It is said that capitalism is the vehicle of oppression. If this is true, then the train must be the vehicle of the vehicle of oppression.
The Great Railroad Strike of 1877 was an outlet of violence, caused by the horrible conditions the men running the trains worked in. Railroad work in 19th century America was a dangerous affair, and considerably more so than that of their British contemporaries. Fatality rates among American railworkers were twice those of British ones, a consequence of a preponderance of freight traffic rather than passenger.(1) Especially in the midsts of economic turmoil, the dangers and low wages of a railroad job were bound to produce discontent.
Workers were not the only ones endangered by trains. Train wrecks were uncomfortably common occurrences, and often made cover stories. For example, and 1876 bridge collapse in Ohio took the lives of 86 passengers.(2) All these mounting deaths would eventually force the federal government to create regulatory legislation. Combined with new technologies like better brakes and couplers, policies like the 1893 Safety Appliance Act would come to drastically decrease fatalities on the rail.(1)
Part of the reason workers were so expendable was the tendency of railroads to hire from immigrants. Among the first such workers were masses of Irish immigrants who served as cheap sources of unskilled labor.(3) Since most arrived in poverty and faced nativist discrimination, they could not choose the sort of jobs they worked. Direct dangers of the railroad were not the only causes of death: poor nutrition and medicine took many worker lives as well. Fear of diseases like cholera compounded by anti-Catholic sentiments often prevented Irish workers from getting the treatment they needed. Eventually, the railroads would serve as a way to move up to a more semiskilled job; workers moving up to better jobs would recruit newly-arrived immigrants to replace them in their old jobs. Eventually, this part of the workforce would come to be Americanized.
On the other side of the coast, railroad work was famously dominated by the Chinese. During work on the Transcontinental Railroad, Leland Stanford told Congress: "A large majority of the white laboring class... find more profitable and congenial employment in mining and agricultural pursuits, than in railroad work."(4) For this reason, the Chinese were more easily hired. Eventually, up to 15,000 Chinese were working on the rails. Wages of Chinese laborers would eventually rise to match those of their white counterparts, but still worked longer hours and had to pay for their own lodging and tools. When Chinese workers did strike in 1867, the nonviolent affair was ended when their supplies were cut off for eight days. For their work on the railroad, the Chinese became subjects of typically discriminatory legislation that segregated schools, prevented immigrants from appearing as witness in court, or becoming naturalized citizens.(5) Such is the way of racism in America.
Yes, this post was made purely for the sake of an elaborate pun. Anything educational about this post is an accident.
Sources:
(1) https://eh.net/encyclopedia/history-of-workplace-safety-in-the-united-states-1880-1970-2/
(2) http://www.wcrscorp.com/resources/frasafety.pdf
(3) https://hsp.org/sites/default/files/studentreadingimmigrantlaborontherailroads_revised.pdf
(4) http://web.stanford.edu/group/chineserailroad/cgi-bin/wordpress/faqs/
(5) http://www.class.uh.edu/gl/china1.htm
Monday, November 9, 2015
Saturday, November 7, 2015
The United States Navy
Ever since the Civil War, the United States navy had stayed largely dormant as American foreign policy drew inwards and the focus turned to the frontier and economic industrialization. As a result of this, the United States Navy became obsolete and its operations poorly organized due to lack of experience. With its limited role following the Civil War, the United States Navy fell decrepit and had few foreign uses, such as in Korea during the Korean Intervention.
In the 1880's, the government began to expand the role and funding for the navy. It linked the powerful American steel corporations with the new naval shipyards to establish a mutually beneficial relationship that would bring profit to the steelyards and a better navy to the United States. At the end of the 1880's the USS Charleston and the USS Baltimore were designed and completed. But as a testament to how lacking the United States was in naval power, the company that created these steel cruisers, the first of their kind for the United States, was British. In the early 1890's, the USS Texas and the USS Maine are also laid down and sent out. In the early 1900's the USS Connecticut was laid down as the first of six battleships that would later be used for President Roosevelt's Great White Fleet. The USS Holland was the first commissioned naval submarine in 1900. All of this advancement in the United States Navy culminated in the creation of the USS South Carolina in 1910 as the first American dreadnought, the flagship of the new century.
At the same time that the United States began to churn out their ships, other nations around the world did the same. There is a connection between this new naval arms race and Alfred Thayer Mahan's book, The Influence of Sea Power Upon History which discussed the importance of maintaining a strong navy to control the seas in time of war. Commerce raiding and secondary tasks were nothing compared to the dominance of naval task groups to win the dominance of the seas. Mahan was massively influential in the naval doctrine of the United States as well as playing a significant role in the development of the Japanese and German naval doctrines. What The Art of War did for strategy and what Vom Kriege (Clausewitz) did for political-military relations, The Influence of Sea Power Upon History did to naval doctrine.
With this new navy, President Roosevelt sent it on a world wide tour in 1907 that would last a little more than a year. The newest cruisers and battleships would be sent around the world as an offhand show of strength to the Germans, British, and Japanese. As a continuing part of his Big Stick policy, Roosevelt showed the world that their threats and policies were to be respected and honored because we had the navy, the big stick, to back it up. We showed that we could sent a fleet around the world to any place, something that had not been done on such a scale with modern warships. Roosevelt showed the rest of the world that the United States could maintain its two ocean navy and be strong in both. It was the ultimate show of naval arms in the early 20th century. As other nations begin to do the same, this massive naval arms race will eventually lead to the Washington Naval Conference of 1921 to limit the largest nations' navies.
In the 1880's, the government began to expand the role and funding for the navy. It linked the powerful American steel corporations with the new naval shipyards to establish a mutually beneficial relationship that would bring profit to the steelyards and a better navy to the United States. At the end of the 1880's the USS Charleston and the USS Baltimore were designed and completed. But as a testament to how lacking the United States was in naval power, the company that created these steel cruisers, the first of their kind for the United States, was British. In the early 1890's, the USS Texas and the USS Maine are also laid down and sent out. In the early 1900's the USS Connecticut was laid down as the first of six battleships that would later be used for President Roosevelt's Great White Fleet. The USS Holland was the first commissioned naval submarine in 1900. All of this advancement in the United States Navy culminated in the creation of the USS South Carolina in 1910 as the first American dreadnought, the flagship of the new century.
At the same time that the United States began to churn out their ships, other nations around the world did the same. There is a connection between this new naval arms race and Alfred Thayer Mahan's book, The Influence of Sea Power Upon History which discussed the importance of maintaining a strong navy to control the seas in time of war. Commerce raiding and secondary tasks were nothing compared to the dominance of naval task groups to win the dominance of the seas. Mahan was massively influential in the naval doctrine of the United States as well as playing a significant role in the development of the Japanese and German naval doctrines. What The Art of War did for strategy and what Vom Kriege (Clausewitz) did for political-military relations, The Influence of Sea Power Upon History did to naval doctrine.
With this new navy, President Roosevelt sent it on a world wide tour in 1907 that would last a little more than a year. The newest cruisers and battleships would be sent around the world as an offhand show of strength to the Germans, British, and Japanese. As a continuing part of his Big Stick policy, Roosevelt showed the world that their threats and policies were to be respected and honored because we had the navy, the big stick, to back it up. We showed that we could sent a fleet around the world to any place, something that had not been done on such a scale with modern warships. Roosevelt showed the rest of the world that the United States could maintain its two ocean navy and be strong in both. It was the ultimate show of naval arms in the early 20th century. As other nations begin to do the same, this massive naval arms race will eventually lead to the Washington Naval Conference of 1921 to limit the largest nations' navies.
Speak softly and carry a big stick; you will go far - President Theodore RooseveltAnd yet a mere century after the rapid build-up of the United States Navy and just 30 years after Regan's "600 ship navy", the United States naval build-up is far slower than it ever has been in the last 100 years. But this is simply because the last century has seen the complete dominance of the United States on the high seas (although recently the Chinese have begun to challenge this just as the Soviets did during the Cold War). The United States Navy consists of 10 active aircraft carriers, 8 more than the next country, and dozens of guided missile cruisers, destroyers, and submarines. The United States Marines and Navy SEALS are the most capable special forces around the world and our nuclear subs freely travel the waves. The lasting influence of A.T. Mahan, the initial US Navy build-up, and both World Wars have brought the United States to the naval powerhouse that it is today. Without the policies of the US government under McKinley and Roosevelt, it could be very possible that the Germans, Russians, or Japanese would be the masters of the seas today and not the United States Navy.
Works Cited
Hacker, Barton C., and Margaret Vining. "The Steel Navy and the Naval Industrial Complex." American Military Technology: The Life Story of a Technology. Westport, CT: Greenwood, 2006. 53-54.Google Books. Web. 7 Nov. 2015.
Here's the Entire U.S. Navy Fleet in One Chart. Digital image. Popular Mechanics. N.p., 30 Apr. 2015. Web. 08 Nov. 2015.
Holmes, James R. "Japanese Maritime Thought: If Not Mahan, Who?" Naval War College Review. By Toshi Yoshihara. Vol. 59. Newport: United States Naval War College, n.d. 24-26. United States Naval War College. Naval War College, Summer 2006. Web. 7 Nov. 2015.
"Mahan & The Influence of Sea Power Upon History." Global Security. Global Security Institute, n.d. Web. 08 Nov. 2015.
"A POWERFUL PRESENCE THROUGH THE YEARS." America's Navy. Navy Recruiting Command, n.d. Web. 08 Nov. 2015.
"U.S. Navy Ship List, 1890." BLUEJACKET.COM. N.p., n.d. Web. 08 Nov. 2015.
Friday, November 6, 2015
Annexation of Hawaii
Interest in Hawaii had begun as early as the 1820s, when missionaries from New England attempted to spread their faith. As a result of their efforts, Hawaii became more Americanized- Honolulu started to resemble a New England town.
America warned off European powers in the 1840s, and additional treaties in the 1870s and 1880s allowed America to assert more power in the islands. However, Hawaii did not become a truly valuable asset until the rise of sugar cultivation.
Sugar cane was already present in Hawaii when Captain James Cook discovered the islands in the 1770s. At the time, Hawaiians did not know how to refine sugar; they merely chewed the stalks. The first sugar cane plantation was established in 1835 by Ladd and Company in at Koloa, Kauai. As smaller plantations started to prosper, businessmen became interested in the prospects of sugar as an exportable product to bring in revenue to the Hawaiian Kingdom. Hawaiian sugar demand became extremely popular during the Civil War, due to the fact that agriculture in the South during the war was virtually destroyed.
In 1890, the McKinley Tariff Act was passed, which increased tax for imported sugar from Hawaii, and decreased the tax for domestic sugar. As a result of the Tariff Act, many plantation owners and businessmen believed that the best way for taxes on sugar to lower was to annex Hawaii into the United States.
However, the strong-willed Queen Liliuokalani opposed efforts by Americans to annex Hawaii. She tried to gain back the power of the ruling class that had been lessened by the treaties signed earlier in the 1870s and 1880s. Her strong stance was unpopular with the businessmen in Hawaii, so they staged a coup and overthrew her, with the assistance of the US marines. Sanford Dole was appointed president of the Republic of Hawaii.
Grover Cleveland sent a probe to Hawaii to assess sentiments towards annexation. Most native Hawaiians were violently opposed towards annexation, but the American public strongly favored it. Cleveland was anti-imperialist and believed that American actions taken in Hawaii were wrong, so he left the question of annexation for the next president- William McKinley.
It was not until the Spanish-American War that Hawaii really came into play again. The naval bases in Hawaii were highly useful for the American navy en route to Spain. McKinley signed a resolution that annexed the islands in 1898. Technically, the Hawaii annexation was unconstitutional, as 2/3 of Congress did not agree that Hawaii should be annexed.
The annexation of the islands sparked a lot of controversy, especially among the native people. The government was established without the consent of the governed, and the native people were denied the vote, which caused many resentful feelings towards the US government. Many Americans believed that the annexation of Hawaii was just another example of "survival of the fittest", but in reality, the culture of many indigenous people was stamped out, and their land stolen by giant corporations. The native Hawaiians had no choice or say in this matter, and their feeling of powerlessness was very prominent.
There has been great debate over whether the annexation of Hawaii was beneficial or not. If the annexation of Hawaii had been accomplished through more constitutional and moral ways, instead of the harsh overthrow of a century-old monarchy, the annexation would not have been as upsetting to the native Hawaiians. Feelings between the two territories would have been more friendly, and there would not be as big of a disconnect between the two peoples.
Sources:
http://www.history.com/topics/liliuokalani
https://grovefarm.org/kauai-history/
http://www.ushistory.org/us/44b.asp
http://www.britannica.com/place/United-States/History#ref612939
American Pageant Textbook
America warned off European powers in the 1840s, and additional treaties in the 1870s and 1880s allowed America to assert more power in the islands. However, Hawaii did not become a truly valuable asset until the rise of sugar cultivation.
Sugar cane was already present in Hawaii when Captain James Cook discovered the islands in the 1770s. At the time, Hawaiians did not know how to refine sugar; they merely chewed the stalks. The first sugar cane plantation was established in 1835 by Ladd and Company in at Koloa, Kauai. As smaller plantations started to prosper, businessmen became interested in the prospects of sugar as an exportable product to bring in revenue to the Hawaiian Kingdom. Hawaiian sugar demand became extremely popular during the Civil War, due to the fact that agriculture in the South during the war was virtually destroyed.
In 1890, the McKinley Tariff Act was passed, which increased tax for imported sugar from Hawaii, and decreased the tax for domestic sugar. As a result of the Tariff Act, many plantation owners and businessmen believed that the best way for taxes on sugar to lower was to annex Hawaii into the United States.
However, the strong-willed Queen Liliuokalani opposed efforts by Americans to annex Hawaii. She tried to gain back the power of the ruling class that had been lessened by the treaties signed earlier in the 1870s and 1880s. Her strong stance was unpopular with the businessmen in Hawaii, so they staged a coup and overthrew her, with the assistance of the US marines. Sanford Dole was appointed president of the Republic of Hawaii.
Grover Cleveland sent a probe to Hawaii to assess sentiments towards annexation. Most native Hawaiians were violently opposed towards annexation, but the American public strongly favored it. Cleveland was anti-imperialist and believed that American actions taken in Hawaii were wrong, so he left the question of annexation for the next president- William McKinley.
It was not until the Spanish-American War that Hawaii really came into play again. The naval bases in Hawaii were highly useful for the American navy en route to Spain. McKinley signed a resolution that annexed the islands in 1898. Technically, the Hawaii annexation was unconstitutional, as 2/3 of Congress did not agree that Hawaii should be annexed.
The annexation of the islands sparked a lot of controversy, especially among the native people. The government was established without the consent of the governed, and the native people were denied the vote, which caused many resentful feelings towards the US government. Many Americans believed that the annexation of Hawaii was just another example of "survival of the fittest", but in reality, the culture of many indigenous people was stamped out, and their land stolen by giant corporations. The native Hawaiians had no choice or say in this matter, and their feeling of powerlessness was very prominent.
There has been great debate over whether the annexation of Hawaii was beneficial or not. If the annexation of Hawaii had been accomplished through more constitutional and moral ways, instead of the harsh overthrow of a century-old monarchy, the annexation would not have been as upsetting to the native Hawaiians. Feelings between the two territories would have been more friendly, and there would not be as big of a disconnect between the two peoples.
Sources:
http://www.history.com/topics/liliuokalani
https://grovefarm.org/kauai-history/
http://www.ushistory.org/us/44b.asp
http://www.britannica.com/place/United-States/History#ref612939
American Pageant Textbook
Sunday, November 1, 2015
JP Morgan's influence on American Society
JP Morgan was an affluential person in American society. Born to a wealthy family, he was able to get a good education, and was brought up in the world of business and wealth from a very young age. While his motives are questionable, there is no question of his influence on our society, and our economy in the time of the Gilded Age.
The first of his excursions with the economy was in 1895, when president Cleveland called on Morgan to help with a terrible economic drop. This drop was caused by massive railroad speculation and a massive increase in investment in railroads that not only went nowhere, but somehow connected nowheres to nowheres. He called upon Europe to help with the economic crash, creating a deal with which to get enough money to finance the economy and bring it out of its terrible crash. The way he did it was by directing congress to sell bonds and to stop the drainage of money by Congress, as well as buy back gold from international syndicates.There is speculation that J.P. Morgan managed to gain quite a bit from this deal, pocketing a certain amount of money for himself with every sum of money financing the US, and yet the unarguable fact is that singlehandedly, Morgan was able to bring us out of an economic depression that could have easily upset our country for years to come.
The second time that Morgan had a hand in keeping our economy from taking a nosedive was when Theodore Roosevelt came to him for help. Morgan, ever the dramatist, organized several powerful bankers in a library and situated them so that they could not leave until they provided proper funding. This funding was to go to a rescue fund of the United States Treasury, and would be the way for congress to save the economy. Yet again, Morgan was able to keep America's economy going, something no mad had singlehandedly done before.
The longterm effects of Morgan's power on the economy are disputable to this day, but there is no arguing the fact that he may very well be the reason our "gilded age" was able to carry us as far as Britain during their industrial revolution in half the time. His talent for business and money were clear as day, and his ability to keep our economy alive and well may be the sole reason we have such a prosperous consumer society today. Whether or not that it is a good thing is up to historians and politicians to debate, but we know for a fact that Morgan was an incredibly influential man who saved the US economy not once, but two times.
The first of his excursions with the economy was in 1895, when president Cleveland called on Morgan to help with a terrible economic drop. This drop was caused by massive railroad speculation and a massive increase in investment in railroads that not only went nowhere, but somehow connected nowheres to nowheres. He called upon Europe to help with the economic crash, creating a deal with which to get enough money to finance the economy and bring it out of its terrible crash. The way he did it was by directing congress to sell bonds and to stop the drainage of money by Congress, as well as buy back gold from international syndicates.There is speculation that J.P. Morgan managed to gain quite a bit from this deal, pocketing a certain amount of money for himself with every sum of money financing the US, and yet the unarguable fact is that singlehandedly, Morgan was able to bring us out of an economic depression that could have easily upset our country for years to come.
The second time that Morgan had a hand in keeping our economy from taking a nosedive was when Theodore Roosevelt came to him for help. Morgan, ever the dramatist, organized several powerful bankers in a library and situated them so that they could not leave until they provided proper funding. This funding was to go to a rescue fund of the United States Treasury, and would be the way for congress to save the economy. Yet again, Morgan was able to keep America's economy going, something no mad had singlehandedly done before.
The longterm effects of Morgan's power on the economy are disputable to this day, but there is no arguing the fact that he may very well be the reason our "gilded age" was able to carry us as far as Britain during their industrial revolution in half the time. His talent for business and money were clear as day, and his ability to keep our economy alive and well may be the sole reason we have such a prosperous consumer society today. Whether or not that it is a good thing is up to historians and politicians to debate, but we know for a fact that Morgan was an incredibly influential man who saved the US economy not once, but two times.
Immigrants in Factories
The gilded age was a unique time in American history, where the gap between the rich and the poor seemed to abound by miles. This was the time of the factories, where manpower and machines mixed to create goods readily consumed by a growing upper middle class. People bought cars, used trains, and had available to them a plethora of goods not necessary for survival, but perhaps necessary for luxury. This growing upper class was reliant on the factories of the time, and were so blinded by their fortune that they either did not see what was happening inside the concrete walls, or chose not to see in favor of cheeper food and luxurious cars.
It was during this time that the poor classes started to go from the farms and into the factories. Opportunity for work, no matter how bad the conditions, was growing as more and more mass producers created more and more factories. This created an influx into cities, as work on farms was increasingly replaced by machines and better technology. While the sharecropping system still was in play, farmers decided to hedge their bets with the new factory, where there would be a bit more freedom than working for a landowner.
The factories, however, were a nightmare to the lower class. They ran long hours, with insufficient wages and little to no protection for the worker. Big companies could fire a whole segment of workers in a split second if suddenly their product became undesirable to the fluctuating economy, and these workers had no leverage against the powerful business owners. Unions had little sway against these frighteningly powerful kings of their trade, and as more machinery populated the factory, the leverage of skilled craftsmanship faded into the background.
Many historians argue that the immigrant workers that came to America and worked in the factories had it the worst. Not only were the factory systems against them, but the general public despised them, deeming them un-American and unworthy to work their production plants. They were looked down upon, and as they slowly took over "American jobs", they were resented more and more for their desirability to the plethora of factory owners.
The reason immigrants were so desirable to factory owners was due to their role in wages. Immigrants could be paid relatively cheaply in comparison to American workers. They did not struggle against the factory owners due to a plethora of language barriers, and they could not argue for higher wages because what they had was certainly better than anything else they could get. Moreover, whenever there was a mass lay-off, different races could be played against each other. For example, if a large section of Irish workers were laid off, black workers would be hired in their stead, and rather than being upset with the head of the factory, the workers would fight amongst themselves. This idea of pitting the two races against each other was another one of the many benefits of hiring these immigrant workers. There seemed to be the growing ability to get away with as much as possible in these factories, and the owners were not quick to let go of their leverages.
The American public was furious with the seeming immigrant takeover in their production, however. They started to fight against this movement. The most prevalent example of this dislike is seen in the passing of the Chinese Exclusion act. While this may not have been instigated in the factories, it does a good job of summing up public opinion of Immigrants. They were tired of other people coming to "steal" their jobs, and as such, they would fight against the flow of these laborers.
It was during this time that the poor classes started to go from the farms and into the factories. Opportunity for work, no matter how bad the conditions, was growing as more and more mass producers created more and more factories. This created an influx into cities, as work on farms was increasingly replaced by machines and better technology. While the sharecropping system still was in play, farmers decided to hedge their bets with the new factory, where there would be a bit more freedom than working for a landowner.
The factories, however, were a nightmare to the lower class. They ran long hours, with insufficient wages and little to no protection for the worker. Big companies could fire a whole segment of workers in a split second if suddenly their product became undesirable to the fluctuating economy, and these workers had no leverage against the powerful business owners. Unions had little sway against these frighteningly powerful kings of their trade, and as more machinery populated the factory, the leverage of skilled craftsmanship faded into the background.
Many historians argue that the immigrant workers that came to America and worked in the factories had it the worst. Not only were the factory systems against them, but the general public despised them, deeming them un-American and unworthy to work their production plants. They were looked down upon, and as they slowly took over "American jobs", they were resented more and more for their desirability to the plethora of factory owners.
The reason immigrants were so desirable to factory owners was due to their role in wages. Immigrants could be paid relatively cheaply in comparison to American workers. They did not struggle against the factory owners due to a plethora of language barriers, and they could not argue for higher wages because what they had was certainly better than anything else they could get. Moreover, whenever there was a mass lay-off, different races could be played against each other. For example, if a large section of Irish workers were laid off, black workers would be hired in their stead, and rather than being upset with the head of the factory, the workers would fight amongst themselves. This idea of pitting the two races against each other was another one of the many benefits of hiring these immigrant workers. There seemed to be the growing ability to get away with as much as possible in these factories, and the owners were not quick to let go of their leverages.
The American public was furious with the seeming immigrant takeover in their production, however. They started to fight against this movement. The most prevalent example of this dislike is seen in the passing of the Chinese Exclusion act. While this may not have been instigated in the factories, it does a good job of summing up public opinion of Immigrants. They were tired of other people coming to "steal" their jobs, and as such, they would fight against the flow of these laborers.
The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire
On March 25, 1911, a fire broke out on the top floor of the Triangle Shirtwaist Company, killing 146 of the 500 employees, many of whom were young women. The fire remains one of the great disasters of American industrial history, due to the fact that most of the deaths were preventable. The lack of safety regulations in the workplace was the main culprit behind the deaths of so many women.
In 1910, garment workers in New York had begun calling for better working conditions, including the women from Triangle. The strike went on for 11 weeks, and Anne Morgan, the daughter of business tycoon J.P. Morgan, joined, raising public support of the movement. Eventually, Isaac Harris and Max Blanck, owners of the Triangle factory, agreed to higher wages and shorter hours. However, they did not permit worker unions, and the workers did not have the power to improve factory conditions. The men and women were forced to work with inadequate ventilation, lack of safety precautions and fire drills, and door that remained locked during working hours. Coincidentally, that door happened to be one of the few ways to enter or exit the floor of the building the workers worked on.
On the day of the fire, a lit cigarette from the eighth floor ignited a fire, which hungrily consumed the loose fabric and thread from the shirtwaists being produced. As the fire spread, the workers on the ninth floor worked on, unaware that anything was going on. It was not until the smoke rose up the stairs that the workers started panicking. They tried to escape, but the fire escape was too narrow, and broke after too many women ran down it. The elevator could only hold a couple of workers at a time until it broke, and the door to the stairwell remained locked from the outside. The girls who did not make it to the elevator or the stairwells were trapped by fire, and began jumping out of the open windows. The firefighters that had arrived were ineffective, as their ladders would only reach to the eighth floor, and their hoses did not have enough pressure to spray that high. In just a couple of minutes, many of those workers had died.
The death of the young workers in the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire triggered a wave of protests and movements for better working conditions in factories. The National Women’s Trade Union League (NWTUL) was able to compile evidence of the unsafe working conditions, and then create the Citizens’ Committee for Public Safety. Under pressure from the reformers, the government passed an act which created the Bureau of Fire Prevention. The Bureau of Fire Prevention ended confusion over the responsibilities of various city departments and agencies for inspections and safety code creation. There were also changes made to the Municipal Building Code, which included the requirement of fireproof materials and stairwells, fire alarms, extinguishers, and hoses. The city government also prevented smoking in factories.
The Factory Investigative Commission (FIC) was established by the city of New York to investigate much more than fire hazards in factories. A combination of factors, such as a Democratic Congress, public opinion, and a favorable economic climate prompted the commission to investigate low wages, long hours, child labor, and unsanitary working conditions. Additionally, the Sullivan-Hoey Fire Prevention Law required that factories install a sprinkler system and create a single fire commission.
The tragedy of the Triangle Shirtwaist Fire Company led to many reform bills being passed and many organizations being formed, but the main effect that it had was a change of the relationship between the government and business. Before the fire, the government had largely left businesses alone. Many historians believe that the fire represented the start of local, state, and federal governments’ attempts to achieve better working conditions in factories. The death of those 146 workers accomplished what many labor unions before them couldn’t. They created the foundation for better working conditions for workers across all of America.
Sources:
http://historybusiness.org/2773-triangle-shirtwaist-company-fire.html
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/introduction/triangle-intro/
http://www.history.com/topics/triangle-shirtwaist-fire
http://trianglefire.ilr.cornell.edu/story/introduction.html
The Ludlow Massacre
On April 20, 1914 in Ludlow, Colorado the Ludlow Massacre occurred between the Colorado Fuel and Iron Company, owned by John D. Rockefeller Jr. and striking coal miners. The miners in Colorado and several other Western States had been trying for several years to join the UMWA (United Miners of America), but the coal operators bitterly opposed these propositions.
Soon enough because of the persistance to join, the miners were kicked out of their company-owned houses and had to set up tent colony's on public land to live in. Even though they were off company property the company's were still not happy with the strikers and tent colony's, so they called in Baldwin Felts Detective Agency, the thugs, Colorado militiamen, and coal company guards, to get rid of the strike once and for all. Which during this time period would often lead to violence and sometimes even death.
On Greek Easter, at 10:00 A.M. 19 innocent men, women, and children were killed. Death caused by shootings into the tents, and keroscene put onto the tents burning them and their inhabitants. Some women and children even burried themselves into holes under their tents so they wouldn't be shot, but they suffocated in the pits.
Because the strike and deaths were between capital and labor, which during this time was not protected by the government, none of the massacrists were punished. Though none of the killers were punished many miners and strike leaders were arrested and black-balled from the coal industry.
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/primary-resources/rockefellers-ludlow/
http://www.umwa.org/?q=content/ludlow-massacre
Soon enough because of the persistance to join, the miners were kicked out of their company-owned houses and had to set up tent colony's on public land to live in. Even though they were off company property the company's were still not happy with the strikers and tent colony's, so they called in Baldwin Felts Detective Agency, the thugs, Colorado militiamen, and coal company guards, to get rid of the strike once and for all. Which during this time period would often lead to violence and sometimes even death.
On Greek Easter, at 10:00 A.M. 19 innocent men, women, and children were killed. Death caused by shootings into the tents, and keroscene put onto the tents burning them and their inhabitants. Some women and children even burried themselves into holes under their tents so they wouldn't be shot, but they suffocated in the pits.
Because the strike and deaths were between capital and labor, which during this time was not protected by the government, none of the massacrists were punished. Though none of the killers were punished many miners and strike leaders were arrested and black-balled from the coal industry.
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/primary-resources/rockefellers-ludlow/
http://www.umwa.org/?q=content/ludlow-massacre
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