Mindless Mill Workers

Option 2

         During the Industrial Revolution, women workers were common in the mills. They mainly went by the name "Mill Girls". Often men went to family farms and persuaded the girls to move to Lowell to work hard in the factories. They persuaded the families by telling them that the girls can make money and send it back home to help pay some of the expenses they might have. They also might say that the girls have some freedom outside of working. They can make some money and spend it in the city to buy items. The mill girls could also meet some friends at the mill. The persuader probably left out some of the bad things that could happen at the mill. The bad things were bad working conditions, chance of getting a horrible injury or sickness that could easily lead to death. The girls also went deaf because of the loud machinery. So those are some of the pros and cons of working in the mills.

         There were many restrictions on life for the mill. They got 3 meals a day that they had to eat while working. The food was basic; stuff like potatoes, rice, and beans. They also had a strict sleeping and work schedule that they had to follow. Inside the mills the over lookers made sure they don't screw anything up. If they did then they often corrected them by beating the girls. They got horribly injured when they beat them; some of the injuries took a long time to heal. The attitudes towards the girls were mostly negative in the 1800's because people thought of them as mindless workers in the mills and that the women weren't really worth much. They didn't think they were worth much because the managers picked girls over boys to work in the mills. The boys worked on the farms so the family often sent the girls to the mills. So those are the restrictions and the attitudes towards the mill girls in the 1800's.

Illustration of a girl working at a mill