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

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 older women who made sure that the girls lived by

refused to let freight trains move. (The strikers let passenger trains move freely because they

of Philadelphia clothing workers. Their union had been unable to organize effectively. The reason,

passed a law calling for a 10-hour working day in all factories. It also forbade the

of federal prosecutions and a national sentiment against radicalism which began in 1917.

an immediate success. For 10 years, the AFL and the Knights battled each other. They invaded

most American workers were generally better off than workers in Europe and had more hope

skilled trades organized national unions to try to improve their wages and working conditions.

the abolition of capitalism and the establishment of a new socialist economic system. Most American

groups which advocated a drastic change in American society. There was widespread fear--almost

a week. But in those times, a half-dozen eggs cost five cents and a whole chicken cost

During World War II, labor cooperated with government and industry. Its spirit was expressed by John L.

won by other trade unions. These successes led to big increases in union membership. Yet

Some common words found in the essay are:
Knights Labor, LOWELL EXPERIMENT, AFL-CIO LABOR, Anti-trust Act, Progressives AFL, Knights AFL, Debs IWW, GROWTH FACTORY, LAWS Employers, Lowell Massachusetts, knights labor, labor unions, congress passed, craft unions, organized labor, union membership, wage earners, laws protect, factory owners, passed laws, american federation labor, congress passed laws, sherman anti-trust act, increase union membership, railway strike 1877,
Approximate Word count = 4767
Approximate Pages = 19 (250 words per page double spaced)