Misty Arlt

Brook Halford
History 1700
November 14, 2016
Document Analysis Paper #4: American Industrialization Image Analysis
For my image, I chose image 28 off of the Cornell University website. Taken in the
1900s, the photograph is described as, The Womens Trade Union League campaigned for the
8-hour workday, safe working conditions and respect for women at work and in society.
I selected this image because I felt that it was inspiring that women would do something like this
back then. Whenever I think of the 1800s to the early 1900s, working women is the last thing
that comes to mind. I always have it in my head that women didnt work back then. Seeing this
photo made me think about how determined women were in the 1900s and that they werent all
stay at home wives.
When I look at this photograph, the conclusion I came to is that women were sick of the
way they were being treated, the working conditions, and the long hours they had to work. They
decided to form a union to prevent these issues. Many places made their employees work long
hours in unsafe conditions, which caused a lot of unnecessary deaths. Im sure that a lot of
people were fed up with this and felt that they shouldnt have to risk their lives just to make
minimum wage. I feel that these women were successful in forming a union and making
conditions better; therefore they took this picture to celebrate their victory.
As I did further research on The Womens Trade Union League, I discovered that it was
founded in Boston in 1903. The reason this union was formed was due to a meeting that the
American Federation of Labor had in Boston. Women noticed that the AFL made no effort to
include them within the ranks. This outraged many women and resulted in some of them forming

the WTUL. The women who founded the union were Mary Kenney OSullivan, Leonora
OReilly, Lillian Wald, and Jane Addams. In 1904, they had 3 different chapters in New York
City, Boston, and Chicago. (Https://www.britannica.com/topic/Womens-Trade-Union-League, no
author) Two groups involved in this union were working-class women and middle-class
reformers. They formed an alliance that was centered on unionizing women workers and also
supported womens strikes. Some of the strikes that were supported by the WTUL were the
Rising of 20,000 and Bread and Roses. (https://www.nwhm.org/onlineexhibits/progressiveera/workingwomen.html, no author)
The rising of 20,000 started in November 1909 and was caused by long hours, low
wages, and poor working conditions. The people who went on strike were members of the Local
25 of the International Ladies Garment Workers Union. One of the founders of the ILGWI, Clara
Lemlich spoke up during a meeting and urged that the women go on strike to improve their work
lives. The next day in New Yorks garment district, over 15,000 workers walked out demanding
better pay and hours. After that first day, more than 20,000 workers showed up to protest poor
working conditions. The workers came from 500 different factories and some of the smaller
factories decided to agree to the terms within 48 hours of the strike.
(http://www.aflcio.org/About/Our-History/Key-Events-in-Labor-History/Triangle-ShirtwaistFire, no author)
The WTUL also played a role in the 1911 Triangle Shirtwaist Company factory fire. They
participated in an investigation that lasted four years. This eventually led to new industrial safety
regulations. In 1922, Eleanor Roosevelt became an active member of the WTUL and formed ties
with Rose Schneiderman and Margaret Dreier Robins. Because of the strong female allies that
were involved, the union gained more power and support. Unfortunately, the WTUL faced

financial issues as well as declining membership, which caused them to cease activity in the
1950s. (https://www2.gwu.edu/~erpapers/teachinger/glossary/womens-trade-union-league.cfm,
no author)
I feel that this photograph has a lot to do with American Industrialization. As I previously
discussed, the WTUL was involved in the Triangle Shirtwaist Company factory fire. The
textbook mentions the fire that caused the death of 146 workers, most of which were women and
children. The textbook states, Management had previously blockaded doors and fire escapes in
an effort to control workers and keep out union organizers; in the blaze, many died due to the
crush of bodies trying to evacuate the building; others died when they fell off the flimsy fire
escape or jumped to their deaths to escape the flames. This tragedy provided the National
Consumers League with the moral argument to convince politicians of the need to pass
workplace safety laws and codes. (American Civilization, page 278)
I think that if it werent for this unfortunate event, the WTUL wouldnt have gained so much
support. This was proof of how poorly they were being treated and that things needed to change.
Jane Addams, one of the founders of WTUL is also mentioned in the text. It talks about
how she founded another league called the National Consumers League, which was founded in
1899. This league also assisted in improving working conditions for women and children. They
fought for the same thing that WTUL did. They clashed with the factory owners because they
were offering the cheapest product available to consumers and took advantage of the female
workers by paying low wages and requiring them to work long hours.
In conclusion, I feel that this photo shows a lot about the American Industrialization. This
organization helped many women get fair treatment, hours and wages in the 1900s. The women
in the picture represent the hardships that women had to go through and what they did to fight

back. I think that this photo is very empowering for women all over the world, even today. It
shows that if you believe in something, you need to fight for it.

Works Cited:

Women in the Progressive Era. https://www.nwhm.org/online-

exhibits/progressiveera/workingwomen.html
Women's Trade Union League (WTUL). https://www.britannica.com/topic/Womens-

Trade-Union-League
Women's Trade Union League.

https://www2.gwu.edu/~erpapers/teachinger/glossary/womens-trade-union-league.cfm
Triangle Shirtwaist Fire. Http://www.aflcio.org/About/Our-History/Key-Events-in-LaborHistory/Triangle-Shirtwaist-Fire