Who worked at the Lowell factories?

By 1840, the factories in Lowell employed at some estimates more than 8,000 textile workers, commonly known as mill girls or factory girls. These “operatives”—so-called because they operated the looms and other machinery—were primarily women and children from farming backgrounds.

Who did Lowell hire to work in the factories Why?

“The Lowell System required hiring of young (usually single) women between the ages of 15 and 35. Single women were chosen because they could be paid less than men, thus increasing corporate profits, and because they could be more easily controlled then men.

Where did the workers at Lowell Massachusetts come from?

Leaving Home. Most of the women who came to Lowell were from farms and small villages. Some had labored in small textile mills. Others had produced cotton or woolen goods or shoes for merchants who employed men and women in their homes and paid them by the pieces they produced.

What were 85% of the Lowell mill workers?

These women workers were given the name mills girls. In 1836, Lowell boasted twenty mills with 6,000 workers: 85 percent of Lowell’s labor force consisted of single women between the ages of fifteen and twenty-nine (Inventing America p. 394).

What did the Lowell mills girls do?

The mill girls became known for engaging in cultural programs centered around their boardinghouses. The young women tended to read and discussions of books were a common pursuit. The women also began publishing The Lowell Offering.

Who invented the Lowell System?

Francis Cabot Lowell
Francis Cabot Lowell (1775-1817) first used the system in his textile mill in Waltham, Massachusetts, and some scholars credit his approach with bringing the modern factory to the United States.

Why are Lowell girls important?

In the 1830s, half a century before the better-known mass movements for workers’ rights in the United States, the Lowell mill women organized, went on strike and mobilized in politics when women couldn’t even vote—and created the first union of working women in American history.

How long was a typical workday in Lowell?

1810–1840 – Industrial Revolution Gas lighting in factories enables employers to lengthen the workweek by extending long summer hours into winter. Factory workers regularly put in 12-hour days and 68-hour workweeks. By 1840 the workweek in the major mill town of Lowell, Massachusetts averages 74 hours.

Where was the Lowell system used?

The Lowell system, also known as the Waltham-Lowell system, was a vertically integrated system of textile production used in nineteenth-century New England.