The Effects of the Lowell System on Society

A detailed Summary of The Effects of the Lowell System on Society

The factory workers in Lowell raised much controversy in the eighteenth century when "modernization" was taking place in New England. Two concepts were widely held in regards to women at that time. First was the concept of "republican motherhood" which instructed women to stay home and raise children who would be virtuous assets to the republican government. Second, the concept of the "cult of true womanhood" called for women to be pious, pure, submissive, and domestic. The movement of girls to work in the Lowell factories challenged both these ideals as the girls were no longer living at home, which was considered their proper place to be as the world would strip them of their innate morality and piety; it also challenged the "domestic ideal" (p.141) for women as the factory girls were not dressing themselves as ladies. Thus, the fact that girls were moving away from home conflicted with the ideal that women should be moral and guiding homemakers, and the fact that they were not dressing like "ladies" conflicted with the ideal image of a woman.

The simple fact that women were leaving their homes to go and live in boarding houses conflicted with the ideals in the 18th century as women were seen as the chief means for crea

For example, source 1 contains the following quotation: "she has worked in a factory" is almost enough to damn to infamy the most worthy and virtuous girl....", which reveals the widely accepted belief that factory life would exterminate the innate virtue possessed by all "true women." Many of the boarding house's rules also reveal the attempts made at preserving morality and piety. Some of the rules are as follows: "no disorderly or improper conduct must be allowed in the houses. The doors must be closed at 10 o'clock in the evening; and no person admitted after that time unless a sufficient excuse can be given (p.146). "All persons are required to be constant in attendance on public worship..."(p.149) Source 2 also states that no person "addicted to intemperence" would be allowed to work for the company, and that the suspicion of and kind of "criminal conduct" or any association with persons who were immoral in such ways would lead to discharge of the suspected person. (p.147) Source 2 also states that "a girl suspected of immoralities.... At once loses caste." (p.149) Thus, society reveals that women relocating at factories has stirred up the fear that women will lose their morality and become unbeneficial to in general. " To o

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Approximate Word count = 840
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: Miscellaneous

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The Effects of the Lowell System on Society

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