How Did The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire Benefit America?

Not only was the shirtwaist

Safety laws within a company or organization were never in demand before the 1900’s. One tragic situation that showed the need for safety laws within companies and organizations was the Triangle Shirtwaist Fire. On May 25, 1911 the Triangle Shirtwaist Company Factory burned in a fire. The Factory was owned by Max Blanck and Isaac Harris. It was located in Manhattan, New York on the top three floors of the Asch Building on Greene Street and Washington Place.

The fire, as tragic as it was, served as a catalyst for more radical change for the working class. Further, “In the most dramatic way possible, the Triangle Shirtwaist Fire Factory Fire brought to the attention of New York’s middle classes the horrible working conditions of factory labor. Reformers Responded with efforts to enforce codes and broaden laws” (Greenwald, 2002, p 90). Sadly, it took a disaster to create actual change that really improved the life of the

One of the biggest workplace disasters in the American industrial history was The Triangle Shirtwaist factory fire in Manhattan, New York. On March 25 of 1911, the Triangle Shirtwaist Company factory, which manufactured women blouses, erupted in flames, killing 146 people and injuring nearly 71. Most of the people killed and injured by the fire were women and children. This incident caused an outrage among labor workers against hazardous working environments in factories not just in New York but also in many industrial centers all over the states.

Triangle Shirtwaist Company Fire The Triangle Shirtwaist Company fire that occurred in New York City on March 25, 1911, remains as one of the most important events in the history of United States due to the aftermath as well as being considered “the beginning of a modern safety movement.” This fire took the lives of 146 people, most of them being immigrant women, very few men, and young girls around the age of sixteen. The fire led to improvements, and a movement against unsafe working conditions in factories located in New York and in other factories throughout the United States.

David Von Drehle is the author behind the book, “Triangle: The Fire That Changed America”. This book is about the facts, stories, and trial of what occurred on March 25, 1911 at the Triangle Shirtwaist factory. This fire was the worst workplace disaster in New York history until 9/11. The fire that took place left workers of that factory and many others with the goal to change the working conditions and fundamental reforms. Drehle has always known his future involved writing.

The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire was a tragic disaster. 146 deaths. 71 non-fatal injuries. Some survived with no injuries, but only the lucky ones. And just think about it.

The Triangle Shirtwaist fire was a great tragedy; so many young women had to suffer because of the condition and leak of care that the owner put locking the doors and forcing the women to leave through one and the leak safety in the work place for these women. The Triangle Shirtwaist incident had a great significance forwards the labor reform movement; this reform movement has grown rapidly due to the fire and is working on improving the working conditions of all factories in the United States, and the welfare of the workers.

On March 25, 1911, one of the most tragic disasters in American Industry occurred. 146 women, men and children died in the triangle shirtwaist factory fire. People either died in the fire or jumped to their deaths to avoid being burned alive. This tragedy exposed the inhuman working conditions that workers faced while working in factories and the utter disregard of the factory owners. These deaths were completely preventable, these people died as a result of neglect.

In April 2013, Matthew Yglesias, an American Economics Journalist proposed the people of Bangladesh would not appreciate having stronger safety standards in their country because it would cause undue harm economically. He asserts Bangladesh should have different lower standards for safety because they are a poorer country. Most of the people involved in the New York tragedy of 1911 also known as the Triangle Fire, would not agree with Matthew Yglesias on his assertion that lower economic status would be an indication of lower safety standards in factories. Namely, the workers, the union leaders, the progressive reformers and the political leaders would all vote for higher standards commiserate with the United States. The only ones who would not argue with Yglesias are the owners of the Triangle Factory with their vested interest, their own problems of multiple fires and accusations of safety neglect.

187). Also the main cause for the fire being this deadly was “neither panic nor inadequate means of escape,” (Drehle, 2003, p. 187) It was the heat that rushed into the people before the flames. This deadly fire led to many reforms occurring such as “Better fire escapes, enclosed fireproof stairs, automatic sprinklers and fire drills,” (Drehle, 2003, p. 185). The author, Drehle proved his argument that this book explains the horrors of the Triangle shirtwaist factory fire by saying that “Fire… Get on the roof,” (Drehle, 2003, p.130).

On this day 105 years ago, 145 employees lost their lives (OSHA par 1). Because of the Triangle Shirtwaist factory fire and the people harmed, new regulations and machinery have been incorporated to ensure the safety of all workers. When the fire broke out, men jumped up to help, reaching for the fire hose however it had been rusted through being useless as was the fire escape. Only one out of the four elevators worked causing a traffic jam leading many women to jump out the windows to their deaths (History Staff par 2). By the time the fire department arrived, many women had already burned to death and the factory was on its way to ashes.

Could the fire at the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory have been prevented? I am not going to answer that question just yet. Without assessing all of the information to prevent the making of unfounded accusations. First things first you may be asking yourself what a Triangle Shirtwaist is. A triangle shirtwaist is a type of blouse that many women wore in the early 1900's.

The Triangle Shirtwaist Fire was a devastating fire that killed 146 girls in New York City (Leap for Life, Leap for Death). At this time, citizens of New York were furious and demanded that the government do something to prevent future tragedies. The government responded and the reforms that the government made, it changed the future of New York industry. The Triangle Shirtwaist Fire, one of history’s deadliest fires, came as a result of outrageously unsafe working conditions, led to a high death toll and injury total, but, ultimately resulted in reforms that helped safeguard future factory workers.

The detrimental Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire is considered to be one of the most tragic disasters in history. On March 25th, 1911, a fire broke out and killed 146 garment workers who were mostly women. These women worked countless hours with low wages and inhumane working conditions in a factory. Even though this event was tragic, the triangle shirtwaist fire helped to shape the new world for the better. The multitude of workers trapped within the inferno to their demise was the final straw for the mistreatment of America’s workers.