Essay On Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire

Words: 947
Pages: 4

The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire in New York City is seen as one of the worst manufacturing accidents in United States’ history. On March 25, 1911, the unsafe practices of the owners led to the unnecessary deaths of 146 people. In her interview, Rose Cohen, one survivor of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire, depicted the experience as gruesome. She recounted that she cried for hours and days at a time while dreaming of falling from a window, screaming. Most likely, Cohen dreamt of falling from a window because, during the fire, stranded workers would jump and fall to their deaths trying to escape. This is only one instance of the long-lasting effects the misery of this tragedy had on just one individual. A more important takeaway from this calamity is the lasting effects the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire has had on the United States. The public outrage following the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire led to modern safety regulations and heightened attention …show more content…
The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire happened in 1911, which was during the Progressive Era reformist movement. Middle classes were uncomfortable due to the lack of a social safety net for the lower classes and about low wages, long hours, unsanitary conditions in work places, and crowded conditions in immigrant urban districts. Progressivism was popular amongst immigrants and the poor within urbanized cities. Also, the disaster happened in New York City, a place known for its massive amounts of immigrant workers from eastern and southern Europe. Thus, the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire was a heartbreaking event that served as a catalyst to spur action against the negative effects of industrialism on worker safety. Consequently, New York City Board of Alderman passed an act creating the Bureau of Fire Prevention only a few months after the