In 1834 and 1836, the mill owners reduced wages, increased the pace of work, and raised the rent for the boardinghouses. The young female workers went on strike (they called it “turning out” then) to protest the decrease in wages and increase in rent.
What was the cause of workers strike at Lowell in 1834 and 1836?
In 1834, when their bosses decided to cut their wages, the mill girls had enough: They organized and fought back. The mill girls “turned out”—in other words, went on strike—to protest.
What were the results of the Lowell strike?
It is hardly necessary to say that so far as results were concerned this strike did no good. The dissatisfaction of the operatives subsided, or burned itself out, and though the authorities did not accede to their demands, the majority returned to their work, and the corporation went on cutting down the wages.
Why did the workers of Lowell mills go on strike?
The initial effort of the investors and managers to recruit female textile workers brought generous wages for the time (three to five dollars per week), but with the economic depression of the early 1830s, the Board of Directors proposed a reduction in wages. This, in turn, led to organized “turn-outs” or strikes.
What was the purpose of the Lowell offering?
The Lowell Offering, both as a general proposition and in its specific contents, used the idea of literary work to ease the cultural tensions associated with the movement of rural women from the family to the factory.
What was it like to be a girl working at the Lowell mills in the 1830s?
In the mills, female workers faced long hours of toil and often grueling working conditions. Yet many female textile workers saved money and gained a measure of economic independence.
What was life like for mill workers in the Lowell System?
What was life like for mill workers in the Lowell System? Workers, mostly young women, worked hard for 12 to 14 hours per day,lived in boardinghouses, and were encouraged to use their free time to take classes and form clubs.
When the Lowell Mill Girls went on strike in 1836 which tactic did the mill owners used to break the strike?
When the Lowell Mill Girls went on strike in 1836, which tactic did the mill owners use to break the strike? They refused to negotiate with the employees.
What did Lowell mills produce?
cotton cloth
In 1832, 88 of the 106 largest American corporations were textile firms. By 1836, the Lowell mills employed six thousand workers. By 1848, the city of Lowell had a population of about twenty thousand and was the largest industrial center in America. Its mills produced fifty thousand miles of cotton cloth each year.
Why was the Lowell system bad?
The End of the Lowell System: Overproduction during the 1830s caused the price of finished cloth to drop. In response, the mills cut wages and increased work duties, forcing the workers to work harder at a faster pace.
Why did the female workers in the Lowell textile mills choose to strike in response to a proposed wage cuts?
Overview Why did the female workers in the Lowell textile mills choose to strike in response to a proposed wage cuts? The women who worked in the Lowell textile mills earned wages lower than those paid to men. When mill owners sought to cut wages in 1834, the mill workers went on strike.
How did mills change the lives of the girls who worked there?
For many of the mill girls, employment brought a sense of freedom. Unlike most young women of that era, they were free from parental authority, were able to earn their own money, and had broader educational opportunities.
What was unique about the Lowell mills?
Why was the Lowell System Important? Lowell was not the only entrepreneur to bring the production of textiles to the United States. But he was the first to do so with a vertically integrated system, thus introducing the modern factory to the United States.
What caused Lowell to start to decline?
When the war ended in 1945, orders for munitions and textiles fell off, and the city lapsed into its old economic doldrums. It was clear that the textile industry would not lead Lowell back to prosperity.
When did the Lowell system end?
The arrival of the Irish in Lowell, beginning in 1846, also contributed substantially to the demise of the Lowell System of Labor. With unskilled labor available and willing to work for low wages, the system was no longer needed. By the 1850s the Lowell System was a failed experiment.
What did mill girls do in their free time?
Free time could be taken up by numerous hobbies, such as writing letters to family and friends, going on walks, shopping, or pursuing creative projects. The girls would often go on outings as groups, especially to church on Sundays.
How much were the Lowell mill girls paid?
High standards of behavior were expected. In exchange, work in the mills provided good wages–from $1.85 to $3.00 per week–the highest in the country for women (although men working in the same mills were generally paid at least two times the salaries of women).