The video is of the Mill Room at the Boott factory in Lowell, Mass. Notice how the machines are incredibly loud. What the Mill Girls would have to do is stand at these looms for 12-14 hours a day, along with having to breath in the cotton that flew around the factory called the "White Hell" and they would have to worry about getting fingers, clothing, or hair stuck in the machines. More on what their duties were with the machines soon! I'm still gathering sources on that one....
"White Hell" example.
This clip is from North and South (2004) by BBC and I remembered it from a History 202 last semester. It's a great example of the what it would have looked like in the mills.
Bah! The more I find the more and more excited I get. I'm really at the stage where I'm starting to map out what I'm going to even write about in the paper. Such as, what topics I find are most valuable for my paper.
After class today, I know I'm going to discuss:
*How the business began. (background information)
*Why the women came to work in the mills.
*If there were many immigrants that came to work in the Boott Cotton Mill specifically.
*Working Conditions is going to be a strong point.
*Living conditions
*Voices of Protest
*I really want to see how Men played a role in the Women's lives. There were men around, so I want to know how they treated the women.
That's just some of the stuff I'm still thinking about, but I want to try and incorporate into my paper.
Hopefully tomorrow if it's not raining too hard I'll get to the Library! If not I'll spend a little bit more time doing some initial research online. Later-gators!
Hey Morgan!
ReplyDeleteI just wanted to tell you that in the book we are reading, Maya of Morganton, there is a little blurb about the mill girls! On page 44 there is a quote about the occurrences/uprising with the Lowell, Massachusetts mill girls. Just thought it might be of interest to you!
Haha! I know, I saw that when I was reading! Thanks!!
ReplyDelete