Bread And Roses Strike 1912

On January 11th, 1912, things changed for the textile workers in Lawrence, Massachusetts. The company owners had suddenly reduced all their employee’s weekly pay by 32 cents to match the previous hourly reduction. The Bread & Roses Centennial Exhibit stated, “that difference in wages amounted to several loaves of bread a week.” Not only were there wages cut but the workers also experienced inhuman working and living conditions. According to Norm Diamond (2012), the “workers lived in fetid, crowed tenements. Working nine- and ten-hour days, six days a week, their main meal was usually little more than bread and molasses.” … “Life expectancy for mill workers was 22 years less than for non-mill worker residents of Lawrence.” These were the main issues that resulted in more than 20,000 textile immigrant workers striking. (L. Fernandez, 2014) The 1912 “Bread and Roses” strike was led by the industrial mill- textile workers of Everett Mill in Lawrence, Massachusetts. The woolen mills of Lawrence mostly employed young girls. Moreover, the mill in Lawrence, Massachusetts was made up of a very diverse workforce, according to Vapnek (2015) “the strike was notable for its ethnic diversity: workers of

This was a historical event, that was known as the strike that shook America. Firstly, this essay covered the analysis of the strike. It drew upon the major issues at heart that caused the strike, who was involved in the strike and why. Secondly, this essay did describe and explain the course of strike, meaning what happened during the strike and what the outcome of the strike was and why. Lastly, this essay focused on the historical significance and importance aspects of the strike. The “Bread and Roses” strike of 1912 is known ‘global’ and has had such a huge historical impact on both the working class and the labour