The New Family Life in North Atlantic Industrial Region

(Reforming the Working Place for the Family)

Annotated Bibliography

If I were to write a paper about the reform of the working place for the American family in the North Atlantic industrial region the themes that would be covered are: working hours, developing technology, immigration, and working wages. The growth of Industrialism attracted many farm families to the cities in the North Atlantic Industrial region of the United States. Factories created job opportunities for the American family which began to adapt to the new form of life. The long working hours never seemed to end, and the wages were low; however, the American family kept moving forward as did the technology. The spinning jenny moved from twelve spindles to about eighty thus increasing production in factories. However this new development displaced women and children from this job because the carriage became too heavy, and more males were hired to do this job. The boarding houses were deteriorating because they were getting old. Cheap labor from immigrants changed the availability of work for some families in the large cities. The wages were also affected by the immigration of the Irish during the potato famine after 1846 because of the high immigration rates wages got lower. The relationship between the worker and the employer became more formal and business like; it was not much of an apprenticeship, but rather consisted of more regulations and more demanding hours of work.

Secondary Sources

1.Cochran C. Thomas. Frontiers of Change Early Industrialism in America. New York: Oxford

University Press, 1981.

There are several different themes that are presented in this book which would useful in

writing my paper. Cochran uses a geocultural perspective to examine industrialism during

the Antebellum period. The use of corporations for business is one of the factors that

contributed to industrialism and thus provide more work for families in these cities.

Cochran also explains how Americans began to use putting-out operations to produce

goods. Cochran describes how the rapid growth of markets arose from an increase in

population making Americans over optimistic. There were more people starting businesses

than any where else in the world. All of the developing technology allowed Americans

to improve their lifestyle, and they began to adopt to a new and changing lifestyle.

2.Gutman, Herbert G. Work Culture and Society in Industrializing America (Essays in American

Working-Class and Social History). New York: Alfred A. Knopf 1976.

This book contains a collection of seven essays that were previously published in 1959 and

1973. Gutman has done extensive research and this book also contains informative foot

notes. Gutman compares the “old labor” history with the “new.” the old labor was an

overview of trade unionism and its members. In the new he uses culture to explain how

Americans experienced their work in general. This book contains information on the class

Relationship of workers during industrialism. In this work Gutman has explained the

interest of workers and the ethnic division that was generated within the working class as a

result of the large concentration of immigrants. He also talks about some of the problems

that were generated as a result of the ethnic division. This book would be very useful

because it explains the behavior and developing culture of Americans in an industrializing

society.

3. Huberman, Michael. “Invisible Hadshakes in Lancashire: Cotton Spinning in the First Half of the

Nineteenth Century,” Journal of Economic History. Vol.46, No.4(Dec. 1986), 987-998. Data

base on-line. JStor, Galileo; accessed June 26, 2005.

In this article Huberman talks about urban Lancashire. He also explains how coarse yarn was usually spun on self-actors, and fine yarn on mules. This spinning required two or three piecers who were usually males. The piecers were for the most part around the age of thirteen and twenty one. Huberman says that younger workers were preferred because they guaranteed more productive output. Also some firms created long-term attachments with their employees. Some “good employees” offered good wages based on a days worked not on spindles, mules or hours worked. Huberman also gives a table of age distribution of spinners. This article would be useful because it contains information which explains what working in a factory required piecers to do.

4. Larkin, Jack. The Reshaping of Everyday Life 1790-1840. New York: Harper &Row, 1988.

Jack Larkin did an excellent job at describing how people lived during 1790-1840. One of

the major themes is change and reshaping. This book is structured in a cause and effect sort

of manner, and it shows how the lives of many families were. I would use this book

because I can use a lot of this information for my paper. Larking gives very good

information on the factory mills, the spinning jenny, and labor in general. This book has a

little of everything.

5. Montrie, Chad. “I think less of the Factory Than of My Native Dell”: Labor, Nature, and The

Lowell Mill Grils.” Environmental History 2004 9(2): 275-295. Data base on-line. America:

History, and Life, Galileo; accessed June 25, 2005.

Montrie talks about women working in the mills, after having lived in a farm, felt alienated from the outside world because they were use to interacting more with their environment which they could not do in the mill. Montire mentions Lucy Larcom and how she would walk outside on the Fourth of July collecting wild roses, so that she could forget the smell of the oily machinery. Montrie also explains what some of the responsibilities that women had back in the farm; he then talks about some of the activities that they performed in the city. He talks about the fact that these women missed nature and the interaction that they had with it back in the farm. This source contains information on the mill labor, longing for home stories, poems, letters and memoirs written by the Lowell workers. This source would be helpful in my paper because it can help me write about some of the effects that the mills had on its workers.

6.Shelton, Cynthia J. The Mills Of Manayunk (Industrialization and Social Conflict in the

Philadelphia Region, 1787-1837). Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University, 1986.

This book is an excellent source for my paper. It contains information on how the mills ran. Shelton explains how J.J. Borie and Joseph Ripka opened cotton factories. In this explanation Shelton talks about the developing technology of the power looms. She also explains how factories took advantage of their workers by giving them 13-14 hours of work per day. Children as young as 9 had to work 12hours or more. The working conditions and diseases that the workers were exposed to were also discussed. Shelton also talks about the wages that the workers received which were very low. For example children would get paid about 75cents every two weeks. This book will provide good information if I were to write this paper because Shelton covers every aspect that affected the working family.

7.Shelton, Cynthia. “The Role of Labor in Early Industrializing Philadelphia, 1787-1837" Journal of

the Early Republic 1984 4 (4): 365-394. Database on-line. America: History, and LIFE, Galileo;

accessed June 26, 2005.

This essay focuses on the industrialization in the mid Atlantic sates. Shelton talks bout how the Irish and the English loom weavers of Philadelphia turned this state into the major state of production in the 1820's. These immigrants helped create an oppressive system of production. In this work Shelton also talks bout some of the conflicts that arose as a result of the developing technology. For example Shelton mentions how some of the mill workers burned some mills because they were against the use of new technology which began to displace some female and children. Shelton also mentions the fact the new spinners reduced the cost of wheel spinners yarn by twenty-five percent. Shelton also talks about the working conditions. This source contains very good information that I can use to talk about life in a factory for the family.

8.Zonderman, David A. “From Mill Village to Industrial City: Letters from Vermont Factory

Operatives.” Labor History 1986 27 (2): 265-285. Database on-line. America: History, and Life,

Galileo; accessed June 26, 2005.

This is an excellent source for my paper because it contains letters from Caroline and Rebecca Ford and Pricilla Howe. These women lived in Vermont but soon moved to New England in search of job opportunities in the textile industry. These letters contain information on the different ways in which the woolen industry compared to the cotton textile industry. Their letters also have criticisms of working in these factories such as laying off, slack periods, overworking, spring floods. Religion is also discussed in these letters. Overall this is a good source because it contains very useful information on the life of these women who represent many of the female workers of this time.

Primary Sources

1.Bryant, Cullen William. “On the Right to Strike,” New York Evening Post, June 13, 1836.

Available from http://america.eb.com/america/article?articleId=385765. Britanica.com

Annals of American History; accessed July 9, 2005.

This was written by William Cullen Bryant who was the publisher of the liberal New York

Evening post. This source is very useful because it talks about a group of twenty workers who

went on strike because their wages were reduced twice without having an increase in salary.

Bryan explains how the workers were arrested because they refused to go to work; he says it

is unconstitutional. Bryant also adds that the law is unfair because it protects the rich and

disgraces the poor. This source is very useful in my research because it shows the relationship

between the workers dissatisfaction at work due to the wages, and the bias, towards the

working class, which makes life harder for these families. This source also helps explain how

Americans wanted to reform their working place.

2.Handbook to Lowell, 1848, pp. 42–44 [A Documentary History of the American Industrial

Society, John R. Commons, et al., ed., Cleveland, 1910–1911, Vol. VII, pp. 135–136]. As

cited Factory Rules at Lowell, Massachusetts Available from

http://america.eb.com/america/print?articleId=385839. Annals of American History,

Birtannica.com; accessed July 9, 2005.

This is part of the Handbook to Lowell. The information contained in this source is about the regulations that were to be observed by all persons employed under Hamilton Manufacturing. These regulations were stated in the Hamilton contract. The overseers were to always be in the rooms from the beginning of the working day to the end. The overseers were to make sure that all of the employees showed up to work, and they had to keep track of the hours that they all worked. The overseers were the ones that gave the workers permission to be absent from work. The employees had to give two weeks notice that they were planning to leave the company. Also in order for the worker to be entitled to a regular discharge they would have to work for twelve months. Other regulations were that the company did not have to employ anyone who did not regularly attend public worship of Sabbath, or known to be morally corrupt. Anybody who took or stole any of the yarn form the mills was considered guilty of stealing, and they would most likely be prosecuted by the law. I would definitely use this in my research because it has information on the regulations that had to be followed by the workers in some factories.

3.Popular Song. “No Irish Need Apply,” 1848. Available from

http://america.eb.com/america/print?articleId=385854. Annals of American

History, Britannica.com; accessed July 9, 2005.

These are lyrics to a popular song called “No Irish Ned Apply” written by John F. Poole. The

song is about a man who is looking for a job but a man says, “ You are a Paddy and no Irish

need apply,” so he gets mad, and beats man because he could not stand the discrimination any

longer. As he is leaving he tells the man that the next time that he wants a beating he should

write, “No Irish Need Apply.” I can use this information because this song shows how many

Americans did not like the Irish because there were too many coming to America after the

potato famine. This is an interesting piece; it shows how American families were

against the Irish because they competed with them for jobs due to the cheaper immigrant

labor.

4.“Reports of Commissioners on the Hours of Labor,” Massachusetts House Document No. 44,

1867. As cited Child Labor and School Attendance, Available from

http://america.eb.com/emerica/print?articleId=386308. Annals of American History,

Britannica.com; accessed July 9, 2005.

This is part of a report that was sent from the Massachusetts commission to the legislation

giving reasons as to why the ten hour work day should be employed. One of the reasons

mentioned is that the workers would be more able to perform ten hours rather then eleven or

more, and it would be more profitable for the employers. Another reason is that there would

be less time lost because the minors would not need to rest for a few days, or to leave the

company for moths or years. I would use this source because it describes some of the main

reasons as to why the ten hour work day wanted to be enacted. This is important because

the house hold depends on the income that is received for working in the factories.

5.“The Ten-Hour Day,” New York Weekly Tribune, August 14, 1847. Data base on-line.

Annals of American History; accessed July 9, 2005.

This article is about the ten-hour day for workers. It is about the act that was to

regulate working hours of labor in factories. Section 1 of this article states that it

is enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives that ten hours of labor shall be

considered as a full day’s work, unless there is an outside agreement between the

employer and the employee. Then Section 2 says that no one under the age of fifteen shall

work more than ten hours with out the consent of the parent or guardian. I would use this

source in my research because it has important information about the working hours that were

beginning to be enacted by some Northern states in the late 1840’s.