REFORMING AMERICAN SOCIETY

INDUSTRY CHANGES WORK

RURAL MANUFACTURING

• The putting-out system-
• manufacturers provide materials to be produced at home
• Cottage industry
• Waltham and Lowell Mill in Massachusetts

EARLY FACTORIES

• Masters- the most experienced at a trade
• Journeymen- skilled workers employed by masters
• Apprentices- young workers learning their craft

FARM GIRL TO FACTORY WORKER

THE LOWELL MILL

• Single farm girls move to New England to work in factories
• Hired women b/c they could pay them less
• Women made more money in textiles than teaching or domestic work
• Most went back to being housewives, but were forever changed

CONDITIONS AT LOWELL

• The day began at 5am, ended at 7:30pm
• Heat, darkness and poor ventilation=discomfort and illness
• 1830's- women have to increase their work to meet demands
• Workers were seen as machinery
• Workers stop tolerating these worsening conditions

STRIKES AT LOWELL

• Strike- a work stoppage to force an employer to respond to demands
• 1834- workers strike at Lowell- "Union is Power"-union leaders are fired
• 1836- strike again b/c of board charge increase
• Lowell Female Labor Reform Association

WORKERS SEEK BETTER CONDITIONS

• Immigration increases-1830-1860 most=German and Irish
• National Trades' Union- 1834- organized journeymen from several industries