Lowell Mills Working Conditions In The 1800s

The Lowell mills were the first clue for an industrial revolution in the United States, and major success created two point of views of the mills. Mill girls were young women who came for employment at the textile factories. This employment carried a sense of freedom and maturity. Unlike most young women of that era, the girls were not under parental control, took care of themselves with their own money, and had extensive academic freedom. Most bystanders viewed this challenge as a threat to the traditional way of life for women in America. Others thought of the entire wage-labor factory system as a form of slavery and argued that the Board of Directors was careless about the harsh working conditions and extensive hours the girls worked.

To describe the Lowell Textile mills it requires hours and days of research, to get an insight of the industrial labor and factory systems. The mills were viewed as a promising opportunity in the early years but after years of service, flaws started to surface. Many of the problems were between the workers and the company.

The mills working conditions were tremendously severe. The women worked 13 hour days in the summer, and from 5 a.m. until dark in the winter. Each room had from sixty to ninety women working, with a couple men managing their every move. The noise inside of the factories was extremely loud and unbearable. Although, the factories become very warm at times, the windows were kept shut to keep thread work precise and away from the blowing wind. The atmosphere was filled with dust and cotton filaments, which a very dangerous to one's lungs.

Boarding houses were built for the women working in the mill to live in year-round. There was a set curfew, and women were only allowed inside. With six women to a room and only three beds, there was no room for privacy. "It is almost impossible to read or write alone," a young woman remarked during an investigation tour of the mill. A day off was unheard of, where the women worked everyday

In October 1836, the Directors planned for an extra rent increase be paid by the mill women living in housing funded by the company. The women workers responded immediately in protest by forming the Factory Girls' Association and organizing a "turn-out" or strike. Harriet Hanson Robinson, a young textile worker at the time of the strike, recalled her experience of the strike: "One of the girls stood and gave vent to the feelings of her companions in a neat speech, declaring that it was their duty to resist all attempts at cutting down the wages. This was the first time a woman had spoken in public in Lowell, and the event caused surprise and consternation among her