The Life of a Young Girl in the Lowell Mill
One of the first and significant industrial cities in America was Lowell, Massachusetts. Wealthy men from Boston built massive factories on the Merrimack River in Lowell, MA. These factories created cotton and wool which soon produced more than the leading mills in Britain. America was gradually shifting into a nation of big factories where many Americans would find employment as laborers in these factories.
Many men and women were employed at the mills for a variety of responsibilities such as carding, spinning and weaving to manufacture cotton cloth. However, the working conditions of mill were not pleasant, safe or even healthy and many times workers spend endless hours working in the mills. These conditions lead to workers wanting shorter hours and improved working conditions.
The mills in Lowell, MA sent representatives of the mill to farms across the New England area to recruit females for the position of, “mill girl.” The representative would speak to your parents and present the wonderful life a girl would have and high wages she could earn. The representative assures your parents that you will be supervised and guided by another woman with experience and that housing will be provided at the factory in a boardinghouse. He also tells that you will have meals twice a day and your transportation will be provided. At the time there were few ways a girl could earn money and the jobs they could get usually only paid up to $.50 per week. Whereas becoming a mill girl a girls wage could be doubled if no tripled. These wages could be sent back home to help the family if needed, but most often the girl would be able to keep her wages. However many times a girl would help out a brother in the family get an education so she would send some of her wages to him. After the wonderful life ath the mill was presented and the parents allowed it many young women packed everything they owned, left their family and was taken to Lowell to start their life as a
Many men and women were employed at the mills for a variety of responsibilities such as carding, spinning and weaving to manufacture cotton cloth. However, the working conditions of mill were not pleasant, safe or even healthy and many times workers spend endless hours working in the mills. These conditions lead to workers wanting shorter hours and improved working conditions.
The mills in Lowell, MA sent representatives of the mill to farms across the New England area to recruit females for the position of, “mill girl.” The representative would speak to your parents and present the wonderful life a girl would have and high wages she could earn. The representative assures your parents that you will be supervised and guided by another woman with experience and that housing will be provided at the factory in a boardinghouse. He also tells that you will have meals twice a day and your transportation will be provided. At the time there were few ways a girl could earn money and the jobs they could get usually only paid up to $.50 per week. Whereas becoming a mill girl a girls wage could be doubled if no tripled. These wages could be sent back home to help the family if needed, but most often the girl would be able to keep her wages. However many times a girl would help out a brother in the family get an education so she would send some of her wages to him. After the wonderful life ath the mill was presented and the parents allowed it many young women packed everything they owned, left their family and was taken to Lowell to start their life as a