Summary Of Triangle The Fire That Changed America

This article presents the events of the fire like a story and exposes injustices surrounding the fire to spark outrage among readers. Even the title creates interest in the subject matter, and the article includes eye-catching subtitles such as, “The day it rained children” and “The waning flames of morality” (Pence et al. 406-412). “Working Women and the Triangle Fire” has some organizational issues, while “And All Who Jumped Died” has a clear, readable flow. Finally, the conclusion of “Working Women and the Triangle Fire” was somewhat weak, while “And All Who Jumped Died” concluded with a strong call to action for

Triangle Shirtwaist Company was a main manufacturer who did not take kindly of the strike. They used police officers, to imprison the female workers on strike, while they paid the government officials to take the other girls away. On March, 25, while the workers worked, a fire began to start in the rag bin. A manager tried to put the fire out, but the fire spread rapidly and the hose did not work, due to the holes punched in the sides(Stein). As the fire escalated, the young women began to panic, and as the young women tried to escape on the elevator, they realized that the elevator could only hold 12 people, and the elevator broke down in the heat and flames.

Many people might say, why was the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire so important? The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire was so important because it was a tragedy that opened the nation's eyes to poor working conditions in garment factories. Other question might be ask why were the doors locked in the Triangle Shirtwaist fire? The building had only one fire escape, Long tables and bulky machines trapped many of the victims. Panicked workers were crushed as they struggled with doors that were locked by managers to prevent theft, or doors that opened the wrong way.

In the early 1900’s worker’s did not have a lot of rights and as a result work had to work in unsafe environments, they worked long hours, and had to endure horrible work conditions. Two years before the fire the International Ladies’ Garment Workers’ Union (ILGWU) Local 25 assisted more than 15,000 workers to achieve better wages and safer work conditions. Isaac Harris and Max Blanck, who owned the Triangle Shirt Waist factory in New York City refused to let their employees organize a union and actually ended up firing over 500 people for supporting a union although some that were there at the time of the fire were a part of the ILGWU. There were roughly 500 people working in the Triangle Waist Company and were mostly made of immigrant women.

The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire of 1911 was the deadliest workplace accident in New York history. Most of the workers in the factory were immigrants who came to America for a better future. Their dream was economic security, which they saw in America. Getting a job in the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory was a desired position, even if the job consisted of fourteen hour work days, six days a week. At most, the workers would take home $2 a day.

The fire at the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory was a terrible tragedy. On March 25, 1911, the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory burned, killing 145 workers. It is one of the most infamous fires in American history. Workers were forced to crowd up on the fire exit. Others jumped off the building to their death.

Despite the death and destruction it caused, the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire ultimately benefited America by opening the eyes of mistreated factory workers and inspiring them to fight for better working conditions. Though it was unbeknownst at the time, the fire would inspire mistreated workers to rise out of the ashes and work tirelessly not for a factory, but for their own wellbeing. The history, the fire, and the trial that are all connected to the Triangle Shirtwaist Company are the events that led to the exploration for better working conditions. While we may not wish to remember all of the suffering the conflagration caused, we see its imprint it left on society whenever we see someone at work. This just imprint is one of safety.

On March 25, 1911, around 4:40 pm, a fire overtook the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory in New York City. 146 workers died; most of them being women. It is remembered as one of the most infamous incidents in American industrial history Max Blanck, and Isaac Harris were the owners of the Triangle Waist Company.

The hope was for prison time and a fine in order to intimidate any other manufacturer to not follow in their footsteps, with the fine however, many feared of a reoccurrence. The mourning over the loss of hundreds and the outrage over lack of punishment towards the company owners pushed everyone to make sure this did not reoccur. Protests to improve factory life mixed with the fear of more activism, like the uprising of twenty-thousand, made the officials decide to make some changes. “The reform movement began with the establishment of the Factory Investigation Commission by Governor Dix on June 30, 1911 (Argersinger p31).” The findings showed the unsafe and unhealthy conditions that the workers faced daily and the owners were unprepared for the negative exposure.

The Triangle Fire of 1911 initiated transformations in America during the Progressive Era. The one hundred and forty six people who died who were mostly women, did not die in vain, as their deaths led to the reform of laws that would lead to protection from unsafe working environments. Business owners, workers, and union organizers each had their own motivations, and after the fire, their concerns were made public and consequently many of their situations changed. Business owners were stimulated by economic growth and profit, which did not change despite the Triangle fire. Most businesses, and that includes the Triangle Waist Company, carried on with a “business as usual” attitude.

The book Triangle: The Fire That Changed America written by David Von Drehle recounts the dreadful incident of fire that broke out in a Triangle Shirtwaist factory on March 25, 1911 and its aftermath. In the earlier part of nineteenth century Triangle Shirtwaist factory was running a lucrative business in a multistory building in the New York City. The factory was owned by the two men Isaac Harris and Max Blank and it was located on the upper three stories of the Asch Building which was back then considered and projected as an efficient fireproof building (History). On that unfortunate day, fifteen minutes of fire gulped one hundred and forty-six innocent lives who were struggling to keep themselves and their families afloat(CBS).

The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire was one of the deadliest industrial disasters in the history of New York City. A fire broke out in this sweatshop that employed mostly young immigrant women who worked long hours in dangerous and cramped conditions. The fire quickly spread through the building, trapping workers on the upper floors, and the tragic event claimed the lives of 146 workers, on March 25th, 1911. The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire became a turning point in American labor history, leading to the establishment of important workplace safety regulations and sparking a movement for workers' rights. Corruption and greed doused the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire, setting America in flames, impossible to put out.

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.

After the fire, the horrible event made factories transparent to Americans and Americans realized that industrial workers were being treated unfairly. The tragedy exposed the inhumane working conditions that the industrial workers had to the government also, so social reform became the nation’s number one issue to focus on. Countless state and federal laws were passed in direct relation to this incident. This event affects Americans today because it played a key role in the laws and regulation we have in the