The Triangle Fire: A Brief History with Documents

by Jo Ann E. Argersinger

In 1911, a fire at the Triangle Waist Company in New York City claimed the lives of 146 workers, mainly young immigrant women, who either leaped to their deaths or were trapped in the blaze by locked doors and inadequate fire escapes. The tragedy brought national attention to the unsafe working conditions, long hours, and low pay that had prompted a national garment workers’ strike a year before. Jo Ann Argersinger’s volume examines the context, trajectory, and impact of this Progressive Era event. An introduction explores the demands industrialization placed upon urban working women, their fight to unionize, and the Triangle fire’s significance in the greater scope of labor reform. Documents from newspaper reports to the personal stories of labor agitators and fire survivors continue the story, giving voice to the "girl strikers," their enemies and upper-class allies in the effort to reform the garment industry, and the public outrage that followed the fire. Document headnotes, a chronology, questions for consideration, a selected bibliography, and an index enrich students’ understanding of this historical moment.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, School, Labor, Historical, College, American History

142 pages, Paperback

First published February 4, 2009

Reviews

[KL · Rating 5 out of 5]

Readers that want to read about the Triangle Fire, but don't want a longer book like Stein's or Von Drehle's should read Argersinger's book. The first 36 pages sum up the 1909 shirtwaist strike, the fire, and the trial afterward. The second part of the book, which is less than 100 pages, contains primary sources in the same chronological order Argersinger describes in part one. The author has carefully selected useful primary sources and each one has a relevant introduction. It may be a short book, but it packs a punch with the information it contains.

[Dusty · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well, this is a good book to read the next time you're feeling abused by your overly demanding boss. However bad you have it, you probably at least have clear access to a set of stairs or a ladder in the event of a fire. These kinds of protections are easy to take for granted today, but they required a sacrifice of the almost 150 lives that were lost after a fire broke out on the eighth floor of the Asch building in New York City in 1911. This book by the historian Jo Ann Argersinger begins with about 50 pages introducing the Triangle shirtwaist factory, its history of disregarding the safety of its primarily female workforce, and the public and political responses to the fire. The following 100 pages feature excerpts from a number of documents printed around the time of the fire that depict the Progressive Era from the perspectives of the people who lived through it. The vivid recollections of young girls who somehow survived being faced with a wall of fire several hundred feet in the air – and the reports of the others who plummeted onto the sidewalk below – may keep me up tonight. But still I am glad to have read the book and think it does justice to an important and still sadly relevant moment in United States labor history.

[Alan · Rating 1 out of 5]

Were it presented as an account of the class struggle in the United States with a particular emphasis on the role of women, this would have been an excellent book. The author frequently cites herself and her bibliography calls attention to her ideological bias. This was more akin to shameless political propaganda than a historical account, and I intend to avoid Argersinger's work in the future.

[Rachel Niemeyer · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an interesting account of an important and revolutionary time in history. Using primary sources, the author demonstrates how, from the ashes of The Triangle Fire in 1911, rose new legislation and laws that protected workers and eventually led to better working conditions in America. A quick and easy read.

[Jacqueline Gabert · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is such an important event to read about and consider in light of current working conditions in America and overseas. We must not allow consumerism to blind us to the terrible treatment of workers.

[Llyr Heller-Humphreys · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great and brief history. Would be good for HS reading or a book club. The variety of documents really helps to bring the horrible moment in history to further light. There's a lot of historical fiction about this event, but it was illuminating to read the documents.

[Rasheta · Rating 2 out of 5]

The book is good and well presented, it is rough to get through though.

[Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Regardless of reading ability, this book ought to be compulsory reading for all high school students. It would do society well to have adults read it again before the age of thirty-five.

[Amy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good Intro that covers all the main issues, and articles to choose from to assign for a U.S. or Women's or Labor history class.

[R.K. Cowles · Rating 2 out of 5]

2 1/4 stars

[Tim Brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

Before anyone came up with life saving regulations- NFPA or OSHA. Sad book about making money regardless of the cost…. In human lives.

[Cretin Workshop · Rating 3 out of 5]

There are only about 30 or so pages of original content here; most of the book is a compilation of first-hand sources from back when the titular event took place and within Jo Ann E. Argersinger's intention of educating students on the matter I think it ultimately succeeds in its goals. There are probably better ways to learn about this topic but this certainly isn't a bad way to do so.

[Lauren Schick · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an amazing book. The Triangle Fire was the worst work place tragedy up until 9/11. The stories are heartbreaking to read.

[Ruth · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's wild how contradictory the boss's reports are from the many reports of actual victims of the fire. Those doors were absolutely locked, no one can convince me otherwise!

[Catherine · Rating 3 out of 5]

interesting read, but not entirely my cup of tea.

[Aria]

Also not rating this one but this time it's just because idk how to rate a book that just summarizes a historical event and compiles a bunch of documents. My rating is that I'll probably survive writing the nine page research paper that centers around it??