Summary Of Triangle The Fire That Changed America

Triangle The Fire That Changed America is a book based on a fire that took place in the Triangle Shirtwaist factory on March 25, 1911. It was one of the deadliest disasters in New York. There were one-hundred and forty-six deaths of women ages ranging from fourteen to forty-eight. Many women committed suicide by jumping to their deaths in order to prevent being burned alive. At that time, there were no building regulations on safe working environments. Many people who worked in these factories were immigrant women who were willing to work for next to nothing and did not know how to fight the unfair treatment they received. “Roughly two million Eastern European Jewish immigrants entered the United States between 1881 and the end of WW1. One of the largest and most influential migrations in history (Drehle10).” “Eighteen thousand immigrants per month poured into New York City alone and there were no public agencies to help them (Drehle 12).” Immigrants faced extreme poverty. Filthy living environments, poor working conditions, and violence from hired gangsters and strikebreakers were just a few obstacles immigrants faced

“The hot, damp air was full of dirt, cement powder, sawdust, and exhaust from the steam shovels (Drehle 13.)” They lived in Tenement apartments. Imagine living in a four hundred square foot apartment with no windows and a shared bathroom with the entire floor. It was common for the hallways to have no lights. It was also extremely crowded. A family of around five or more to one room. Multifamily homes were the typical living arrangement. It is saddening to think about what these people might have expected when migrating to America. I’m sure they imagined endless opportunities, their own land, and property, a nice job or building a business. The reality is that Immigrants were treated like worker rats. No real rights or opportunities for