Lowell, Massachusetts, the construction of a big cotton mill began in

1821. It was the first of several that would be built there in the

next 10 years. The machinery to spin and weave cotton into cloth

would be driven by water power. All that the factory owners needed was

a dependable supply of labor to tend the machines. As most jobs in

cotton factories required neither great strength nor special skills,

the owners thought women could do the work as well as or better than

men. In addition, they were more compliant. The New England region

was home to many young, single farm girls who might be recruited. But

would stern New England farmers allow their daughters to work in

factories? The great majority of them would not. They believed that

sooner or later factory workers would be exploited and would sink into

hopeless poverty. Economic "laws" would force them to work harder and

harder for less and less pay. How, then, were the factory owners able

to recruit farm girls as laborers? They did it by building decent

houses in which the girls could live. These houses were supervised by

nine hours, or the work week to 54 hours. One of the greatest

The Railway Strike led many workers to join a growing national labor

(1861-1865), the United States was transformed by the enormous growth

forbade children under 16 years old to work between 7p.m. and 6a.m.

Meanwhile trade unions were joining together in cities to form

defeats. But eventually they would achieve a standard of living

of engines and fast communications. Though living standards generally

secretly formed a Trainmen's Union to oppose the railroads. Then, in

on the list. The garment workers came to two conclusions: Secrecy was

Some common words found in the essay are:
Lowell Massachusetts, Knights Labor, Industrial Revolution, Labor America, Progressives AFL, Knights AFL, Debs IWW, Lemuel Shaw, Railway Strike, Pennsylvania Railroad, knights labor, labor unions, factory owners, farm girls, laws protect, factory system, passed laws, craft unions, freight yard, factory workers, american federation labor, railway strike 1877,
Approximate Word count = 3207
Approximate Pages = 13 (250 words per page double spaced)