Primary Sources

"Demonstration of Protest and Mourning for Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire of March 25, 1911,
04/05/1911." Research.archives.gov. The U.S. National Archives and Records Administration,
n.d. Web. 7 Nov. 2013. <http://research.archives.gov/description/5730933>.
This photograph was taken of people protesting after the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire.
The photographer is unknown, but it is evident that they wanted to capture the rage throughout
the revolutionists. This photograph portrays that there were revolts following the fire because
of the many casualties due to the government not paying attention to the rights of workers. The
main audience of this source would be to the general public because the fire affected all types
of people. An assumption this photograph makes would be that the fire was so tragic for New
York City that people never wanted this to happen again. This photograph supports my thesis
because its proof of how the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire led to protests which resulted in
new working conditions laws.

"From The Call, with Samuel Gompers." Ilr.cornell.edu. Cornell University, n.d. Web. 17 Oct. 2013.
<http://www.ilr.cornell.edu/trianglefire/primary/testimonials/ootss_SamuelGompers.html>.
The speaker at this meeting was Samuel Gompers, the cofounder and first president of the
American Federation of Labor (AFL). Since his family was poor, he attended a free Jewish school
in London, England and later continued in his fathers cigar-making trade. By 1886, Gompers and
other union leaders created the AFL to protest against the unfair conditions of employees. The
purpose for this speech was to alert the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory employers of a possible
strike that will soon take place to prevent something tragic like this from happening again.
Gompers audience would be to the general public who were livid about the situation. This was
reflected in his language because he mentions how both men and women will revolt for the
sake of the lives of the other employees. Gompers also expressed some bias because he implied
that the employers carelessness led to all this commotion. This sermon supports my thesis
because it led to one of the revolts that resulted in new laws.

"Lecture by Frances Perkins." Ilr.cornell.edu. Cornell University. Web. 15 Oct. 2013.
<http://www.ilr.cornell.edu/trianglefire/primary/lectures/FrancesPerkinsLecture.ht ml>.
The author of this speech was Frances Perkins, who was a civil servant and government official.
She graduated from Mount Holyoke College and earned a masters degree in sociology
from Columbia University. Later, in 1958, she was invited to be a guest professor at Cornell
University's School of Industrial and Labor Relations (ILR). She later became the first woman
appointed to the U.S. Cabinet. The purpose for giving this speech was to share her experience of
the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire in 1911. Her audience was mainly students and young
people and this wasnt really reflected in the speech because she only talked about what she
saw when she was witnessing the fire and how change must be present. The speech was also
biased because she mentioned how the government should do everything in their power to pass
new laws to prevent this from happening again. This oration supports my thesis because it tells
of the results from poor working conditions.

"Photograph of the Building Interior after the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire,
03/25/1911."Research.archives.gov. The U.S. National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.
Web. 7 Nov. 2013. <http://research.archives.gov/description/6040089>.
This photograph was taken inside the Asch Building after the fire occurred. The photographer of
this picture is unknown, we can infer that he or she desired to capture the effect of the disaster.
From this photograph, it is evident that the fire was the cause of all the debris. The severity of
this scene shows the devastation of the fire. It also shows how difficult it might have been to
escape the fire, resulting in the deaths of the 146 people. The audience of this source would be
to the general public. This photograph is biased because it shows how cruel the fire was and
how change should be made to prevent this from happening again. This photograph supports
my thesis because it shows how the fire had a great impact on the building.

"PHOTOS & ILLUSTRATIONS: Triangle Fire." Ilr.cornell.edu. Cornell University, n.d. Web. 17 Oct. 2013.
<http://www.ilr.cornell.edu/trianglefire/primary/photosIllustrations/index.html>.
The purpose of these primary sources was to shock the viewer when they saw so many
casualties and effects from the working conditions. The audience for this photograph would be
to the general public to get everyone informed about the events leading up to the tragedy.
These photographs support my thesis because it represents the occurrences of the early 20
th

century conditions New York workers had to go through.

Shepherd, William. "Eyewitness at the Triangle." Ilr.cornell.edu. Cornell University, n.d. Web. 15 Oct.
2013.
<http://www.ilr.cornell.edu/trianglefire/primary/testimonials/ootss_WilliamShepherd.html>.
The speaker at this testimonial was William Shepherd, a United Press reporter who was in
Washington Square on March 25, 1911. Since he was an actual first hand account, he is qualified
to write on the subject. The purpose for speaking was to also let the New York citizens know
what he saw while looking at how the fire enfolded. He was able to explain in vivid detail about
what he saw on that awful day. The type of audience Shepherd was speaking to would be to the
general public since he wanted to let a lot of people know about the incident that concerned the
New York inhabitants. There werent any assumptions made in this testimonial because he was
just informing the people about what he saw. This testimonial supports my thesis because it
described the brutality of the spectacle, which encouraged people to protest for better rights.





















Secondary Sources

Benin, Leigh David., Rob Linne, Adrienne Sosin, and Joel Sosinsky. The New York City Triangle Factory
Fire. Charleston, SC: Arcadia, 2011. Print.
This source offered a wide variety of pictures pertaining to the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire,
each one with an explanation. Each of the pictures belonged to certain chapters labeled
Immigrant Labor, Fire, Mourning and Protest, Progress and Remembrance, Triangle:
Remembering the Fire, A Documentary Film by HBO, and Echoes. In each chapter there was a
brief summary on the topic with pictures to follow. The book also listed the name, age, and
country of origin of each of the victims in the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire.

Burke, Jason. "Bangladesh Factory Fires: Fashion Industry's Latest Crisis."Theguardian.com. Guardian
News and Media, 08 Dec. 2013. Web. 11 Jan. 2014.
<http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/dec/08/bangladesh-factory-fires-fashion-latest-
crisis>.
This source benefits my project because of the contemporary relevance it shows for the Triangle
Shirtwaist Factory fire. In the last twelve months, Bangladesh garment and textile factory fires
resulted in 800 casualties so far. Being a politically unstable country, the numbers of casualties
are expected to rise. In fact, more than 1,130 people died in Bangladesh because building
housing factories making garments for companies including Primark and Matalan collapsed in
April. This was the worst industrial accident anywhere in the world for a generation. But, the
International Labor Organization and the Bangladesh government are currently working on
reforms for these factory workers.

"Child Labor in Factories." Needham.k12.ma.us. N.p., 2002. Web.11 Oct.2013.
<http://www2.needham.k12.ma.us/nhs/cur/Baker_00/2002_p7/ak_p7/childlabor.html>.
This source was very helpful in providing brief details about the different aspects of child labor
in factories after the Industrial Revolution. Some of these details included the wages and hours,
the treatment given to the workers, and the different movements that took place because of
the child labor. This website also included a bibliography, with primary sources, in case the
viewer would like to expand on the research.

"Child Labor in U.S. History." Continuetolearn.uiowa.edu. The University of Iowa Labor Center, 2002-
2004. Web. 30 Sept. 2013
<http://www.continuetolearn.uiowa.edu/laborctr/child_labor/about/us_history.html >.
This source was very useful because it went into detail about the different reforms that took
place pertaining to the harsh child labor by explaining what each reform did. The website also
explained how child labor progressed through the years and provided a brief background of the
situation. Pictures with captions that said what was being taken and where they were being
taken were also provided.

Doyne, Shannon, Holly E. Ojalvo, and Katherine Schulten. "100 Years Later: Examining the Impact of the
Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire." Learning.blogs.nytimes.com/. The New York Times Company,
25 Mar. 2011. Web. 15 Oct. 2013.
<http://learning.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/03/25/100-years-later-examining-the-impact-of-the-
triangle-shirtwaist-factory-fire/>.
This article was a recap of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire incident 100 years later. It
explained the historical significance of the event by explaining what happened to factories in
New York after this fire. The website also provided plenty of links that complimented what was
being expressed in the article. One of the links even led to primary sources from people who
lived through the event. This article was put into categories such as The Groundwork for
Change, The Garment Industry Today, and Sweatshops, Workers Rights, Consumer Choices.

Dreier, Peter, and Donald Cohen. "The First Last Time: Worker Safety Laws after the Triangle Shirtwaist
Fire." Jstor.org. JSTOR, 2011. Web. 29 Oct. 2013.
<http://www.jstor.org/discover/10.2307/41555308?searchUri=%2Faction%2FdoBasicSearch%3F
Query%3Dchild%2Blabor%2Btriangle%2Bshirtwaist%2Bfactory%26Search%3DSearch%26gw%3D
jtx%26prq%3Dchild%2Blabor%26hp%3D25%26acc%3Don%26aori%3Da%26wc%3Don%26fc%3D
off&Search=yes&searchText=labor&uid=3739256&uid=2&uid=4&sid=21102877536611>.
This source first provided a brief paragraph on the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory event, mentioning
that the 146 people that were killed were mostly Jewish and Italian immigrant girls. After this
introduction, it started to get into how, even after all these years, were still facing the same
dilemma that led to the tragedy in 1911. For example, the source mentioned the disaster that
happened in 2010 that killed 29 miners at Upper Big Branch in West Virginia. After this event,
the government refused to get more involved with the situation after many requests.

Duell, Mark. "'Forced to Stand for 24 Hours, Suicide Nets, Toxin Exposure and Explosions': Inside the
Chinese Factories Making IPads for Apple." Dailymail.co.uk. Associated Newspapers, 27 Jan.
2012. Web. 13 Jan. 2014. <http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2092277/Apple-Poor-
working-conditions-inside-Chinese-factories-making-iPads.html>.
This article supports my project because it shows the contemporary relevance that the Triangle
Shirtwaist Factory fire still has. In some Chinese factories, people who are making IPads for the
Apple Company have to suffer through horrible working conditions. There is excessive overtime
with no days off and great exposure to dangerous chemicals. Additionally, there were already 2
explosions in 2011 that killed four workers, almost 140 workers were injured after using toxin in
the factory, and 18 workers have tried committing suicide in the last two years. Apple executives
report that there have improved factories recently, but numerous problems still exist in these
factories.

Kosak, Hadassa. "Triangle Shirtwaist Fire." Jwa.org. Jewish Women's Archive, n.d. Web. 31 Jan. 2014.
<http://jwa.org/encyclopedia/article/triangle-shirtwaist-fire>.
This source is beneficial because it helps contribute to my antithesis. After talking about the
events of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire, it mentions the deeds of the New York State
Legislature. It says how the New York State Legislature set up a Factory Investigating
Commission chaired by Robert F. Wagner, Sr. and Alfred E. Smith. In its fourth year, the
commission investigated working conditions in shops, factories, and tenement houses. They also
limited the number of occupants on each factory floor relative to the dimensions of staircases,
prescribed automatic sprinkler systems, and drafted employment laws to protect women and
children at work.

Linder, Doug. "The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire Trial." Law2.umkc.edu. N.p., 2002. Web. 05 Jan. 2014.
<http://law2.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/triangle/triangleaccount.html>.
This source was very detailed in talking about what happened while the fire was happening and
what occurred afterwards. It mentioned how people started blaming New York Citys Building
Department for inadequate inspections but most of the public outrage was towards the Triangle
factory owners Isaac Harris and Max Blanck. They were soon trialed on December 4, 1911 where
they were found innocent. They were found innocent because the defendants werent exactly
sure if the doors were actually locked during the fire, so they couldnt be found guilty. The
factory owners were still charged for manslaughter.

Linder, Douglas. "The Triangle Shirtwaist Fire Trial: Building and Safety Laws."Law2.umkc.edu. N.p.,
2002. Web. 17 Oct. 2013.
<http://law2.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/triangle/trianglefire.html >.
This source had a very thorough explanation of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire and the
impact it had on New York afterwards. The website had sections with the chronology of the
event, the maps of the buildings, the NY building code and safety laws that were passed, the
victims of the fire with their age and reason for death, several images, and a bibliography for
further research. In each section, there was an explanation that was easy to understand.

Mackenzie, James. "Deadly Factory Fire Highlights 'near-slavery' Conditions in
Italy."Worldnews.nbcnews.com. NBC News, 2 Dec. 2013. Web. 14 Jan. 2014.
<http://worldnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/12/02/21714872-deadly-factory-fire-highlights-
near-slavery-conditions-in-italy?lite>.
This source is beneficial to my project because it shows the contemporary relevance that the
Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire still has in the world. In Prato, Italy, where there is a very high
Chinese immigrant concentration, there was a factory fire that resulted in 10 casualties with 7
dead and 3 injured. Researchers are still examining what exactly caused the fire in this Chinese-
owned clothing factory, but they are questioning the working conditions of this factory, which
could have contributed to the fire that occurred. This situation is very similar to the Triangle
Shirtwaist Factory fire because of its cause, proving that improving working conditions in
factories are vital to preventing tragedies.

Museum of City of New York Child Labor exhibit
This exhibit from the Museum of City of New York gave a thorough overview of the child labor
that took place around the early 20
th
century. It gave visuals and explanations of those visuals to
further elaborate on the situation. One of the events that this exhibit focused on was the fire in
the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory and the impact it had on the people. The exhibit was a big part of
the research because it informed the readers on some of the history of children rights and the
lack of them at a certain point.

"OSHA Enforcement Landing Page." Osha.gov. United States Department of Labor, n.d. Web.08
Oct.2013.
<https://www.osha.gov/dep/index.html>.
This source provided the enforcement activities of the Occupational Safety and Health
Administration (OSHA). This programs mission is to ensure safe and healthful working
conditions. Under the OSH Act, employers are responsible for providing a safe and
healthful workplace by granting training, outreach, and education concerning the matter. The
source also provides OSHAs Jurisdiction, OSHAs Inspections, and their Inspection Priorities.





Read, Richard. "Nike's Focus on Keeping Costs Low Causes Poor Working Conditions, Critics Say."
Oregonlive.com. The Oregonian, 5 Aug. 2008. Web. 14 Jan. 2014.
<http://www.oregonlive.com/business/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/news/121790850350380.xml
>.
This source is beneficial to this project because it shows the contemporary relevance of the
Triangle Shirtwaist Factory right here in the United States. In Oregon, the Nike Company is being
accused of decreasing the quality of the working conditions in their factories to lower the cost of
their products. This relates to the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire because it shows how some
employers are willing to endanger the lives of their employees just for money. Although the
managers of Nike disapproves this, Trung Doan, the general secretary of the Committee to
Protect Vietnamese Workers, believes that there are still employers who are willing to break
laws for their own benefits.

Research.archives.gov. The U.S. National Archives and Records Administration, 7 Nov. 2013. Web.
<http://research.archives.gov/search?expression=triangle+shirtwaist+factory+fire&pg_src=brief
&data-source=archival-descriptions-with-digital-objects>.
This source provided numerous primary sources of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire. These
primary sources were photos that were taken at the actual site of the fire. One of the captions
to the photos I used was Photograph of the Building Interior after the Triangle Shirtwaist
Factory Fire. This photo demonstrated the result of the building after the fire occurred. The
other picture used was named Demonstration of Protest and Mourning for the Triangle
Shirtwaist Factory Fire and this showed how people were angry about the situation and wanted
a change in working policies.

Rosenberg, Jennifer. "Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire." About.com. N.p., n.d. 2013. Web. 29 Sept. 2013.
<http://history1900s.about.com/od/1910s/p/trianglefire.htm>.
This source provides the reader with an overview of the devastation of the Triangle Shirtwaist
Factory fire. On March 25, 1911, a fire broke out at the factory with all the workers locked inside
since they werent allowed to leave the building until they finished working. There were many
attempts to try to stop the fire and save people but about 146 people were killed in the fire. This
destruction played an important part in having New York City pass more rights for all the youth.

"State Response." Laborarts.org. Labor Arts, n.d. Web. 01 Feb. 2014.
<http://www.laborarts.org/exhibits/thetrianglefire/8-state-response.cfm>.
This source is helpful because it supports my antithesis. It contains a brief explanation of how
the New York State Legislature contributed to the enactment of working condition laws. It
mentions how three months after the fire Governor John A. Dix signed a law creating the
Factory Investigating Commission. The New York State Legislature also enacted 36 statutes that
regulated workplace fire safety, ventilation, and minimum standards for working women and
children. This source also included a gallery where one can see pictures that related to the
Triangle Shirtwaist Factory.

Triangle: Remembering the Fire. Dir. Daphne Pinkerson. HBO, 2011. Film.
This documentary is very beneficial to this project because of how well detailed it was. It
provided numerous visuals of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory. There were also many interviews
with people who are living now that are associated with the fire in some way. From watching
this film, it was very easy to understand the fire and its lasting effects. At first, the film explained
the events leading up to the fire, like the poor working conditions and the Uprising of 20,000.
Then, the events during the fire were being vividly explained. Lastly, the film showed how the
protests after the fire helped pass new laws that improved working conditions.


"Triangle Fire and the ILGWU." Ilr.cornell.edu. Kheel Center, 2011. Web. 14 Jan. 2014.
<http://www.ilr.cornell.edu/trianglefire/legacy/TFAndILGWU.html>
This source explained thoroughly how much labor unions contributed to the new working
condition laws. It was very informative about the aftermath of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory
fire. It mentioned the changes in codes and labor laws from the fire. The source also mentioned
how the International Ladies Garment Workers Union (ILGWU) played a part in gaining more
rights for workers after the fire. There were also sections where you can read more about the
Legislative Reform at State and Local Level and a Commemoration section where it gave
upcoming events for the Remember the Triangle Fire Coalition.

"Triangle Shirtwaist Company Fire." Thefreedictionary.com. Farlex, n.d. Web. 15 Jan. 2014.
<http://legal-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/Triangle+Shirtwaist+Company+Fire>
This source is very helpful to the project because it goes into detail about the works of the labor
unions before and after the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire. It mentions how the Uprising of
20,000 came about in November 1909, which was a strike that occurred containing about
20,000 people who desired better working conditions in factories. As a result from this protest,
there was a slight wage increase, but no other changes. Almost 2 years later, the Triangle
Shirtwaist Factory fire broke out. Although they were unsuccessful at first, this source explains
how after the fire, laws to improve working conditions started being passed.

"Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire." History.com. A&E Television Networks, 1996-2013. Web. 05 Jan. 2014.
<http://www.history.com/topics/triangle-shirtwaist-fire>.
This source is a brief explanation of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire and what happened
afterwards. It mentioned how people protested after the fire and how the Sullivan-Hoey Fire
Prevention Law was passed that October. It also went into detail about the actual fire that
occurred. The source also included how the Triangle fire is still relevant today because 79 years
later, the Happy Land Social Club in the Bronx was sent ablaze, killing 87 people. This is so far
the most deadly fire in New York City since 1911.

"Triangle Shirtwaist Fire." Aflcio.org. AFL-CIO America's Unions, n.d. Web. 06 Dec. 2013.
<http://www.aflcio.org/About/Our-History/Key-Events-in-Labor-History/Triangle-Shirtwaist-
Fire>.
This source is very well detailed in explaining the effects of the fire. It mentioned sections like
The Life of a Shirtwaist Maker, Clara Lemlich (which was one of the founders of Local 25), The
Uprising of 20,000, and The Legacy of the Shirtwaist Makers. In these sections, protests that
started the morning right after the fire, which was called the Uprising of 20,000, was thoroughly
explained and reforms that were passed due to the devastation were mentioned. The source
was also made from the actual AFL-CIO Americas Unions website, so it becomes much more
reliable.

Yaz, Gregg. "Leap for Life, Leap of Death." Csun.edu. California State University, n.d. Web. 29 Jan. 2014.
<http://www.csun.edu/~ghy7463/mw2.html>.
This source contributes to my antithesis very well because of its detail. It goes into depth about
what happened inside the factory during the fire. After explaining this, it mentions how The New
York Legislature created a commission called The Factory Commission of 1911. Senator Robert F.
Wagner, Alfred E. Smith and Samuel Gompers, president of the American Federation of Labor,
all headed the commission. The most significant results of this commission were the creation of
the Fire Prevention division, the restrictions that were made to prevent fires from happening,
and the blockage prevention of escape routes.