Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire tragedy
1. Watch this video that explains the events and issues surrounding the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire tragedy that occurred in New York in 1911. Please watch Segments 29-32 from the provided link. Then answer the questions below.
Immigrant Labor and the Triangle Factory Fire. 11:08 min
1) In a few sentences, summarize the ways in which lack of labor safety precautions led to this tragedy.
2) What is the relationship between this tragedy and immigration?
3) How did this tragedy influence changes to labor law and protections for laborers in the workplace?
2. Examine this map that shows the portion of Eastern Europe known as The Pale of Jewish Settlement and do the following. Click here to access the map.
Consult a modern map of Europe and list the names of the countries that would currently be located within the historic Pale of Jewish Settlement shown on this map.
Use this map to help you get started – Focus on the large area outlined toward the center of the map between the body of water in the South and the body of water in the North. Pay close attention to the red, dark green, darker blue, and pink areas just to the east of the center of the map.
Sample Solution
The March 25, 1911 Triangle Shirtwaist Fire was one of the deadliest workplace catastrophes in the U.S. history, claiming the lives of 146 workers, most of them women immigrants in their teens and twenties. The fire was so horrific it shocked the conscience of New Yorkers and others across the nation and, ultimately, led to changes in safety regulations and more diligent efforts to enforce them. Working conditions were so bad that the women didn’t even have access to a bathroom in the building, and doors were locked so that they couldn’t go outside and slow down production. And though the place was filled with highly flammable materials, there was little attention paid to fire prevention.
