The equal rights amendment, labor rights and suffrage are all related because they each led and created the space for the next to occur. Each fight was worth fighting and allowed for a change to come. Labor rights are also issues of gender issues, as shown in the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire that took place on March 25, 1911 in Manhattan, New York City. This tragedy took the lives of 146 young women and girls. The incident is a clear example of how these young women were not protected in the workplace and the importance of labor rights. Following the catastrophe, on April 5, 1911 a funeral was held for the victims of the fire, which contained over 350,000 people in attendance. Crazy to think think that the owners of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory both Max Blanck and Isaac Harris were equally charged with manslaughter but ultimately found not guilty. In today’s society I do see these historical issues enacted, New York passed the Sullivan-Hoey Fire Prevention law in October 1911, in accordance with the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory. Which requires factory owners to install sprinkler systems. As well as mandatory breaks when working more than 5 or 6 hours.
4 thoughts on “Lamis Chapman discussion 8”
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It would be great if you could be more specific about HOW these events led to and opened space for one another. What spaces did they open?
Hi Lamis, I just found out about this incident and it’s pretty sad that these women weren’t treated well in the workplace. Including little girls that have been working for their parents, they had their lives taken away. It’s terrible to think about that…
Hello Lamis, I agree that it’s crazy that the owners of the company weren’t found guilty. This is an example of injustice in the criminal system. Also, is an example of how the patriarchal system favored wealthy men and there wasn’t justice for the victims of the incident or their families.
Hi Lamis, A tragedy does make room for something to be fixed, it’s always an unfortunate way to learn, but you are right that one thing leads to another. There are many labor laws now, different ones in different States. When you’re working as an employee yourself you really start to feel why years of this came to develop standards that keep workers safe, healthy, happy, and paid for what they do.