HIST2111 – US History I

Primary Source Assignment #4

Yours as Ever, Susan: Letters from the Mills

INSTRUCTIONS: Read the following letter from Susan to her friend, Mary. Once you’ve read the short correspondence,
respond to the following questions in short answer form in a new Word document. Make sure you answer the questions
completely (there are 7 in total). Please use size 12 font, preferably double spaced, and no highlighting on text (it’s
tough on the eyes). Remember to check your submission to make sure it uploads properly in the drop box.

LINK TO LETTER: https://tinyurl.com/primary-source-4

BRIEF HISTORY ON THE READING: You might think this letter is from a young woman to her dear friend, but in a way,
you’d be wrong. It sure seems that way, but it’s actually a strategic ploy by a textile factory in Lowell, Massachusetts. In
this countryside town is a large mill – and most of the employees on these new steam powered machines are young
women. The Lowell Offering was created as a way for the “mill girls” to have an artistic outlet. It sounds innocent
enough at first, but this newsletter was also published to serve a specific purpose: make the life of a mill worker socially,
morally, and even politically acceptable.

The concept itself is revolutionary – young women leave their homes in search of a career, or at least a job to pay her
own way. Thousands of girls (some as young as 12 years old) will come to cities and towns across the New England
region looking for opportunity. But as glamorous as this sounds, it’s an incredibly difficult life for these women.
Regulations regarding pay, sick leave, maternity leave, and even safety don’t really exist yet. There is no one protecting
the rights of workers, let alone women. In an effort to curb public backlash, many mill towns created these types of
literary outlets as a way to appear morally responsible towards their workers. The “mill girls” would submit their stories,
poetry, and even fictitious letters to friends detailing their daily lives in the hopes of being published in the outlets.

People across New England read these submissions, and many women utilized the materials in their decisions to gain
factory employment, which helped keep labor pools high in the region. Ultimately, the road towards workers rights is a
long one (we’re talking 1910s+), but these letters give us a tiny glimpse into their lives and their struggles, needs, wants,
and feelings – even if we do need to “read between the lines” when assessing them.

Questions on next page…

QUESTIONS ON READING:

1. How did Harriet describe the mill itself? What job did she perform there? Did she enjoy it? Include an example
from the reading to strengthen your comments.

2. She states, “At first, the hours seemed very long, but I was so interested in learning that I endured it very well…”
What does she say about the difficulties of working in the mill? How do the other girls fair in their workplace?

3. When asked if she is “truly contented,” what does she say about her own feelings? What about the other girls?

4. What kind of social life do the girls have in Lowell? Give at least one example from Harriet’s letter.

5. What did she consider the advantages and disadvantages of working in the mill? Give an example of each.

6. Read the “brief history” on this document provided on the worksheet. If these letters were written to influence
public opinion regarding women in the mills, do you think it was successful? Does “Harriet” make her case? Why
or why not?

7. What questions does this letter raise for you regarding the workplace, women in the mills, or even the concept
of deception through the publication?