1. Triangle:
The Fire That
Changed
America
Clay Brand

2. Triangle Factory

Shirtwaist factory

Series of strikes

Farbrente mayblakh – fiery girls
− Clara Lemlich and her cohort

Poor working conditions:
− Locked doors
− Few breaks
− Sweatshop environment
− Little pay

3. The fire

History of fires in the building – owner recalled
at least three other occasions

Many workers were in locked upper-story
rooms

Many workers eventually jumped out from the
upper windows in an attempt to flee

Insufficient fire escapes

Deformed, burnt bodies often had to be
identified at the morgue

Cotton is extremely flammable
− Fire marshall eventually concluded the fire itself was
probably caused by a cigarette butt or match

4. Fallout

Called into question the
ways of the labor system and
labor safety of the US

Over 140 dead

In large part a lack of
concern for worker safety,
according to the author, led
to the event.

5. Reform

“A century ago the idea of tackling social
problems by collecting facts—as opposed to
scriptural passages or philosophical tenets—was
groundbreaking.”
− Social reform wave

Tammany Hall—transformation to pro-labor

Tammany twins—Robert Wagner and Al Smith—
were leaders in reform efforts.

June 30, 1911: Factory Investigating Commission
Law

Significant legal overhauls in 1912

6. Thoughts