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The Lowell Mill Girls at a Time When Women Couldn’T Vote, the Lowell Mill Girls Took a Stand and Fought to Be Heard

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The Lowell Mill Girls at a Time When Women Couldn’T Vote, the Lowell Mill Girls Took a Stand and Fought to Be Heard The Lowell Mill Girls At a time when women couldn’t vote, the Lowell Mill Girls took a stand and fought to be heard. Narrator A: In the early 1800s, textile mills began to spring up in New England. Huge five- and six-story brick factories soon lined the Merrimack River in Lowell, Massachusetts, dwarfing local farms. This transformation was part of the Industrial Revolution in America, when technological advances enabled the mass production of clothes and other products. Narrator B: Many women and girls flocked to Lowell to spin and weave cotton, thrilled to be earning their own wages for the first time. But mill owners took advantage of them. Girls were forced to work 13- and 14-hour days, operating dangerous machines in unbearably hot rooms. When the owners refused to improve workplace conditions, some girls decided to fight back. For their pioneering efforts, they would become known as the Lowell Mill Girls. SCENE I The Merrimack Mill, Lowell, Massachusetts, 1836 Narrator C: After learning that their wages are to be cut for the second time in two years, the mill girls decide to "turn out," or strike. But some of the bobbin girls [workers who thread string or yarn] are afraid to leave their machines. This angers 11-year-old Harriet Hanson. Harriet Hanson: Our leader is waving her hood. That's the signal to turn out! Lucy Larcom: Do you think we should go, Harriet? Harriet: We have to. If we don't, they'll do whatever they like to us. Josephine Baker: But what if we lose our jobs? Harriet: Is this job worth it? We start work at 5 a.m. and don't finish until 7 at night. We only get two short breaks. And we can't talk because the machines are so loud-- Lucy: Things aren't that bad, Harriet. Let's not go. Harriet: We make only one dollar a week, Lucy. It isn't fair! Betsey Chamberlain: But there are others who will work for the lower wage. They'll just replace us. Etta Farley: I have to send money home to my family. If I strike, who will pay for my brother's school? Harriet: Well, I don't care what you do. I am going to turn out. Narrator C: By the time Harriet reaches the door, the girls have fallen in behind her. But the strike of 1836 fails almost as soon as it begins. The girls return to work, and the mill owners cut their wages. SCENE 2 A boardinghouse, Lowell, Massachusetts, 1844 Narrator D: Eight years later, a new worker, Eleanor McDonnell, arrives at a local boardinghouse. Mr. McDonnell: I’m sure you will do very well here, Eleanor. Work hard and make your mother and me proud. Eleanor: Yes, father. I do wish that I could stay back at the farm with you and mother. Mrs. McDonnell: Eleanor, you should be happy that you have the opportunity to work at the Lowell Mill. When I was a young girl there were no job opportunities for me. Plus, our family needs your income after the Panic of 1837. Eleanor: Yes, mother. I understand. Narrator D: As Eleanor enters the boardinghouse, she finds Sarah Bagley, a mill worker, trying to organize a strike among the girls. Lucy: You should appreciate the money you're making, Sarah, and ignore the bad things about the job. Sarah Bagley: I can't ignore abuse. Eleanor McDonnell: What abuse? Narrator D: The girls are surprised to see a new face. Eleanor: I'm Eleanor. I'll be starting at the mill tomorrow. Etta: Have a seat. You're just in time to watch Sarah organize a protest. Sarah: The days are too long, and the conditions are dangerous. Some girls have breathing problems, and others are going deaf from the machines. It's time we protested again. Harriet: Not me. The last time I went on strike my mother was punished. Sarah: You said you were proud of that strike. Harriet: It failed, Sarah! The owners didn't care! Sarah: Then I'll think of another way to make our point. Mrs. Doubtfire, boarding house matron: Girls, it’s time for the evening bell. Please head to your rooms. SCENE 3 A Lowell mill Narrator E: It is Eleanor's first day at the mill, and the foreman, Mr. Stodge, is putting her to work. Edward Stodge: Betsey! Here's the new bobbin girl! Show her what to do. Narrator E: Betsey brings Eleanor to a spinning frame. Eleanor: I don't even know what a bobbin is, Betsey. Betsey: Bobbins are big spools that catch the yarn. Don't worry, it's easy. Just take the full bobbins off the spinning frame, and put empty ones on as quick as you can. Narrator E: Suddenly, there is a terrible scream. Etta: Help! Hester fell asleep, and her hair got caught in one of the machines! Betsey: Hurry! Turn it off! It's pulling her scalp right off her head! Josephine: There's blood everywhere! Lucy: Don't look, Eleanor! Harriet: I told her she should wear her hair up! Sarah: Mr. Stodge! Help her! Narrator E: Stodge strolls over to the machine with a knife and chops Hester's hair off. She falls to the floor. Stodge: Back to work, girls. Sarah: Is that all you have to say? Stodge: Back to work, Miss Bagley, if you want to keep your job. SCENE 4 The boardinghouse Narrator F: Sarah calls a meeting of the mill girls. Sarah: If you ever had any doubts, poor Hester's accident today has made it clear that the mill is an unsafe place to work. Etta: The poor girl was so exhausted she fell asleep standing up. Sarah: We can't let accidents like that happen again. We have to make them shorten the workday. Lucy: But how? Josephine: As long as the owners profit from us, they won't listen. Sarah: I know how to get their attention. We'll take our case to the Massachusetts Legislature. Harriet: None of the men around here will let us join their unions. Why should the politicians listen to us? Sarah: When they find out that girls just like their daughters are in danger, they'll listen. Betsey: What are we going to say? Sarah: That we want a safer environment and a l0-hour workday. Lucy: It's worth a try. Eleanor: Agreed. Narrator F: In December 1844, Sarah and the others start the Lowell Female Labor Reform Association (LFLRA), one of the first permanent labor groups for women in the U.S. As president, Sarah helps lead the growing movement for a 10-hour workday. SCENE 5 The Massachusetts Legislature, Boston, Massachusetts, 1845 Narrator G: In January 1845, Sarah and her group petition the state for a 10-hour workday. On February 15, Sarah and Eleanor are seated before a panel of Massachusetts representatives including the chairman, William Schouler, who represents Lowell in the Legislature. Rep. William Schouler: We will now hear from Miss Sarah Bagley on the working conditions in Lowell's textile mills. Sarah: Thank you, sir. The mill is kept hot and humid so that the threads won't dry out and break. Girls pass out regularly. We inhale cotton dust and lint all the time. Many of the workers have coughs. Schouler: And? Sarah: We are working 14-hour days, 5 days a week, plus a half day on Saturday. Schouler: That sounds easier than life on a farm, Miss Bagley. Sarah: It's dangerous, sir. Schouler: I'm sorry. The Legislature does not have the authority to determine work hours. Sarah: But, sir-- Schouler: Miss Bagley, we've got more important things to worry about. You may go. Narrator G: The disappointed girls head back to the boardinghouse. Eleanor: I guess we don't remind them of their daughters after all. Sarah: If those men spent one hour working in the mill, they would understand. Eleanor: But that doesn't mean they'd care. I don't like that Mr. Schouler. He shouldn't be representing Lowell in the Legislature. Narrator G: Sarah gets an idea. Sarah: You're brilliant, Eleanor! If we make sure he loses the next election, people will realize that our organization has real power. If their jobs are at risk, the Representatives will have to pay attention! AFTERWORD Narrator H: William Schouler lost the next election, due to Sarah Bagley's campaign against him. The LFLRA then presented a petition with more than 10,000 signatures to the Legislature, asking that action be taken against the mills. Although the Legislature still refused to help, Sarah did not give up. She traveled throughout New England, working on behalf of women's rights and worker safety. In 1874, nine years before Sarah died, Massachusetts finally enacted the 10-hour-workday law, thanks in large part to her efforts. .
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