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.
Why did the Lowell workers go on strike?
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 did the Lowell mill girls call a strike in 1836?
turn-out
Strikes of 1834 and 1836
After a series of meetings, the female textile workers organized a “turn-out” or strike.
What was the immediate cause of the Lowell strike of 1834?
Because of fierce competition for existing jobs, labor lost bargaining power.
When was the Lowell mill strike?
New Territory: The Strike of 1834
In February of 1834, the agents of Lowell’s mills were beset by hard times.
What did the Lowell System do?
The Lowell System was a labor production model invented by Francis Cabot Lowell in Massachusetts in the 19th century. The system was designed so that every step of the manufacturing process was done under one roof and the work was performed by young adult women instead of children or young men.
What was life like for a Lowell girl?
Difficult Factory Conditions
These women worked in very sub-par conditions, upwards of 70 hours a week in grueling environments. The air was very hot in these rooms that were full of machines that generated heat, the air quality was poor, and the windows were often closed.
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.
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.
Is the Lowell System still used today?
In the decades following Lowell’s death, industrial towns with mills that used the Lowell system were established throughout New England. Although the factory system became a permanent part of production in the United States, Lowell’s version of it eventually lost favor.
How did the Lowell System affect America?
The Lowell System was not only more efficient but was also designed to minimize the dehumanizing effects of industrial labor by paying in cash hiring young adults instead of children offering employment for only a few years and by providing educational opportunities to help workers move on to better jobs such as …