Muhammad Shoaib
The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire was “the worst industrial factory fire in the history of American capitalism.”[1] On March 25, 1911, the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory rose in flames, which resulted in 146 deaths. However, a worker dying at his/her workplace was not unusual; in fact, “one hundred or more Americans died on the job every day” in 1911.[2]After the industrial boom in the United States, many Americans died at their workplace due to hazardous working conditions such as defective machinery, and insufficient experience at the task. These deaths engendered a growing tension between workers and employers, until the tension reached a melting point; the loss of 146 people in one fire stirred forth a series of long movements toward legislation mandating safer working conditions. However, the knowledge about the livelihood of the immigrants, especially Jewish women, has largely been lost along with the fire. Few can comprehend the hardships that Jewish immigrant women faced as they worked in the garment district. Although historians have excavated many details of these women’s struggles in the factories, there are still many important details of their lives that have been buried with them.
[1] William Greider, introduction to The Triangle Fire (Ithaca: ILR Press/ Cornell University Press, 2001), v.
[2] Drehle, David Von, Triangle: The Fire That Changed America (New York: Atlantic Press, 2003), 3.
to read “Women and Teen Girls: Workers in Flames” and find out more about the Jewish women factory workers please email:
muhammad.shoaib@macaulay.cuny.edu
