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Who Is One Of The Leaders In The Matchgirl's Strike Of 1888

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American Musician Tom Waits said, “I am not fighting for justice. I am not fighting for freedom. I am fighting for my life and another day in the world here.” In life, it is tough to get by when faced with complex circumstances. People fight to survive in the brutal circumstances this world has. Sarah Chapman displayed this spirit when she fought for the matchgirls in the Matchgirls Strike of 1888. Sarah Chapman was born on October 31, 1862, and died of lung cancer on November 27, 1945. She was buried in a slot in Manor Park Cemetery where she was not recognized, due to a lack of space in London. There are also plans to mount her grave. She worked at the Bryant when she was 19 alongside her mom and sister, as a matchmaking machinist. Sarah …show more content…

The Matchgirls’ Strike happened in Bow the east end of London, which was full of poverty. The girls would come to work to provide for their families, usually starting at the age of 13. The factory was a very brutal workplace. These matchgirls had to stand for their whole shift with only two scheduled breaks. If they had to go to the restroom at any time when there was not a scheduled break they would get money taken off of their paycheck. Many girls could not afford shoes, and had to work barefooted, the company would sometimes make them pay for that. This money was usually taken from their paycheck. On top of that, the girls had to bring their own materials and were forced to pay the boys who gave them the frames for boxing up the matches. The girls’ workplace was full of harmful chemicals used to dip the matches such as phosphorus, antimony sulfide, and potassium chlorate which caused diseases like bone cancer (Brain, 2021). Bone cancer is a disgusting disease that is painful and changes your face shape. The girls were done with the way they were treated when one worker was fired for refusing to sign this caused a scene that brought the situation to light. The girls then went on strike and an article was written about this. The company made the girls stay quiet and refuse the article, but then in July 1888, 1500 workers came out to

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