The changing workplace Chapter 8 Section 4

Industry Changes Work Rural Manufacturing Cottage Industry- manufacturers provide materials for goods to be produced in the home. Women completed most of the work Bring finished product back to manufacturer to get paid by the piece, and receive more material Replaced by the power looms in textile factories like Waltham and Lowell MA.

Industry Changes Work Early Factories Factories replaced the cottage industries as a mean of manufacturing Made household items drastically cheaper New machines allowed unskilled workers to perform tasks that would previously be done by skilled artisans Unskilled laborers shifted from farm work to repetitive factory work.

Farm Worker to Factory Worker The Lowell Mill & the Lowell Girls 9/10 of work force in NE mills were women Mill owners hire women so they can pay them less then men Better job then alternatives for women: Sewing, teaching, and domestic work Most women only worked in the mills for a couple of years

Farm Worker to Factory Worker Conditions at Lowell Started at 5am Heat, darkness, and poor ventilation led to illnesses Windows would be nailed shut to keep in humidity Made the mills in the summer like ovens and in the winter filled with smoke from the oil lamps 1830s conditions got worse Faster work pass, less break time, higher fines, and lower wages Led to the women of Lowell to strike

Farm Worker to Factory Worker Strikes at Lowell “UNION IS POWER” 1834 women refuse to work for reduces wages Management threaten to hire new local girls so they return to work for reduced wages and, fire the strike leaders 1836- women strike due to board charge raises (equal to a 12.5 % pay cut) Company prevails again….

Workers Seek Better Conditions Conditions for all workers declined in the 1830s Strikes were ineffective due to strike breaker who would work long hours for little money Usually immigrants who were escaping an even worse situation

Workers Seek Better Conditions Immigration Increases European immigration drastically increases between 1830-1860 1845-1855; 3 million immigrants added to the 20million population, most coming from Germany and Ireland Immigrants avoided the South Slavery limited economic potential

Workers Seek Better Conditions The Famine Irish potato famine drove nearly 1 million immigrants to the US and killed another 1 million Irish immigrants faced harsh discrimination Catholic and poor Protestants feared a Catholic take over of the US