they should have
better living standards and a less populated boardinghouse to live in.
Women were also not happy with the working conditions. A mill girl said
that "In the room [she] works, the lighting and ventilation [were] very
poor" (Millstein and Bodin 129). There was polluted air and poor light.
Her tenement was also very crowded with 130 females, 11 men, and 12
children working in the same room. Since there were so many people,
diseases spread quickly. Because of the diseases, at least 6 girls were
sick everyday. Also, Lucy Larcom said, "The buzzing and hissing of pulleys
and rollers and spindles and flyers around (her) often grew tiresome"
(Larcom 59). She was never interested in them and felt they were hard to
stand. In addition, workers did not like their job, because they had to
work for 13-14 hours in a day. Women had poorer conditions than what they
had been told that they were going to be in. Women felt that their working
conditions should improve along with the standards.
There were many
effects prior to the treatment of women. Since, factory owners' wanted to
be looked upon with great reputation by sending the women to church, there
was a great image of the Lowell Mills. Therefore, many women would come to
work at the Lowell Mills. With many women, there would be an overcrowding
of women, which would cause disease and other problems. Moreover, since
housekeepers would say what to do all the time, women felt like they were
prisoners. They wanted to have the freedom to do what they wanted to do.
Finally, women despised walking far from their boarding house to their
mill. Working for so many hours tired them enough, that they didn't want
to come to their boarding home and walk for a long distance.
Women were
not treated with the level of respect they reasoned for. Women were not
behaved nice too. Workers wanted better standards for their living
conditions and their efforts had many effects. For instance, women would
have to wake up at 4:30AM in order to use the bathroom, with all the time
to herself. Women did not like waking up at 4:30AM to go to the bathroom
and get all the time they needed. Women wanted to wake up late, yet they
wanted time to themselves in the bathroom. In a like manner, workers
wanted to change the standards of living conditions and make it high. They
wanted a less crowded place so that they could not get sick easily. They
would not catch a disease as quickly. Moreover, women did not feel happy
especially, after the strike because they had not gotten freedom or had
gotten the right to speak out. Finally, women did not like the fact that
they would have to wake up early to benefit. Thus, women wanted better
living conditions. Women thought their working conditions were poor. They
wanted the conditions fixed in their mills and factories.
For instance,
they wanted "ten hours and no more than 10 hours" (Millstein and Bodin
129) of work. But, the effort was not helpful. A committee had listened
to Bagley and how she wanted work time reduced, but they said it was not
necessary.
Furthermore, women did not like the fact that they could get
pain and disease from the crowdedness. They wanted a less crowded place to
live in. They did not like the stuffiness of so many people in the same
place. Moreover, the women felt like they had no liberty. They felt like
they had "To see fair Liberty depart" (Man 61). This meaning that the
factory owners' and housekeepers took their freedom away. Finally, women
wanted liberty and the right to fight and get what they wanted. The
strikes were successful, because they showed that women had potential to
fight for their rights. Women should not be underestimated and should be
thought of as equal. The fighting led to the rights that women have today.
Today, women have rights, like voting, voicing their own opinions, and
running for mayor or senator e.t.c. Also, the strikes influenced many
others. More and more women joined to fight for their rights. That led to
show that women have large roles in their life. Women are strong and are
able to do what others can do, even more. There are no limitations to what
they can do.
Homework Help: Social Studies: U.S. History
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