United States 1911

Synopsis

On 25 March 1911 the worst industrial fire in the history of American capitalism killed 146 employees of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory in New York City. Still listed in annual almanacs because of its ferocity, the fire breathed new life into labor organizations and crusades for greater industrial regulatory power, especially by the state. Factory owners did not face scrutiny alone as the city's politicians, business community, and bureaucrats also faced public condemnation for the lack of safety precautions to prevent such a disaster. Cries of "who will protect the working girl" had resounded for years under the protectionist ideal of the Progressive Era as young immigrant women flooded the city's industrial factories. The very use of the term "girl" conjured images of childish, immature people who needed the protection of a "stronger" entity. Functioning simultaneously in a capitalist and patriarchal state, labor laws...