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Industrial Revolution Dbq Essay

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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 …show more content…

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 …show more content…

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

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Dehron McMillian History 1302 Dr. Adkins-Weathersby 28 September 2014 Triangle Shirtwaist Company March 25, 1911 identified as the day of the dead, is the deadliest disaster in the industry during the Gilded Age. Over forty-six bodies lie on the street, meanwhile hundred bodies lie inside of the building. The factory took up the top three floors of a ten-story building in the Greenwich Village neighborhood in New York. The workers were mostly Jewish and Italian immigrant’s women along with children, sewing blouses, to earn an income as little as three dollars a week.

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1296 Words | 6 Pages

Introduction The Arizona Copper Miner strike of 1983 began on July 1 when negotiations failed between labor unions and the Phelps Dodge Corporation. Shortly after the strike began, Phelps Dodge was granted an injunction restricting Strikers presence on and up to the line. The result of this was the presence of women on the line. These women became the face of the great strike. For purposes of this essay, I will examine the conflict at the root of the strike.

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1529 Words | 7 Pages

As the eighteenth century roared into existence, a rapidly growing Great Britain was faced with both an exponential commercial and population boom that was unprecedented. It is during this brief one hundred years that the nation, as well as the rest of the world, would be forever changed due to the beginning of the Industrial Revolution. While the Industrial Revolution was liberating in the sense that it gave more occupational choices , as well as the opportunity to move up the rungs of the social ladder through relocation and financial gains, it also brought regulations that had to be put in place. As commerce and trade began to expand, both domestically and abroad through colonial outposts, taxation also saw a parallel increase to not only

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607 Words | 3 Pages

During the late 1800’s and the early 1900’s an economic and industrialized revolution took place in America. As important natural and manmade resources such as Iron, coal, and lumber had just become easily accessible. Which for most meant an improvement on their living conditions, but for the poverty it meant sustaining their life was going to get harder. The wealthy became wealthier and the poor became the mule of labor. “Those who are above the point of separation are elevated, but those who are below are crushed down,” (Doc 3).

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613 Words | 3 Pages

The American Industrial Revolution was a century-long transition from a culture dependent on agriculture to a culture with a more industrial based economy. This revolution marked a major turning point in history, and almost every aspect of daily life was influenced in some way. Many factors led up to this important period in history including mercantilism enforced by the british, which led to the Embargo Act, the greater opportunities available in industry that offered better wages and hours, and the various factory labor and entrepreneurial innovation, such as in the Slater Mill. Each of these things- war, opportunities, and innovations- individually aided in the development of the American Industrial Revolution.

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1335 Words | 6 Pages

Women began demanding that they be heard and to have a voice concerning societal issues. They fought against a plethora of issues from child labor or unsafe conditions, such as the Triangle Shirtwaist Company to women’s rights to have control over their bodies. A significant liberalization of the United States’ society was being secured. These changes were being brought about by more unified women, and change was not a sudden occurrence. The 19th Amendment had taken well over fifty years to witness it passing.

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1389 Words | 6 Pages

The waistmakers protested peacefully. Hundreds were arrested, including WTUL president Mary Dreier for discouraging strikebreakers from working in the factories. The women never utilized violent techniques, nor did they retaliate against the police arresting them. Instead, they forced the shops to listening to their demands by striking strategically and in such a strong force; by striking during the busy season, shops were desperate for employees and some were willing to agree to union demands. William Mailly, a writer sympathetic to the strikers, wrote on the strike: “The strike has been inspired by women; it is mainly women who have done the picketing, been arrested, fined, run the risk of assault, received ill-treatment from police and police courts alike, and shown themselves eager to sacrifice without stint to bring about better conditions in the shops and factories.”

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570 Words | 3 Pages

Effects of the Industrial Revolution The Industrial Revolution was an important event in history. It brought about many positives during its time. For instance, kids were well fed, educated, and clothed. There were plenty of negatives, as well. One very sad example was the machine injuries that happened to both children and adults.

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851 Words | 4 Pages

As the Industrial Revolution came about in the early 1800’s and it had a big impact on not only how people lived, but how long people lived. From the British Medical Journal, The Lancet, the life expectancy of a professional was only to the age of 38, it was 20 years old for a person of the middle class or an average person, and for a laborer in the factories the life expectancy was about 17 years old. (Doc. 8) The reason for terrible numbers is all of the pollution in the air and water throughout the city. From The Graphic magazine, the picture shows the view from the Blackfriars bridge over the River Irwell.

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534 Words | 3 Pages

The Industrial Revolution was a period that took place from the 18th to 19th centuries by which society was moving towards a more urban society than an agrarian one. During the revolution ideas of establishing a mass economic country were huge goals for America. The 1860 through 1870s were known as the years of westward expansion. The California Gold rush of 1849 in San Francisco and the discovery of silver in Nevada promised Americans economic wealth. Although there were still economic instabilities and panics in America from 1860 through 1870, the construction of the transcontinental railroad did mark a turning point in the American Economy through the support given to monopolies and the regulation of business by the federal government.

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662 Words | 3 Pages

The girls were done with the way they were treated when one worker was fired for refusing to sign this caused a scene that brought the situation to light. The girls then went on strike and an article was written about this. The company made the girls stay quiet and refuse the article, but then in July 1888, 1500 workers came out to

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669 Words | 3 Pages

The mill girls “…did not accept uncritically all that went on in the mills” and formed strikes to combat the wage reduction (Dublin 565). As outlined above, these strikes actually helped liberate women as it made them view themselves as important and free, helped them speak up for themselves, and proved their importance in the workforce, which they most likely would not have done by another means. Thus, even though women experienced oppression through wage cuts and more labor, they were ultimately liberated by the new ideas conducive of the strikes that this oppression

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483 Words | 2 Pages

The newly formed Tailoresses Union went on to successfully pressure the 13 largest manufacturing firms operating in Victoria into abiding by the proposed prices the women had decided upon alongside the Trades Hall Committee. This secured the same higher wages for hundreds of other women across the colony (Thornton, 2009, p.29). The strike and subsequent formation of a union was an almost entirely female led affair, assisted by the Age, a newspaper at the time, and the Trades Hall Committee. The incident was the largest scale female protest of the time period and paved the way for better wages and working conditions for women across the colony (Thornton, 2009,

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1633 Words | 7 Pages

The Woman’s Suffrage Movement is known for having improved the quality of education for women, but this would not have been possible without the advantages they acquired during the Civil War. During the Civil War women needed to take jobs that were previously held only by men because of the level of education they required. Thus, women were required to have a better education in order to function well in these jobs while the men were at war. Since the jobs of men would undoubtedly be left for women in their absence, they had no other choice but teaching women these professions through a proper education. In addition to the Civil War, the Industrial Revolution was also part of the success for the Woman’s Suffrage Movement because women could operate machinery as easily as men, which meant more jobs were available to them.

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604 Words | 3 Pages

The men were being paid more, so they went to their boss with their complaints. Their boss wouldn’t listen to them, so Joyce Wheedon led a strike, and 197 women followed. After this, she was on the strike committee and took part in a protest rally. (International School History) Without women like Gloria Steinem and Joyce Wheedon, the movement could have gone a completely different

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