Lowell mills
Encyclopedia
Francis Cabot Lowell invented the first factory system "where people and machines were all under one roof." Also, a series of mills and factories were built along the Merrimack River
by the Boston Manufacturing Company
, an organization founded in years prior by the man for whom the resulting city was named, Francis Cabot Lowell. Construction began in 1821, and the mills were at their peak roughly twenty years later. For the first time in the United States these mills combined the textile processes of spinning and weaving under one roof, essentially eliminating the "putting-out" system in favor of mass production of high-quality cloth. The workforce at these factories was three-quarters women.
This workforce of thousands came from struggling farms willing to put their daughters to work to bring in extra income. The typical "Lowell girl"
was young, white, unmarried, between 15 and 30 years of age, and sometimes as young as seven years of age. They were neither homeless nor of aristocracy; and from a farm that would benefit from extra income. Most Lowell girls sent the majority of their income home for the benefit of their menfolk. Many believe that the women working at this mill were deprived of many rights. The long work days for little pay showed wage differentials between men and women. The Lowell women worked at the mills only until they were married.
The Lowell System, as it was called, was impacted by economic instability and by immigration. A minor depression in 1834 led to a sharp reduction in wages, which in turn produced organization by the female workers and two of the earliest examples of a successful strike. A feature of such organization was the magazines and newsletters put out by the girls, the most famous of which was the Lowell Offering
. Then later, when the Panic of 1837
necessitated a true drop in wages, many Lowell girls were replaced by the cheaper Irish “biddies,” or “Bridgets.” By 1850 the majority of workers at Lowell factories were poor immigrants. One result of this large scale laying-off was that now there were many adult, single women in society, who were used to earning their own money. It was only sensible that they seek other positions (teaching, etc) in which to make money; and by doing so they further contributed to the birth of the working woman.
Merrimack River
The Merrimack River is a river in the northeastern United States. It rises at the confluence of the Pemigewasset and Winnipesaukee rivers in Franklin, New Hampshire, flows southward into Massachusetts, and then flows northeast until it empties into the Atlantic Ocean at Newburyport...
by the Boston Manufacturing Company
Boston Manufacturing Company
The Boston Manufacturing Company was organized in 1813 by Francis Cabot Lowell, a wealthy Boston merchant, in partnership a group of investors known as The Boston Associates, for the manufacture of cotton textiles. Boston Manufacturing Company gathered many of their trade secrets from the earlier...
, an organization founded in years prior by the man for whom the resulting city was named, Francis Cabot Lowell. Construction began in 1821, and the mills were at their peak roughly twenty years later. For the first time in the United States these mills combined the textile processes of spinning and weaving under one roof, essentially eliminating the "putting-out" system in favor of mass production of high-quality cloth. The workforce at these factories was three-quarters women.
This workforce of thousands came from struggling farms willing to put their daughters to work to bring in extra income. The typical "Lowell girl"
Lowell Mill Girls
"Lowell Mill Girls" was the name used for female textile workers in Lowell, Massachusetts, in the 19th century. The Lowell textile mills employed a workforce which was about three quarters female; this characteristic caused two social effects: a close examination of the women's moral behavior, and...
was young, white, unmarried, between 15 and 30 years of age, and sometimes as young as seven years of age. They were neither homeless nor of aristocracy; and from a farm that would benefit from extra income. Most Lowell girls sent the majority of their income home for the benefit of their menfolk. Many believe that the women working at this mill were deprived of many rights. The long work days for little pay showed wage differentials between men and women. The Lowell women worked at the mills only until they were married.
The Lowell System, as it was called, was impacted by economic instability and by immigration. A minor depression in 1834 led to a sharp reduction in wages, which in turn produced organization by the female workers and two of the earliest examples of a successful strike. A feature of such organization was the magazines and newsletters put out by the girls, the most famous of which was the Lowell Offering
Lowell Offering
The Lowell Offering was a monthly periodical collected contributed works of poetry and fiction by the female textile workers of the Lowell, Massachusetts textile mills of the early American industrial revolution. It began in 1840 and lasted until 1845...
. Then later, when the Panic of 1837
Panic of 1837
The Panic of 1837 was a financial crisis or market correction in the United States built on a speculative fever. The end of the Second Bank of the United States had produced a period of runaway inflation, but on May 10, 1837 in New York City, every bank began to accept payment only in specie ,...
necessitated a true drop in wages, many Lowell girls were replaced by the cheaper Irish “biddies,” or “Bridgets.” By 1850 the majority of workers at Lowell factories were poor immigrants. One result of this large scale laying-off was that now there were many adult, single women in society, who were used to earning their own money. It was only sensible that they seek other positions (teaching, etc) in which to make money; and by doing so they further contributed to the birth of the working woman.