Industrial Revolution Dbq Essay

Before the late 1700s, Europe and America were chiefly agrarian rural societies. Most people had small workshops or worked out of their homes in what was called a cottage industry. Innovations such as the Water Frame, Spinning Jenny, and Steam Engine revolutionized the textile industry and culminated in a boost to the economy. These inventions sparked the beginning of the Industrial Revolution in England, and the new technology propelled the country's shift to a manufacturing and urban society. Eventually, the revolution spread to other countries. In New York, the increased industry brought in a new variety and volume of manufactured goods. During the Industrial Revolution the disparity between poverty-stricken people and abundantly wealthy

Founded in 1903, the Women's Trade Union League (WTUL) challenged the bossism politics of Tammany Hall. They believed, “All working women, whether native born or immigrant, deserved respect and recognition on the workplace and in society” (page 4). Inspired by the rhetoric and the desperate need for better conditions, many women joined the unions and eventually decided to call for a general strike. There was the “great uprising” where shirtwaist workers went on a massive strike to modify changes in the girl’s working conditions (Document 9). Throughout history, women had little power over their lives and this new alliance of women led to the “Uprising of Twenty Thousand” which paralyzed the shirtwaist industry. The strike and the women's determination, in spite of abuse by police and the court system, demonstrated a turning point for women in American history. After thirteen weeks and hundreds of arrests, many shirtwaist garment companies agreed to increasing wages and shortening hours and allowing unions. The seeds of feminism and the fight for suffrage were born, as women discovered their unified

The infamous men did not follow the few safety regulations that were in place at that time. Considered the “worst shop,” these avaricious owners cared nothing for their workers safety and only for making profit. The despicable owners thought of the workers as replaceable machines, and if broken, could be easily replaced (Document 18 and Document 23). Many people claim that the turning point in American history was on March 25, 1911 when a fire broke out on the eighth floor of the The Shirtwaist Factory. Due to the nature and position of the fire on the eighth floor, the workers had little to no chance of escape. Indelibly seared on my brain are the descriptions of girls burning to crisp and leaping from the windows with their “hair and clothing ablaze” and the “thud after thud” as they would rather die from jumping then burning. The fate of the 147 workers that were killed could have been avoided if the factory owners did not have a policy of locking the worker’s one door (Document 11). In Document 23, an article in the Daily Tribune, reported that “Fifty bodies, some of the bodies burned to cinders...made clear the staggering loss of life.” Although the two men were charged with first and second degree manslaughter, they were not charged due to their influence over the judiciary and the political machine