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1897-1920. Age of Reform: Reforming the Industrial Order. Female & Child Laborers. Women faced barriers when trying to their income Work too fast= earning more $= cut pay O rganize a protest= fired. Female & Child Laborers.
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1897-1920 Age of Reform: Reforming the Industrial Order
Female & Child Laborers • Women faced barriers when trying to their income • Work too fast= earning more $= cut pay • Organize a protest= fired
Female & Child Laborers • Few child laborers could read, or never been to school • Worked to make ends meet • A 9 yr. old worked b/c he was forced to pay off his father’s (who died in the mine) debt owed the company for rent
Labor Laws • Progressives campaigned for laws that stop/limit child labor & improve conditions= female workers • 16 hr. days • Children in factories= worse conditions, orphans were made to work • 1912, child-labor laws in 39 states • Limiting hours & night shifts & danger • Enforcement lacked
Labor Laws • Fought for higher wages • 37.5 million adults were working, 1/3 lived in poverty • MA passed the nation’s 1st minimum-wage law= set wages for women & children
Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire • NYC • Immigrant women & children= illegal • Long hrs., unsanitary, dangerous, low pay • 1909, 400 employees went on strike • Owners disregarded workers’ rights
Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire • Fire in 1911 highlighted the need for safety reform • 500 employees working, fire erupted on the 8th floor • Escape was impossible= 2 stairways, doors locked • 146 died
Aftermath • Outrage= laws helped workers • NY enacted the nation’s strictest fire-safety code
Quick Review • Which laborers were progressives focusing on in the early 1900s? • What new labor laws got passed in the early 1900s? • What conditions made the Triangle Shirtwaist Fire so dangerous? • What was the outcome of the Triangle Shirtwaist Fire?
Activity: Factory Fire • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UdNYqBP_5q4 • Video of the Triangle Shirtwaist Fire • Write a diary entry as one of the survivors of the fire or an eyewitness detailing what you saw and how you feel about it. • 1 paragraph