Triangle The Fire That Changed America Analysis

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On March 25th, 1911, workers in the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory thought it would just be another long day at work. Little did 146 of them know that it would be their last day earning little pay in the dreadful place. Near the end of the workday, a fire broke out on the 8th floor of the factory. Many workers could not escape due to the locked exits and stairwells, which resulted in many people jumping to their death. Like any factory in the 1900s, the experiences and conditions working at the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory were not appealing to the many who immigrated to the United States, but it was necessary to earn money. In Triangle: The Fire That Changed America, David Von Drehle tells about the immigrant workers experience at the factory, challenges and dangers of industrialization, workers demands for a union, and the relationship between labor and government as a result of the fire. Every morning, six days a week, hundreds of thousands of people, the majority of them women, crowded the streets of NYC on the way to work in the city’s factories. Many of these workers were immigrants who left their country in hope for a better future in America. During this time, men were superior to women, resulting in more women employment in garment factories because they required less pay, and men did not expect women to rebel against them. These ladies …show more content…

Fire and safety laws were finally carried out and practiced, fire extinguishers were mandatory, alarm and sprinkler systems had to be installed, better working and eating environments were made available to employees, there were standards for minimum wages, and there was a limited number of hours women and children could work. Thankfully, the government realized the changes that needed to be installed to improve working conditions, regardless if the people working were immigrants or

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