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Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire Essay

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The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire On March 25, 1911, 123 women and 23 men, died as a result of a fire in a factory they worked in. That day was marked as the deadliest industrial disaster in Manhattan history. In the wake of such a terrible tragedy came the International Ladies’ Garment Workers’ Union (ILGWU). The ILGWU fought for better working conditions for all sweatshop workers. However, the union wouldn’t gain attention until after the owners of the Triangle Waist Company, Max Blanck and Isaac Harris, were indicted on first and second degree manslaughter, but were ultimately found to be not guilty. The question of how could this happened would have be answered by what happened that day. On the top three floors of the Asch Building, the workers were finishing their work as 4:45 approached. Most of the workers at Triangle Shirtwaist were teenage immigrant girls, whom many of them, only spoke little English. Suddenly on the eighth floor, a fire broke out. For the workers as well as the owners, who were above the fire, they were able to escape through the roof. On the eighth floor, panic began to set in as many of the realized they’re was no way out. The elevator could only hold twelve people, and after making four trips up and down, the elevator broke down. In an attempt to escape, many of the girls …show more content…

Blanck found himself once again in legal trouble after he locked the doors during business hours. He was fined only $20. The owners would once again pay a fine for sewing fake labels to their garments. The labels were meant to certify that the items had been manufactured under good working conditions, which wasn’t the case for their business. After a few years, Blanck and Harris closed the Triangle Shirtwaist Company. Their reputation suffered greatly due to the fire, and they were unable to maintain a

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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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