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The Triangle Fire Analysis

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THE TRIANGLE FIRE: THE DEADLIEST INDUSTRIAL DISASTER IN THE HISTORY OF THE CITY Triangle Shirtwaist Company In a tragic event accruing in the early 1900s, resulting in the deaths of 145 factory workers, ultimately led to the development of several laws and regulations that would better shape labor condition throughout the United States. In the paperback “The Triangle Fire” written by Jo Ann E. Argersinger, there are numerous primary sources with personal stories reflecting how this heartrending event shaped survivors of the Triangle Fire. Life in the Shop, All for One, and The Roosevelt I Knew are three primary sources within the text that reveal the labor conditions before and after the fire, perspectives of workers themselves, factory …show more content…

After the disaster, the Red Cross worked with families of the sufferers, forming committees that then inspected fire hazards within New York factories. Protesters were advocates of change in the work force, demanding transformation in these harsh conditions within factories. Following these events, labor unions were created; representing women organizations, labor rights, working conditions, etc. Those who supported these unions were civic leaders, churchmen, lawyers and labor-union officials (99). The fire-prevention bureau was put into place, alongside with more factory inspections, and compensation for each employee. Although protests occurred, little was …show more content…

Within the Triangle Waist Company factory a fire broke out, killing 145 employees. Throughout the early 1900s, labor conditions within the United States of America were unbearable. Including unreasonable pay, half-day shifts and unsafe factory environments, the day events would change would soon follow March 25, 1911. Enclosed within “The Triangle Fire” written by Jo Ann E. Argersinger, are wisely selected stories that speak to individuals reading them. Each document specifies the impact the Triangle Fire had on these young women, both mentally and physically. Before this tragedy, labor conditions were inhuman, with long hours, minimal wages and etc. After the fire change irrupted throughout the nation enforcing shorter working days, higher wages, and safer working conditions providing employees basic human rights and needs within industrial

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857 Words | 4 Pages

Triangle Shirtwaist Company was a main manufacturer who did not take kindly of the strike. They used police officers, to imprison the female workers on strike, while they paid the government officials to take the other girls away. On March, 25, while the workers worked, a fire began to start in the rag bin. A manager tried to put the fire out, but the fire spread rapidly and the hose did not work, due to the holes punched in the sides(Stein). As the fire escalated, the young women began to panic, and as the young women tried to escape on the elevator, they realized that the elevator could only hold 12 people, and the elevator broke down in the heat and flames.

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1468 Words | 6 Pages

On March 25, 1911, a fire started at the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory that claimed the lives of one hundred and forty-six workers. As a result of the fire, trials and debates occurred that contended the factory owners right to control their business against their duty to implement safe working conditions for their employees. Despite the trial resulting in no charges for the business owners the triangle fire is responsible for stricter safety codes and brought attention on the labor movement. In order to fully understand the changes that resulted because of the shirtwaist fire, you must first know what life was life prior to the fire.

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239 Words | 1 Pages

Another result of the Triangle Factory fire that resulted in change in the American workplace was the attempts of labor unions and strikes. Prior to the fire, in 1909, one of the more notable strikes dubbed the "Uprising of 20,000" was organized primarily by female immigrant garment workers because of the awful conditions, long hours, and low wages they were made to work in due to the lack of options available to them (Pool, 2012). The primary challenge was to get attention paid to the mistreatment of immigrant workers. While there were short term agreements for their demands, the strike ultimately failed, however where it did succeed was exposing poor working conditions and stirring a debate about what counted as public and private (Pool,

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864 Words | 4 Pages

One of the main reasons the fire took such a psychological toll on the New Yorkers was because of the workers jumping to there deaths. One witness even remarked the event saying quote 'I know a new sound a terrible sound the sound of a body hitting the pavement". The inferno was also not an uncommon occurrence the triangle shirt was burned before the tragedy to collect insurance money. Knowing this information, many Jewish and women workers went on strike to secure improved working conditions. There strike in fact proved successful with the New York state legislature creating the Factory Investigating Commission.

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744 Words | 3 Pages

The Fire That Changed America is a historical monograph discusses the rise of labor reforms along with the Progressive Movement throughout the state of New York during the early 1900’s, and pushes forward the argument that the fire which decimated the Triangle Waist Company was vital to the entrance of laws advocated by unions that protect the safety of workers. Drehle himself is a journalist, a former editor of Time Magazine, and a frequent visitor of American History in most of his works. The fire at Triangle was a devastating tragedy, but its sheer scale caused incredibly welcoming effects on the common workplace. Before the fire, labor unions that belonged to the progressive movement were only able to secure “a pay raise, [and] a fifty-two hour work week” for a pitifully limited number of workers, as the

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451 Words | 2 Pages

The Triangle Shirtwaist Fire was a devastating fire that killed 146 girls in New York City (Leap for Life, Leap for Death). At this time, citizens of New York were furious and demanded that the government do something to prevent future tragedies. The government responded and the reforms that the government made, it changed the future of New York industry. The Triangle Shirtwaist Fire, one of history’s deadliest fires, came as a result of outrageously unsafe working conditions, led to a high death toll and injury total, but, ultimately resulted in reforms that helped safeguard future factory workers.

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757 Words | 4 Pages

In chapter 15, “Self-Help in Hard Times”, Zinn’s overarching point is that unity among workers was not simple to achieve, and that white supremacy was a powerful, deadly force after the war. To support and further discuss these concepts, Zinn points out how relations between the American Federation of Labor and the Industrial Workers of the World were often tense, how city life often changed drastically during times of strike, and how immigration laws during the twenties began to favor Anglo-Saxons. One such way Zinn showcases these ideas is by describing how drastically life changed for cities when workers went on strike, hoping for an increase in their wages. As the strike continued on throughout February of 1919, Zinn recalls how all services, except for those that were consider essential to daily life, ceased.

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797 Words | 4 Pages

Symbolism is a notable feature in Catching Fire. Through symbolism , Suzanne Collins manages to paint Katniss as the ultimate embodiment of rebellion through transferring her into a mockingjay . " A mockingjay is a creature the Capitol never intended to exist"(92), as it is a result of the Capitol's usage of the japperjays which were sent to spy on the rebels. However, the japperjays failed in their mission so the Capitol left them to die ,but they managed to survive through mating to female mockingbirds . This proves that the existence of the mockingjays is an act of rebellion in itself , an act of defiance excuted by the Capitol's own invention , long before Katniss has been born. .

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1576 Words | 7 Pages

The detrimental Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire is considered to be one of the most tragic disasters in history. On March 25th, 1911, a fire broke out and killed 146 garment workers who were mostly women. These women worked countless hours with low wages and inhumane working conditions in a factory. Even though this event was tragic, the triangle shirtwaist fire helped to shape the new world for the better. The multitude of workers trapped within the inferno to their demise was the final straw for the mistreatment of America’s workers.

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738 Words | 3 Pages

They lied and said they had the doors were “always unlocked.” They were not trustworthy witnesses. According to Rosey Safran, a Jewish immigrant from Austria, said, “If the union had had its way, we would have been safe in spite of the fire, for two of the union’s demands were, adequate fire escapes on factory buildings and open doors giving free access from factories to the street. “ The owners already went up against the union with safety demands. Most likely they would have agreed with lower safety standards as Yglesias asserts, considering they didn’t care about the sanitation and purity of the workplace in its current

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1358 Words | 6 Pages

In the film Escape Fire the Fight to Rescue American Healthcare, there were many insightful examples of why our Unites States healthcare revolves around paying more and getting less. The system is designed to treat diseases rather than preventing them and promoting wellness. In our healthcare industry, there are many different contributors that provide and make up our system. These intermediaries include suppliers, manufacturers, consumers, patients, providers, policy and regulations. All these members have a key role in the functionality of the health care industry; however, each role has its positives and negatives.

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988 Words | 4 Pages

However, the economic crises in 1837 collapsed the labor unions because of economic hard times, and with immigrants coming in surplus willing to work for cheap, regular people could not compete and thus had to work at the beckon of the factories. Labor unions worked when the economy was resilient, but when the economy was shocked, everyone was too afraid of demanding more when there were those willing to work for

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812 Words | 4 Pages

The AFL advocated for most of the same things as the Knights of Labor. The American Federation of Labor used strikes and boycotts against owners to try and get what they wanted. Two major strikes that occurred were the Pullman Strike and the Homestead Strike. Both strikes were very dangerous and had millions of dollars of damage. Some of the strikes and boycotts did work and wages were raised, however some backfired and many workers ended up losing their

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1738 Words | 7 Pages

Italians worked in gruesome “sweat shops” that were detrimental towards the workers. The immigrants were supplied with horrendous materials that would lead to people loosing their arms and legs. Tuberculosis was passed around the factory and killed an abundance of workers. The Triangle Shirtwaist Fire is a prime example of how the workshop setting is very discriminatory towards Italian immigrants. When World War I broke out, Italians faced the harsh suspicions of being spies for Italy in the war.

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1577 Words | 7 Pages

The work was also dangerous with not much supervising by the government. Workers, on the other hand, had little or even no bargaining power to leave the unsafe conditions. Nowadays, When Americans only pay attention when extreme work strike, levels of abuse are the norm hidden in the factories around the globe. Although the condition seems much improved, consumers don’t know the true fact- “Today, American citizens simply cannot know the working conditions of the factories that make the products they buy.

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