"Daughters of freemen still": female textile operatives and the changing face of Lowell, 1820-1850

This thesis investigates the female labor force of the Lowell textile mills from 1820 to 1850. First, it describes the development of the Lowell system and the philosophy on which it was founded. Next, it examines the working conditions in the mills and the daily lives of the women who worked in them. Finally, it describes the circumstances that brought about labor unrest and ultimately a complete change in the work force at Lowell, from the young, single, New England farm women to immigrant laborers. A variety of primary sources, such as letters, diaries, essays and poems written by the mill workers themselves, provide insights into how these women viewed their work, their lives, and the events that transformed the factories and city of Lowell.

Name thesis:degree_name

Master of Arts

Level thesis:degree_level

masters

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

History

Department dc:contributor.department

History

Grantor dc:publisher

Virginia Tech

Year dc:date.issued

1990

Author dc:creator

• Murphy, John B.

Statement dc:rights

• In Copyright

Licence dc:rights.uri

• http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/

Language dc:language.iso

en

Dc Identifier Other

etd-03122009-040515

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:vtechworks.lib.vt.edu:10919/41451