Triangle Fire Trial Research Paper

The Triangle Fire trial was a famous trial in December of 1911 after a detrimental fire broke out in March of the same year. This fire occurred at a shirtwaist factory in Manhattan, New York City. 146 workers’ lives were taken during the fire from smoke inhalation while trapped inside with limited ways out and other fatalities occurred from employees jumping out of windows nine to ten floors high. The trial outcome was not what most wanted after the two negligent owners were not held accountable for their actions regarding the fire and the deaths from it. Interviews, transcripts, and appeals can be used to understand how the Triangle fire led to a push for better working conditions in factory work settings. Losing so many lives in the blaze

These results found that a cigarette was dropped under a working table and accidentally lit a fire to leftover scraps of fabric. In a questioning done after the fire, employees made it clear that smoking in the building was a common occurrence (The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Trial: An Account, Looking for Blame, P. 5). This outcome not only describes the negligence of the employees, but also the owners, Isaac Harris and Max Blanck. Both owners did not pay enough attention to their employees to make sure they were taking the proper precautions to ensure their workstations were safe. If they had been more observant and made sure their employees followed strict rules, they could have avoided something to this extent. The employees kept on doing these things because they received no punishment for any wrongdoing. As mentioned before, the Triangle Shirtwaist factory fire was such a horrific outcome, but a positive aspect ultimately came from the event. In the months following the fire, eight new laws were created to protect the safety and well-being of workers in these factory

It truly is a sad story to hear that it is so common for businesses like factories to lack proper safety and health measures to protect their workers. If there were more specific laws already in place, the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire may not have even happened and if it did, the outcome would not have been as extreme. By reading these trial transcripts and other primary source documents, we could get a first-hand account from witnesses of how horrible the fire was. Although their testimonies did not get the exact justice, they wanted to put Harris and Blanck away, they got justice in other ways. This justice was the creation of new laws and regulations for safer working conditions for years to come. These laws are so important for creating a new future for factory workers’ health, safety, and overall well-being. Sometimes it takes a huge tragedy like this fire for people to see hidden problems. Change happened because the fire led to in-depth investigations into factories like this Triangle Factory, which in turn led to new and better laws being put in place for years to